Come on, admit it: Some of you read this headline and experienced a jolt of recognition. Many, if not most, of us have straggled in late on occasion. But is it really that big a deal?
Some would argue yes. Employee lateness that’s not recorded costs hundreds of hours in lost productivity. If a CEO is 10 minutes late every day, it costs the U.S. economy $90 billion in lost productivity. And chronic tardiness might strain your relationship with your boss and team, since it could send the message that whatever’s making you late is more important (or interesting, or worthwhile) than they are.
Personally, I don’t think occasional lateness is that big a deal. Sometimes it’s just unavoidable, especially if you’re at the mercy of random traffic patterns or weather events. There’s a wide range of other factors — a missed bus, kid-related delays, an alarm clock that didn’t go off — that are part and parcel of life and can’t be planned for.
And in my experience, most of the people who show up a little bit late tend to make it up on the other end. I once had a boss who regularly showed up at 10 a.m., although the official start time was 8:30 — but he never headed home before 8 p.m. I think the company more than got its money’s worth out of him.
Now, I’m not condoning the perpetual latecomer who still punches out at 5 on the dot. Chronic tardiness is rude, affects morale, and just isn’t good business. But I don’t think we should make a federal case out of the occasional late arrival. I’m even willing to overlook someone showing up a little late once or twice a week, as long as he does his job well.
But maybe I’m too lenient. What do you think? Should occasional tardiness be tolerated, or is a culture of punctuality the better business model? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
