How To Deal With Tardiness

Aside from TV network battles and the political campaigns flooding the newsfeed of every netizen, one of the hottest and biggest current events that we are facing is the traffic. Who would have thought that such a matter that small would evolve into a rage-inducing, gas-consuming problem? What was once a few minutes on red has now turned into a major disaster for everyone taking EDSA during the morning and evening rush hours. I understand that everyone has his or her own story, rants, and hashtags when it comes to traffic. But the problem is that clients won’t change their schedule for anyone.

It’s business as usual, even in the face of terrible car game. Your office will still receive telephone calls in the morning, contracts that have deadlines will not adjust, and work hours remain the same. Traffic plus these issues have become the problem. Tardiness affects the company in two ways: (a) the late employee will suffer penalties and (b) the company’s operations will suffer due to lack of manpower in the morning. With people coming in late, everything that involves in the operations would adjust, but not the closing time. This means that at the end of the day, what could have been done in just one day can sometimes take two days to finish. This is a big problem for companies that need to be highly productive.

Here are a few tips for managers and business owners to remedy tardiness in the workplace:

Review the company rules. What does the company manual say regarding tardiness? What are the procedures in dealing with violators? Is there a grace period? Can an employee be terminated after a series of tardiness? How does the company differentiate half-day against late? Make sure that your employees still remember the company rules regarding tardiness—at what time will their arrival be considered late, what are the penalties for tardiness, how many times can they be late before they get a written memo, among others. Remind your employees about the procedure they need to follow in cases of emergency and enforce penalties when needed.

Use biometric or automatic time clocks. Timecards that need to be handwritten are definitely not a good idea if you plan to enforce procedures regarding punctuality. Employees can write any time they want and get away with their tardiness. Instead, use biometrics or automatic time clocks that print the time on time cards to make sure that no individuals can tamper with their records.

Consider talking with the problem employee. How many are habitually tardy employees? Are they the usual people who are always late? Is there anyone who was once the early bird but now a problem employee? There are certain instances that oversleeping or facing traffic is not the cause of an employee’s tardiness. The root of the problem sometimes lies in the individuals’ personal lives. You don’t have to interrogate them about their problem at home, but perhaps as a leader, you can let them share with you their problem. Approach them like a friend with open ears and share a few pieces of advice that could motivate them both at home and at work.

Be the role model. For the business owners, managers, and supervisors, do you get to your office on time? Company rules are just as good as the ones enforcing them, so if you, as a leader in the company, are tardy yourself, then you have no right to sanction your tardy subordinates. As a leader, show them that no matter the circumstances of traffic, you can arrive on time. Make the necessary arrangements in your morning routine to beat traffic and give off positive vibes. Be the role model for punctuality and productivity so that your subordinates would be reminded of the values they must possess being a part of the team.

Tardiness, along with its twin brother absenteeism, is already one of the most common problems in companies. But the worsening traffic situation has turned it into a giant headache for both management and employees. Management has no choice, but should try to find ways to mitigate the problem.

*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin. C-4, Sunday, October 4, 2015. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.