The Reasons

To some extent the reasons why an individual is tardy are irrelevant.  Most managers are pretty reasonable and realize that all of us will at some time be stuck in traffic, forced to deal with an issue at home, or had something unexpected come up that makes us late. The concern is the employee who is chronically late.  These are the people who consume time in corrective actions and who we may ultimately be forced to fire.   Do you care why they are late?  In most instances, no.  You just want it resolved.  However, a number of people have tried to examine the issue and taken a “Dr Phil” moment to figure it out.  A few suggested reasons for the behavior of the time challenged include: 

• Some people just don’t realize the importance of being on time.
• Younger workers, perhaps have yet to develop the work ethic required by many businesses.
• Changing societal standards.
• Increasing family responsibilities.
• They have poor morale.
• Difficulty with time management.
• Punctually challenged tend to procrastinate, have low levels of self-control, like living on the edge, or may be exceptionally anxious.
• The tardy are more self centered, less respectful of others, or may be seeking attention.
• They’re just lazy.
• People are too stressed out about life in general.
• Work is just not a priority.
• Some people “aren’t morning people.”
• Some just don’t like following rules and conforming.

When Reasons Matter

Remember, however, that if lateness is due to legally protected reasons (e.g., protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Family and Medical Leave Act) then the reasons do matter. Be sure to act cautiously when taking corrective action or “marking an employee down” on an appraisal because of an absence or tardiness that could be legally protected.

A recent survey by CareerBuilder.com/USA Today found that 16% of employees are late for work at least once weekly.  Just as interesting (actually more interesting) were some of the excuses given: 

• I just wasn’t feelin’ it this morning.
• Someone was following me and I drove all around town trying to lose them.
• My dog dialed 911 and the police wanted to question me about what really happened.
• My girlfriend got mad and destroyed all my undergarments.
• I woke up and thought I was temporarily deaf.
• I was up all night arguing with God.
• A raccoon stole my work shoe off my porch.
• I super glued my eye thinking it was contact solution.
• I was putting lotion on my face when my finger went up my nose, causing a nose bleed.
• A prostitute climbed into my car at a stop light and I was afraid my wife would see her and think I was messing around…so I got out of the car.

While the above excuses were some of the more creative ones given in the survey, “traffic” was the number one reason given for coming in late. That was followed by “falling back asleep,”  “problems getting the kids to school,”  “forgetting something,” and “feeling sick.”  Interestingly (but maybe not surprisingly), 27% of managers said they didn’t believe their employees’ excuses. Over ¼ of the employees admitted that their excuses were lies.

Check back tomorrow for part 2.