By Marjorie A. Gordon-DeLee, MA January 10, 2019
Over the past 46 years, there has been a huge decline in the effort that many employees place on being to work on time and attending scheduled meetings on time. Of course, there are things that do come up from time to time, but with some employees, it appears that poor attendance is a way of life for them. These individuals do not understand the concept of time management. When one manages their time effectively and efficiently, these individuals are more app to become focused and show consistency in all areas of their life.
When one manages their time wisely, their lives become less chaotic and disorganized. These individuals will become more productive at home and at work, being efficient and effective in all of their activities throughout the day.
To concur using one’s time more wisely, these individuals need to be organized, declutter their lives, their homes, and their workspace on the job. Declutter one’s life by not wasting time engaging in activities that add little or no value to one’s life. Attending an occasional gathering with a group of family or friends is acceptable. However, if an individual is spending most of their time hanging out when not at work, many chores and other responsibilities go undone around the household, such as performing laundry duty on a regular basis, mopping, vacuuming, maintaining an organized, clean bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen. When these areas are disorganized at home, more time is spent looking for needed items (which is a waste of time) delaying time that could be dedicated to performing a task that is meaningful.
Thus, this meaningful time could be dedicated to working on a project that the individual is passionate about or working on a personal attribute in continuing their growth in self-development, or whatever else the individual would like to pursue in adding value to their life whilst using these same attributes to make a difference in someone else life as well as in their future. Overall, the individual is capturing time and using it wisely because time cannot be replaced. Therefore, we all must take full advantage of maximizing the use of our time effectively.
Once time management is under control in the home, this same quality can be carried forward into the workforce as well. When an individual is organized at home, it is easy for them to pull all clothing together the night before for work on the next day and other items such as their keys, purse and even lunch (prepared the night before).
Leaving from home at least 20 to 30 minutes before scheduled start time at work should be a plan to implement in the individual’s life. As the home is decluttered and organized, so should the workspace be decluttered and organized as well so that one is able to concentrate and focus on the task at hand at work producing completed work that will be performed with efficiency.
When employees are not at work, all too often, their absenteeism is due many times to have a disorganized or cluttered lifestyle. Of course, sickness of children, parents, or even oneself comes under consideration when making this statement. But, for the most part, continuous tardiness and absenteeism from work can be avoided if an employee managed their time more wisely. When employees do not show up to work or late to work, this causes the employer to spend extra money unnecessarily.
As reported on Forbes.com:
Absenteeism is an especially difficult problem to tackle because there are both legitimate and poor excuses for missing work - and it can be challenging for employers to effectively monitor, control and reduce absenteeism. Unless a company requires a written excuse from a doctor, for example, it can be difficult to determine if an employee is actually sick when missing work. At the same time, however, it is important for employers to consider the added costs associated with a sick employee who spreads an illness that gets the whole division - or a lot of customers – sick.
However, to remedy the costs associated with just an absent employee or an absent sick employee, some employers will offer incentives to their employees.
Measom (n.d.) has some suggestions on motivating employees to arrive at work on time each day.
To motivate the workers in your small business to arrive at work on time you must create an encouraging environment, according to information from the Edward Lowe Foundation. Give your employees several logical reasons or rationales to arrive on time so they can realize the value in doing so. Your stated expectations, their acceptance of personal accountability and one or more incentives can successfully serve to motivate them.
1. Hold a meeting with your employees and discuss the expected arrival time for everyone. Establish what it means when you say you want people to be at work at a certain time. Go over different scenarios such as arriving early, right on time or after the expected time and whether or not they are acceptable. State that tardiness is unacceptable.
2. State the specific time that you want everyone to be at work. Ask everyone to agree -- verbally or by a show of hands -- to come to work by that time.
3. Ask employees for their input about ways to motivate them to come to work on time. Listen to all ideas and consider those that seem the most logical and potentially effective. Allow employees to take a vote on the methods they want to use. This creates ownership among the workers and set up an environment for motivation to arrive at work on time.
4. Implement the employee's methods, and monitor employee arrival each day. Prepare sticky notes that say, "Try to get here on time tomorrow, please." Place the notes on the desks of employees who aren't present by the agreed-upon time each day. This allows those employees to know you are holding them accountable. Recognize employees that arrive in on time by saying, "Thanks for getting here on time."
