Most of the time, when employees arrive late for work, there is a good explanation. The supervisor of that particular employee is responsible for bringing up the tardiness if it occurs more frequently.
Any regular employee who is serious about their work would try to show up right on time. They won't do it on purpose. Those who arrive late usually do so because of unforeseen events. The bosses and employees aren't concerned when this occasionally occurs. When an accident causes a colleague to be late for work, the management should be understanding. When someone is consistently late, it becomes a problem.
Why? Since it is now becoming a company expense. It will reduce production, and if it's not resolved, it might set a poor example for other workers. Indeed claims that even a five-minute delay by an employee results in a loss of 30 minutes of labor for the entire week. Because the corporation is paying for that time, a person's absence won't make up for it. If the tardy employee gets their way without being punished, other workers might follow suit. They might anticipate receiving rewards if they arrive on time and follow the regulations.
This issue of tardiness must be resolved in some way if you want to develop a culture where professionalism is valued. Before you can come up with a remedy, you must first determine what the issue is. Once more, being a few minutes late is OK, but if it becomes a pattern, it could affect both your employee's performance and the workplace.
Here are some strategies for handling a persistently tardy employee.
Find the cause of the problem as quickly as you can.
When you see a pattern of recurrent tardiness, take action immediately away rather than waiting for the ideal moment. Make it obvious to the employee that it's not acceptable behavior that you and the firm would allow in a conversation as soon as possible. Encourage the employee to cease arriving late for work by giving advice and support.
Make your expectations known from the very start.
Don't confuse your tardy employee with ambiguous comments. Clearly state the specific actions you do not want them to take in order to comply with corporate regulations. Use language that will give a precise explanation of why arriving early or on time is important to the business. Present the facts, including the employee's documented late dates, rather than basing your decisions on what other people say. Never use terms that are ambiguous or subjective since they could result in misunderstandings. It's a situation you don't want to be in---you don't want to be misunderstood.
Mention the late rule stated in the guidelines.
Assure the employee that you confronting him or her is not in any way a personal attack and that the main reason for you initiating the conversation is that the employee broke one of the business handbook's rules. Make sure they read the timeline guidelines out loud and that they understood it clearly. They need to have a gentle reminder of what time the workday starts and the number of times they can be late before receiving a warning from the human resources department, followed by a suspension. Do not omit any information regarding the penalties they may experience if the late situation continues. Have a signed contract and ensure that the problem has already been agreed upon and that the repercussions for being late are evident in writing (perhaps by sending an email as proof).
The disciplinary procedures must be outlined in your official document or email.
Respect your employee's right to privacy.
Even though there is a tardiness problem, your employee still has a right to privacy. You don't need to investigate the exact reason why the employee has been consistently late for the past few months. You may, of course, invite discussion, but it is ultimately up to the worker in question to decide how much information to share. Any criticism of what they will divulge or don't say is inappropriate. Privacy is still cherished because it's a work environment, and you can also inform your employee of the disciplinary actions for his history of being late.
Maintain frequent check-ins.
After this topic on tardiness, the conversation continues. Make a persistently tardy employee feel heard, encouraged, and valued on a regular basis to motivate them to arrive on time. This strategy might also help you prevent similar events from occurring in the future. After checking in with them to see how things are going, you should also concentrate on your own goals. The greatest strategy to stop similar instances may be to demonstrate your concern for their improvement. Be helpful and upbeat while stressing the value of arriving early and their progress in achieving that objective. It’s also the perfect opportunity to throw in a compliment for your employee arriving early.
Discuss your future plan of action.
The issue of tardiness has been resolved. Your employee is aware of what will happen if the situation persists. What you should do next is to assist your employee in setting goals for career advancement. They might, for instance, make a proposal on their own, likely asking you if they can have a shorter lunch break for all of their late days. Once you are aware of their next concrete step, give them input on how to get there and pitch some of your own suggestions to assist them develop positive habits and go above and beyond their own expectations.
Assist your employees to be efficient by investing in them.
Sometimes workers are late because they are putting off the necessary tasks. Please do so if you can make their work tasks more effective for them. One technique to assist them in increasing their productivity at work is by purchasing ergonomic furniture. Another is to continuously encourage them and provide constructive criticism.
Standardize systems that would force workers to arrive on time.
Employ a clock-in system if your staff members are consistently late to work. It should be simple for all of you to access and track. Morning meetings, which start the day for everyone, are another option. This is a powerful incentive for workers to arrive at work or on time. It will also help all to maintain productivity during the workweek ahead. On certain days of the week, you may perform these. If your organization has a flexible schedule, think about offering it. They may arrive later than the scheduled time, but they still have to log in and work during the extra minutes. Finally, lead by example. Don't arrive late for a meeting you've booked to demonstrate to your staff that you respect their time.
