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"I'm late, I'm late for a very important date No time to say "Hello", "Goodbye" I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late." - The White Rabbit from Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951) While this song brings a certain measure of jovialness to mind, the practice of being late is nothing to sing about and most definitely not in the work place. And yet, when employees waltz in the door late, some (not all) carry a mindset of "whoopsy" in the door with them. Stopping tardiness in employees is difficult, but stopping a tardy employee who does not care can be considered next to impossible. As with any retraining endeavor, a manager must first deal with the source of the issue before addressing the symptoms. The goal is to address the behavior, then the root of the behavior and finally the environment the behavior has fostered. Below you'll find a list of management tools for addressing frequent employee tardiness. Interrupting The Behavior As a manager, you have got to decide how much behavioral training that you are willing to invest in an employee. If you are managing higher level employees with 7+ years of work experience under their belt, what you would be willing to accept would likely be different from your expectations of a 23-year-old fresh out of college. Expectations naturally need to be different. However, the process of addressing undesirable behaviors is the same. You need to interrupt the behavior (or the pattern). Pattern interrupts come in a variety of forms but there are two general categories: private and public. You have got to be careful as to which category you can choose and you must be consistent as well. Generally, I would only address a behavior publicly after having several private conversations. The added peer pressure can help get the message across. And remember, the point is not to be cruel. You simply want to interrupt the pattern. Identifying The Behavioral Source Every behavior has a source. An employee's attitude may be the result of external factors. Are they having a challenging time getting their children to school before coming to work? Have their family circumstances changed? It's not that you should be nosey or that their personal matters are anything that you necessarily have a right to inquire about, but that they should feel comfortable to let you know if there are any circumstances beyond their control. Then of course there are the internal factors: a lack of respect, a lack of motivation, boredom, etc. Internal influences are more challenging and sometimes not even worth addressing. Essentially, you should know how much you are willing to invest in an employee as a manager before the effort is not justifiable. You need to set your own boundaries.
Evaluating The Environment Is punctuality something that your company's culture values? Is it something that you praise employees for? Relaxed attitudes toward punctuality beget employees with relaxed attitudes toward punctuality. Even the best management tactics in the world cannot overcome an environment that fosters undesirable behavior. So take a look at the culture you've cultivated. If it isn't producing desirable results, it might be time to adjust it. Again, these are just general concepts to apply. Specific strategies and tactics will need to be determined by your company circumstances.
Terra Pugh is a writer for Time Masters, a leading provider of employee time and attendance management systems for more than 15 years. For more information on managing tardy employees or on attendance management systems, please visit the Time Masters website.
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