Being Late is Bad Business for All Involved
By Valerie S. Nosek
The meeting invitation indicated a start time of 10:00 a.m. I gather my materials, grab a cup of coffee and head to the conference room, arriving a little less than five minutes before the meeting is scheduled to start. I settle into my seat, prep my materials and wait…and wait…and wait.
It’s now 10:10 a.m. and I’m still the only one in the room. Even the person who scheduled the meeting has not arrived. I begin to doubt whether the information I had was correct. Perhaps the meeting was cancelled and I missed the notification?
Just as I’m thinking this, two other people walk into the room. The individual facilitating the meeting still has not arrived. It will be 10:16 a.m. before he manages to roll into the room, excuses falling out of his hands in the form of copies he had to print, which he says made him late.
Punctuality Starts at the Top
I recently had a conversation about people being late to meetings with a friend, who also happens to be a very successful leader in his organization. He, too, has an issue with people who are late to scheduled meetings, saying this behavior is disrespectful to everyone involved in the meeting. At the most basic level, being late says, “I really don’t care about your time; it’s not valuable to me.”
My friend, unfortunately, is in the minority though when it comes to CEO’s and their record for being timely. According to a 2002 survey of 2,700 chief executives by Proudfoot, CEO’s are late to meetings 60 percent of the time. And, it’s suspected that the “late rate” percentage would be higher, except that most CEO’s are “punctual to meetings with important clients.”
What some leaders may fail to realize though, is that like so many other desirable workplace behaviors, punctuality starts at the top. Managers/supervisors who are chronically late send a message to their staff that wasted time and inconsiderate behavior is tolerated within the organization.
And, we also know there are leaders who may take advantage of their status with a “Do as I say, not as I do” attitude. But this approach isn’t even a good idea with children, so why would it be appropriate in the workplace? Furthermore, a leader who strives for excellence would never use this approach regarding expectations for those they supervise.
Employees will quickly lose respect for the leader who does not model the work ethics and behaviors expected of all employed by the organization. On the flipside, leaders who are good role models may be labeled as “tough,” or having high expectations, but they are also the ones who are typically respected, develop staff loyalty and have good morale within their division/department.
Time is Money
It may be a cliché, but it’s also true. How much money is wasted every year by meetings that start late?
Think about your organization and calculate:
- How often meetings are held?
- Number of staff involved?
- Hourly rates for each staff member involved?
- How many minutes it typically takes to actually start the meeting?
If meetings are run efficiently within your company – great! But if not, you might be surprised at how much all that time is actually costing. And, while this amount may indicate significant internal losses, also consider the outside client who is kept waiting.
If it’s a prospective client, they may view your/or your employee’s tardiness as indicative of how your organization delivers product or services and choose to contract with another vendor. Similarly, a current client may switch vendors if they feel their time (interpret as their “business”) is not valued.
Sending the message – “It’s not OK to be late”
If chronic tardiness is an issue in your organization, and you are in management or often lead meetings, try these suggestions:
- If you are in leadership, a manager/supervisor, or the meeting organizer, do not be late.
- Do not wait for people arriving late. Start the meeting on time.
- If you can, close (or lock) the door. Those arriving late will have to make more of an effort to join the meeting and it will be very clear that their tardiness has been noticed.
- After the meeting, and in private, have a conversation with each offender and clearly explain your expectations regarding punctuality.
- Following the one-on-one conversation, consider any future offenses documentation worthy. Keep track of these offenses and report/consider them (as appropriate) when evaluating job performance.
As an employee assistance program, Ease@Work can offer expert guidance in employee issues that impact workplace performance and productivity. We also offer consultation and coaching for leaders seeking guidance on a variety of workforce management issues.
