Dear Lola Cat –
I have a work mate who is constantly late and always has some excuse as to why they cannot make it to work on time. We have a casual work environment but is it really OK to arrive whenever you like?
Regards,
Punctually Annoyed
Dear PA -
This really is a thorn in my beautifully manicured paws. I am an early riser and love nothing more than waking up my human by batting their face with my paw to remind them I need feeding, love and attention immediately. There is no sleeping in on my watch!
We have all worked with the work mate who runs through the front door 20 minutes late puffing and throwing out excuses like the whole office is listening. In my wickedly whiskered opinion the only reaction they deserve is “who cares about excuses, you’re late”. Everyone commutes and has challenges but most of us also manage to get to work on time.
Being late is not acceptable and is detrimental on many levels. I had one of my minion’s put together this list of what being late vs. being on time does for you.
What being late vs. being on time does for you.
Being Late
- Says you have a lack of respect for other people’s time.
- Is stressful and causes co-workers (and clients) unnecessary stress.
- Indicates that you are incapable of managing your life and working with challenges.
- Demonstrates that you lack planning and that your work is not as high a priority as whatever little thing comes along, and that you’re unwilling to set priorities in your own life.
- Indirectly shows that you don’t care as much about your job as you do you about whatever you describe as your excuse.
- Indicates that you can’t be relied upon to meet commitments.
- Shows your boss and co-workers that you can’t be trusted or relied upon to meet obligations.
Arriving on Time
+ Exhibits that you are someone others can trust to be as good as your word.
+ Validates that you are willing and able to meet commitments.
+ Establishes that you are vested and interested in working and contributing to the good of the company.
+ Validates that you have priorities and willingness meet them on a consistent basis.
+ Shows that you are able to manage your life and meet challenges.
+ Relieves stress and creates a happier work environment.
+ Shows that you respect your co-workers, company and management.
The old saying goes that ‘time is money’. You wouldn’t steal money from your work place, but being late means you expect to be paid for time that you are not there.
Studies have shown that although companies say they have a casual start time, management will notice you more for negative reasons if you arrive after everyone else has arrived.
The same studies showed people achieve promotions sooner if they arrive before, or at the same time as their managers over others that arrive later. It proves your priority is to the company and not whatever else might be happening in your personal life. When your manager arrives you want them to see you working happily at your desk and not an empty chair.
The early bird gets the worm: Many important unscheduled or casual meetings happen around the coffee station in the morning. Do you want to miss out on them because you lost your phone charger and couldn’t get to work on time?
The easiest part of any job is getting to work on time and there are loads of strategies that will help you achieve punctuality. If this is an issue, we’ve provided a list of resources below.
It’s vexing to have a co-worker disrupt the day by being late, but rest assured, your own punctuality is being noticed. If you want to drop the hint to them, you could send your chronically late work mate an email with the subject line: Funny Cat Pictures and paste in a link to this article. He/she is likely to get the hint.
Yours truly, Lola*Cat Chief Feline Officer and Fashion Cat Have a question for Lola? We dare you to ask her. Email: DearLolaCat@alanjblair.com
