I have run my law office for about 5 years now. I have 5 employees, 3 paralegals. Our regular office hours are 8:30-5:30. Now, I have one paralegal who (for medical reasons) says she can't get in before 9:00 a.m., so she wants to work 9-6. Another is a morning person, and wnats to work 8-5. The third is ok with the 8:30-5:30 hours.

Question: should I let them work the hours they want? the office will still be open during the hours of 8:30-5:30, so that will be covered. Otherwise, I can just insist on the "regular schedule", which I'm sure will upset at least one. Due to missed time for sickness, we have recently switched all employees from salary to hourly.

I need advice and input from someone with experience please!! I now really have a good group of folks, and we work well together, but I really don't like the feeling that I'm being taken advantage of. Any help or suggestions will be welcome. thanks in advance.

First and foremost --- you are the boss. Your office hours are clearly stated. Your staff must be available to you and your clients during those hours.

What medical reason could an employee have that they can't show up at 8:30, but they can at 9:00??

I'd stick with the office hours they way they are. Start letting your employees run over you now, it will be very difficult for you to get them to do anything in the future.

"I now really have a good group of folks, and we work well together,"

These are employees. Not friends. Not sure where you are, but I know of at least 3 people who are paralegals --- lookign for work. So getting people who want to and will work might not be as hard as you think. (if it comes to that)

Stick to your guns. State your understanding of their needs, but you have yours and the office hours are 8:30 - 5:30. The work schedule is 8:30 - 5:30. End of story.

Good luck!

Lisa

Why not let them work those hours. You not only keep your employees happy but you provide more hours to your customers. What's not to like?
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It's your business so of course you can set your office hours as you see fit. However if you are able to be flexible it can go a long way to building good morale in your staff. This does not mean you have to give in to their every wish. Maybe you can stipulate that you must have coverage between the hours of 8 and 5:30 and allow the staff to work out that coverage amongst themselves.

On a side note....employees are designated salary or hourly according to very specific criteria, not arbitrarily to suit the employer's needs. You may want to double check here:
http://www.dol.gov/

If you think you are being taken advantage of, it is obviously not a good thing. An employee requesting to change their schedule to me does not mean that you are being taken advantage of. If they come in late, are sick often, make excuses for not getting the work done, underperform are reasons to be anxious.

If you can make your employees happy by being a bit flexible on the hours, why not do it? It does make a big difference in their lives by allowing to change their schedule. As long as it does not affect your business in a negative way. I suggest having a 2-3 week trial period to see if it works well for you.

In the office that I used to work in, other departments had flexible schedules and it worked fine and it boosted morale. We were the only department that was not allowed the flex schedule. Employees were not explained in an explicit manner why it was not permitted and this caused friction with the manager.

If you decide not to allow the schedule change, have the decency to explain to your employees that you considered it and the reasons for your decision. Whether they agree with you or not about your decision, at least they will know that you had enough respect for them by discussing it.