a classic example of perception over production. on the one hand, if the guy is "the best" and is delivering at a much higher level of quality then what's the p

a classic example of perception over production. on the one hand, if the guy is "the best" and is delivering at a much higher level of quality then what's the problem? on the other hand, (for better or for worse) management's perception carries tremendous weight when making decisions. we've all seen it with purchasing decisions and personnel decisions are usually treated within the same jurisdiction. additionally, there's the overall team health that this person must consider. if "everyone else" is punctual and the superstar isn't, then this could affect team morale and degrade overall team output. ultimately though, it sounds like this manager has only considered negative reinforcement - a poor strategy. i didn't see much discussion of how he's tried to offer alternative incentive(s) to this one employee to reward them for their contribution relative to the team (and it doesn't have to be monetary, as Patricia Lynn posted). a consistent benefit for that level of production may be something that could be used a method of collaborating toward a punctuality agreement. in the end, it sounds like this person knows how much value they bring to the organization and probably believes that they're not being rewarded appropriately for it and is, therefore, creating their own reward. finally, an invective against this manager - they sound awful. a distinct lack of creative personnel management, a reluctance to provide alternative perspective to their boss (inability to "manage up"), and a generally whiny attitude is not a person for whom i'd work for very long if i was a high producer. dont worry, mr. manager, your employee will be gone before long anyway.