5. Hold a drawing on the last day of each month for employees who arrived on time to work every day as an added incentive. The drawing could be for something such as an extra paid hour off at lunch or two free movie passes.
Below are additional explanations and resources that will help any employer to create a more productive work culture in their organization:
Why Is Punctuality Important in the Workplace?
It goes without saying that businesses need people to show up on time to get the job done. Although this seems like common sense, you will probably encounter a few employees who are chronically late. For business leaders, tardiness needs to be addressed because it affects productivity and – ultimately – the reputation of an organization (Leonard, 2018).
The importance of being punctual cannot be overstated:
Being on time matters; it matters a lot. However, a large number of people have a problem being punctual. In fact, surveys show that 15 to 20% of the US population is consistently late.
There are many negatives that go along with having a habit of being late. Here are a few them:
§ Being late signals to others that you have self-control problems. In addition, people who are not punctual project incompetence.
§ Being late is rude to those whom you keep waiting. It tells others that you don’t value their time (which is the same thing as not valuing them).
Being late will probably make you feel flustered and insecure, and this will be reflected in the way in which you conduct yourself during any meeting or appointment that you’re late to. Being chronically late can make you lose clients, it can make you lose your job, and it can strain your relationships with the people who are most important to you.
In addition, there are several different reasons why a person might have a punctuality problem. Some of these include the following:
Some people like the adrenaline rush that comes from cutting it close. They can’t motivate themselves to take action unless there’s a mini-crisis looming on the horizon. Disorganization is one of the main reasons why people are chronically late. It’s hard to be on time when you can’t find any clean clothes to wear, you misfiled the documents that you need for your meeting, or your car keys seem to have grown legs and walked off. People who are easily distracted have a tendency to be late. After all, just when they’re about to walk out the door something shiny catches their eye and distracts them long enough to make them late. Those who lack conscientiousness are chronically late. Conscientiousness includes regard for others and making deliberate choices (Marelisa, n.d.).
Importance of Discipline and Punctuality at Workplace:
Discipline and punctuality are two most essential traits required in a professional to be successful. Discipline ensures individuals behave in an acceptable way at the workplace and also adhere to the rules and regulations of the organization. Individuals who are disciplined are not only successful professionally but also in their personal lives. Disciplined employees are liked and appreciated by not only their superiors but also other fellow workers. Such employees climb the success ladder quickly as compared to individuals who attend office just for the sake of it and they often find themselves out of the system in no time. Misbehaving at the workplace spoils the entire work culture eventually leading to zero or very less productivity. You need to understand that there is a difference between office and home and you just can’t behave in the same way at work as you behave at home. Discipline is crucial at workplace as it ensures employees behave in a decent way and also maintain the decorum of the workplace (Managementstudyguide.com).
What does being punctual say about you?
Being punctual shows your respect for others. Being late is a selfish act, for it puts your needs above another's. You want an extra minute to do what you'd like, but in gaining that minute for yourself, you take a minute from another, which is why…. Being late is a form of stealing (Google.com).
What is discipline and punctuality?
Discipline and punctuality are two most essential traits required in a professional to be successful. Discipline ensures individuals behave in an acceptable way at the workplace and also adhere to the rules and regulations of the organization (Google.com).
5 Creative Ways to Get Your Team on Time to Meetings
5 Ways to Break Bad Late-to-Meetings Habits
If your team has the right online meeting tools, and they’re still late for meetings, try these five tips to wrangle everyone together on time:
Abide by the IOU Rule: Institute a rule that if anyone’s late, they owe something to everyone in the meeting to compensation for lost time. The key is to keep it light and positive: cupcakes, a round of coffees, a lunch run, etc. This way, you build in consequences for tardiness without hurting morale, and you encourage everyone to think about the real costs of being late to meetings. Reward your early birds. If you prefer positive reinforcement, offer rewards to those that show up on time: wear your jeans on Monday, telecommute on Friday, take a two-hour lunch break, etc. Match up meeting mentors. It may be easier for employees to say no to the boss than their comrades, so assign meeting buddies. Pair punctual teammates with tardy members so they can be held accountable by their peers. Give them a mission. Create meeting roles for each team member: assign presentations, ask someone to be in charge of recording and archiving the meeting, make someone else a meeting yoda, etc. By giving them responsibilities, you’ll make them feel more like they’re an active participant, not just a passive viewer, and motivate them to arrive on time. Surprise your team. Reorganize your entire meeting: shorten it by standing up, make it fun by going outside, create a more intimate environment by inviting less people, go for the out of the ordinary with a science fair presentation, etc. You may be surprised by how much more engagement you receive by making meetings something they want to be on time for.
