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Introduction

Whether you're asking an employee to work overtime in order to meet a deadline or to step up to their full potential, asking an employee to work more hours is not always an easy task. That is why we are going to give you 10 tips on how to ask your employees to work more hours.

Under Performance vs. Overtime

The approach to asking an employee to work overtime will be different from the approach to asking an employee to meet their full potential when they are underperforming. As a manager, it is important to match your response to the situation. It is crucial to go about the request in the proper way to avoid the risk of added pressure on your team as well as to facilitate a healthy and productive workplace for all.

Under Performance

You’re riddled with an underperforming employee. What should you do to get them to work to their potential?

Document

Document the instances of your employee leaving early, being distracted, or not completing their tasks. This will allow you to reference specific instances when you meet with them.

Set Up A Meeting

Set a private meeting to discuss this with the employee. As underperformance is a sensitive topic, make sure the meeting is done privately. Asking questions to the underperforming employee will allow you to understand what is going on from their perspective. Are they burnt out? Are they bored? Maybe they are struggling with a personal problem. There is a likely chance the employee is simply unaware of their underperformance. Understanding the employee's perspective will allow you to appropriately address the situation. For tips on dealing with personal problems affecting the workplace read here. (BLOG)

Be Direct

Let the employee know how their actions are affecting the team.

“I was anticipating you would complete the task before the 9 am meeting”
“Since you didn’t finish your task the rest of the team had to drop what they were doing and scramble together at the last minute to complete this”

Letting the employee know that not fulfilling their responsibilities is letting down the team will motivate them to do better and change their approach.

Encourage The Employee

Let the employee know that you cannot pay them for a full day of work if they are only completing a half day of work. Most employees want to stay employed and receive their maximum pay.

Overtime

Asking an employee to work overtime has a slightly different approach.

Be Honest

Let your employee know WHY you are asking them to work overtime. Maybe there's a big project coming up, maybe there's a fast-approaching deadline to meet. Let them know the timeline of your request. Letting your employee know the reasoning and timeline will remove some of the added pressure of this task.

Lead By Example

Asking employees to work overtime on a project is not fair if you are not putting in the extra hours as well. When the boss is working overtime, it demonstrates the severity and urgency of the situation to the employees. This will promote team spirit and motivate the team. Expecting employees to give it their all if you’re not willing to do the same can create a negative and toxic workplace.

Be Considerate

Asking an employee to work overtime should be treated differently than asking an employee to work regular hours. Allow the employee to give input on how they can complete the task best. If possible allow them to work overtime remotely, and allow them to spread out the work. You should try and offer more flexibility than the usual job limitations when asking for overtime from an employee.

Offer Incentives (If Possible)

If it is possible, set up incentives for the employees. This could be offering a day off for x hours of overtime, it could be a bonus, and incentives can look different for different companies. Offering incentives is a way to show gratitude towards employees as well as motivate them.

No Matter What

Do Not Compare

Do not compare your employees to each other. This will not motivate them, it will instead create negativity and competition in the workplace which you do not want. Letting them know how their actions affect the team is a great motivation tactic, comparing performance is not.

Show Appreciation

When your employee does start to work more hours, show your appreciation. Letting them know you notice their extra effort goes a long way! This will motivate your employees as well as make them more receptive in the future to your feedback.

Conclusion

Be honest with your employees about your expectations, deadlines, and the urgency of the matter. Let the employees see the full picture, why you need them to work more and how underperforming can affect the rest of the team. Show empathy, show appreciation, and make sure you lead by example. Following these tips will allow you to maintain a healthy and productive workplace!

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