Don't Be Late! Why Having a Tardiness Policy is a Timely Idea

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

We've all had one - an employee who just can't seem to get to work on time. And they always have a good reason: they were stuck in traffic, their alarm clock didn't go off, their dog ate their bus pass, they had to drop the kids off at school, their cell battery died and they couldn't call in, etc etc…

Once, twice, even three times, you can overlook it, especially if it's been awhile since the last incident. But sooner or later everyone in the office becomes aware of the chronic late arrivals, and they all start playing a little game of "Watch the Clock" each morning to see if Joe can manage to get to his desk before the little hand hits the '8' and the big hand passes the '12'. It's time (no pun intended) to address the situation.

Chronic tardiness, like chronic absenteeism, is unacceptable behavior in a workplace. If there are no consequences for the offender, it only encourages him or her to continue the behavior and may lead to other employees adopting the same habit. An employee who can't make it to work on time is not reliable. Other staff members then have to pick up the slack until the latecomer arrives, and this leads to resentment, anger and an unhealthy working environment. It's hard to build team spirit if one member of the team is perceived as not pulling his/her weight.

As the employer, it's up to you to make it clear to your staff what the rules are and what the repercussions will be if those rules are not followed. A tardiness policy is an ideal mechanism for clarifying the company's rules regarding lateness and the consequences for breaking them. The policy should be available on the company's internal network for easy downloading, and all employees should be instructed to read it.

Remember that there may be more to chronic tardiness than just an inability to get up on time. Your company policy should include a process for an employee to seek assistance for any underlying personal or family issues that may be contributing to their habitual lateness. Sit down with the employee to discuss the situation in an effort to identify those issues and render assistance where and as appropriate.