Of course, you can’t hold tardiness over their heads if life happens, their phone battery dies on the road, their home Wi-Fi drops or your online meeting technology really is holding them back (Speagle, 2015).
Why Is Being Punctual Important?
“The habit of being prompt once formed extends to everything — meeting friends, paying debts, going to church, reaching and leaving place of business, keeping promises, retiring at night and rising in the morning, going to the lecture and town-meeting, and, indeed, to every relation and act, however trivial it may seem to observers.” –William Makepeace Thayer, Tact and Grit, 1882
The importance of punctuality is not universal and varies from culture to culture. In some places like Latin America and the Pacific Islands, life moves at a different pace and meeting times are meant to be fuzzy. But this does not negate the value of punctuality to a man living in a culture that does define being on time more strictly, just as the well-rounded man of the West seeks competence in things like shaking hands, wearing a tie, working out with a kettlebell, and holding open doors for women, even if such things are not practiced the world over.
Here’s why.
“I have always been a quarter of an hour before my time, and it has made a man of me.” -Horatio, Lord Nelson
Being punctual strengthens and reveals your integrity. If you tell someone that you will meet them at a certain time, you have essentially made them a promise. And if you say you’ll be there at 8:00, and yet arrive at 8:15, you have essentially broken that promise. Being on time shows others that you are a man of your word.
Being punctual shows, you are dependable. A man can always be found at his post, carrying out the duties needful for that time. People know they can rely on such a man – if he says he will be there, he’ll be there. But if a man is not punctual, others cannot depend on him — they do not know where he will be when they need him. His associates will begin to feel he cannot organize his own time, and these doubts will seep into matters beyond the clock, as it naturally raises the question:
“If he is careless about time, what else is he careless about?”
Benjamin Franklin once said to an employee who was always late, but always ready with an excuse:
“I have generally found that the man who is good at an excuse is good for nothing else.”
Being punctual builds your self-confidence. Showing up on time not only tells other people you are dependable, it teaches you that you can depend on yourself. The more you keep the promises you make, the more your self-confidence will grow. And the more you gain in self-mastery, the less you will be at the mercy of your compulsions and habits, and the more in control of your life you will feel.
Being punctual assures you’re at your best. After riding someone’s bumper, speeding like a maniac, scanning for cops, and cursing at red lights, it’s hard to then turn your focus to making a presentation at a meeting or charming a date – you’re shaky and depleted from the adrenaline and stress. But when you show up on time, better yet a little early, you have a few minutes to collect your thoughts, review your materials, and get your game face on.
“Soldiers should be minutemen. Punctuality is one of the most valuable habits a soldier can possess.” –Christopher Columbus Andrews, Hints to Company Officers on Their Military Duties, 1863
Being punctual builds and reveals your discipline. The punctual man shows that he can organize his time, that he pays attention to details, and that he can put aside this to do that – he can set aside a pleasure to take care of business.
“’There is great dignity in being waited for,’ said one who was in this habit, and who had not much of which he need be vain, unless it was this want of promptness.” –John Todd, The Students Manual, 1854
Being punctual shows your humility. That bumper sticker maxim: “Always late, but worth the wait” shows that tardiness and an overestimation of one’s worth sometimes go hand in hand. People will be glad to see you when you arrive, but they would have been gladder still had you come on time.
Being punctual shows your respect for others. Being late is a selfish act, for it puts your needs above another’s. You want an extra minute to do what you’d like, but in gaining that minute for yourself, you take a minute from another, which is why….
