lateness

[eastfield]

I supervise a members of a voluntary workforce who are learning office skill that includes MS office Suite(I teach MS Office also).


They are a disadvantaged group who are recovering from various mental health problems. We create real work conditions and trade withthe public offering general office and gardening services. We have a problem with punctuality of the volunteer workforce.Ideally they need to start at office opening time 9:30 am. Many are strolling in at 10.30 11:30 am.We incentivise them with a meal and transport fare. They currently receieve mental health money from the state(benefits) as there main income.How can we encourage the voluntary workforce to be punctual,since this will help them when they eventually return to real work in the commercial or public sector?


Thank all

Eastfield

When mental healt is an issue, I think your sense of being on time is one of the first things to shoot down the tubes. If this is a new beginning for very ill people in recovery, they may not really have a rational concept of time.
Your incentives are geared to well people. And really pretty small... You don't pay them, they understand that, but I doubt they look at going to work as going to school. Perhaps some other insentives for accumulating a 3 day and 5 day on time reward. Nothing big perhaps a 5.00 or 10.00 cash. Perhaps some friendly competition?
But remember to think like they do. Perhaps some classes about what it means to be somewhere you say you will be and trying to get them to understand that their actions have consequences not only for them but for other people.