Being late is a form of stealing. That’s a tough truth, but it’s a truth nonetheless. When you make others wait for you, you rob minutes from them that they’ll never get back. Time they could have turned into money, or simply used for the things important to them. In coming to meet you at the agreed upon hour, they may have made sacrifices – woken up early, cut short their workout, told their kid they couldn’t read a story together – and your lateness negates those sacrifices. If you wouldn’t think of taking ten dollars from another man’s wallet, you shouldn’t think of stealing ten minutes from him either. Being punctual shows you value time yourself, and thus wouldn’t think of depriving others of this precious, but limited resource.
“It has been said that time is money. That proverb understates the case. Time is a great deal more than money. If you have time you can obtain money—usually. But though you have the wealth of a cloak-room attendant at the Carlton Hotel, you cannot buy yourself a minute more time than I have, or the cat by the fire has.” –Arnold Bennett, How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day, 1910
Being late disturbs the experiences of other people. Your tardiness not only robs others of their time, but of the fullness of their experiences as well. The student who interrupts a professor in the middle of his lecture; the family which climbs over you to get to their seats at the middle of the row in the theater; the man who opens the creaky door in the middle of a eulogy. When an old man was once asked why he had been so punctual in arriving at his church on time for decades, he replied, “I made it my religion not to disturb the religion of others.”
Being late strains your relationships. When you’re late in meeting other people, it makes them feel under-valued, that whatever you couldn’t pull yourself away from was more important or that they didn’t mean enough to you to warrant allotting sufficient time to arrive on schedule. The guest who flies in to see you feels like a dope standing at the airport alone, your date feels awkward sitting at the restaurant by herself, and your child feels abandoned as she waits with her teacher for you to arrive, all the other children having already been picked up from school.
Being late hurts your professional career. Whether you’re an employee or in business for yourself, being late can hinder your professional success. Many companies have strict policies about punctuality — get a few write-ups and you’re gone. Of course, if you arrive late to the job interview, you probably won’t land the position in the first place. And if you’re trying to win over a new client, arriving ten minutes late isn’t going to get things off on the right foot, in the same way that promising to get something to him by a certain date and then failing to do so, may have him looking elsewhere for your services.
Being late takes a toll on your life. Always running behind simply hurts you in all areas of your life. It results in lost opportunities: missing a plane, missing a meeting, missing an important part of a lecture, missing a wedding. It creates stress and can lead to car accidents and traffic tickets. It results in embarrassment and forces you to come up with excuses for why you’re late, putting a strain on your honesty. Basically, it makes your life more complicated; for men seeking to simplify their lives, cultivating punctuality is an essential part of that path (McKay, B. and Mckay, K., 2012, updated 2018).
Reference:
Forbes.com. (2013). The Causes and Costs of Absenteeism in the Workplace. Retrieved on January 10, 2019 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/investopedia/2013/07/10/the-causes-and-costs-of-absenteeism-in-the-workplace/#486aee3eb65c
Google.com. (2018). What does being punctual say about you? Retrieved on January 10, 2019 from https://www.google.com/search?q=What+does+being+punctual+say+about+you%3F&ie=&oe=
Google.com. (n.d.). What is discipline and punctuality? Retrieved on January 10, 2019 from https://www.google.com/search?q=punctual+for+meetings&ie=&oe=
Leonard, K. (2018). Why is punctuality important in the workplace? Retrieved January 10, 2019 from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/punctuality-important-workplace-10253.html
Managementstudyguide.com. Importance of Discipline and Punctuality at Workplace. Retrieved on January 10, 2019 from https://www.managementstudyguide.com/importance-of-discipline-and-punctuality-at-workplace.htm
Marselisa, (n.d.). The importance of being punctual cannot be overstated.
Retrieved on January 10, 2019 from https://daringtolivefully.com/tips-for-being-punctual
McKay, B. and Mckay, K. (2012, updated 2018). Why Is Being Punctual Important? Retrieved on January 10, 2019 from https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/a-man-is-punctual-the-importance-of-being-on-time/
Measom, C. (n.d.). How to Motivate Your Employees to Come to Work on Time. Retrieved January 10, 2019 from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/motivate-employees-come-work-time-21654.html
Speagle, A. (2015). 5 Creative Ways to Get Your Team on Time to Meetings. Retrieved on January 10, 2019 from https://www.pgi.com/blog/2015/08/5-creative-ways-to-get-your-team-on-time-to-meetings/
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