Strategize To Succeed
PC306 – Tardiness Can Undermine Your Efforts

       Welcome to the next episode of Strategize To Succeed™. Selectively applying the strategies which we discuss each week will help you as you progress from conditions to opportunities to successes.

       In today’s episode, we are going to discuss the practice of tardiness and how it can impact your actions, how others may respond to you, how you can improve your behavior patterns, and even how some consider tardiness a favorable trait.

       For the sake of clarity, this episode on tardiness is not looking at the occasional circumstance which is beyond your control and causes you to be late – situations such as a traffic accident which slows down all vehicle movement, inclement weather which makes for impassible roads, or a child awakening and not feeling well. You get the drift. 

       Being realistic, things happen which we cannot control and an unforeseen circumstance has the potential to derail our entire day-long schedule.

       Today, however, we are focused on the type of tardiness which some of us wear almost as a badge of courage. It is a daily event which impacts everything from work, to social events, to necessary appointments, to meals. When an individual is tardy, everyone with whom they come in contact becomes an unwitting victim to the effects of the instigator’s challenging behavior.

       To clearly understand, tardiness is a synonym for lateness. It is a very common form of behavior which can emanate from a variety of circumstances, and often it is displayed as a repetitive pattern.

       Those individuals who demonstrate tardiness as an ongoing behavior, likely are not aware as to the causes of their behavior and, as a result, would probably be unable to correct the behavioral pattern.

       There are several possible reasons that one repeatedly demonstrates a pattern of tardiness.

      The first significant cause of tardiness actually seems to be a societal dilemma. It was concluded in a 2003 study that multitasking individuals are more likely to be chronically tardy because they seem to lack “metacognition” or an awareness of what they are doing. Certainly, multitasking is a prevalent approach to one’s activities, and it does seem to be further enhanced by the almost universal dependence on smart phones.

       Because multitasking creates an aura of distractedness while multiple actions are taking place concurrently, a recommended approach to curtailing this response is to repeatedly set alerts so that the individual can better able stay on track and not become side-lined. By helping to maintain the individual’s focus, these reminders will keep them on track and make it less likely to engage in tardy behavior.

       Another basis for chronic tardiness is revealed in a 2016 study. In this presentation, it was found that memory can be triggered by a time cue. This is termed Time-Based Prospective Memory, and it reflects how well an individual is able to recognize their inner clock and regulate the time which it takes for them to complete tasks.

       This cause of tardiness is the result of a very individualized function – it is brought on by how well an individual is able to perceive time and accurately recognize the passage of time.

       In this instance, the way to adjust one’s tardiness becomes a matter of self-correction. The individual needs to recalibrate their perception of time and reset their internal ability to make reasonable estimates.

This can be accomplished by a very simple process of making guesses as to how much time has passed and seeing how close one comes to being accurate. Repeat that process several times until able to generate a fairly accurate assessment.

       A third reason for being habitually tardy goes to one’s personality type. The Type A personality tends to be more precise in their activities and, circumstantially, more dominated by stress. That personality is likely to be on time for their commitments.

       Conversely, the Type B personality is more relaxed and laid back. The conclusion is that they have a different perception of time and are not pre-occupied with a concern for tardy behavior.

       In fact, Jeff Conte from San Diego State University (“Scientists Have Found Out Why You’re Chronically Late,” by Fiona MacDonald, February 9, 2018, sciencealert.com) was able to quantify the different perceptions of time between Type A and Type B personalities. For Type A individuals, their perception of a minute was 58 seconds, which was reasonably accurate, whereas for Type B people, a minute actually passed in 77 seconds. 

       Type B participants felt that a minute was almost one-third longer than the Type A participants.

       In an effort to more accurately replicate reality for the Type B individuals, it seems that reducing the size and scope of an activity to very small increments and applying heightened details could help them to develop more correct estimates of time by providing for practice in assessing time length as a specific unit of measurement.

      Now, it does turn out that what is bad, can also be what is good. A study done at Harvard Medical School (“Study Reveals That Chronic Tardiness Is A Positive Trait,” by Megan Glosson, November 12, 2019, readunwritten.com) concluded that individuals with a Type B profile, the personality type which has a greater proclivity to tardiness, tended to have a calmer and more collected demeanor than the more punctual Type A individuals. This difference is actually quite significant. 

       The calmer Type B individuals have a resultant increase in life expectancy. They tend to embody a more optimistic outlook which seems to inhibit the development of high blood pressure and to be protective of the heart and circulatory system. Notwithstanding the tardiness, this pattern of improved health and a lower death rate attributable to optimism continued to be evident throughout the follow-up periods of 15 to 40 years.

      Having placed attention on the problem of tardiness and how individuals may improve the situation on their own, if they are so inclined, now I would like to briefly address the issue of tardiness in the workplace.

       An individual who is chronically tardy arriving at work may think nothing of it, after all, it’s just a few minutes which doesn’t mean anything. But that’s not correct. 

       As calculated by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), it was determined that for an employee who is 10 minutes late every day for a year, that miniscule lateness becomes the equivalent of taking a one week’s paid vacation. (“Employee Tardiness: 6 Ways To Handle Tardiness in 2022,” by Samantha Palm, eddy.com). And, from a macro standpoint, the United States loses approximately $90 billion annually as a result of lost production from employee tardiness.

       Although it may be more convenient for an individual to consistently arrive at work a few minutes late, in reality, no one benefits from that behavior.

      First, it decreases employee morale. After all, why should one person constantly get away with something and do what they want, when no one else can? Where’s the accountability?

       This behavior amounts to just one more bad habit. And if it is allowed to continue, there’s no incentive to do any better.

       The production line (whether literal or figurative) is interrupted and thrown off pace. This behavior can disrupt the timetables of other workers who are committed to their own schedules.

      Ultimately, the point is that management cannot ignore tardiness when it becomes habitual behavior. Otherwise, it becomes an unfair burden to everyone else in the organization.

       The clearest and most direct way to handle the tardiness issue should be determined even before such an issue arises. There should be very clearly defined terms within the employee handbook outlining all of the procedures and responsibilities. These should be reviewed upon hiring and all parties must sign off on having read and understood the material. Most importantly is that every issue must be documented throughout all employee procedures of guidance, reprimand or dismissal for cause. 

       Also, incentivize the employees to make attendance and punctuality a priority, applying a company-wide reward system.

      Note that none of these approaches are intended to be applied in a heavy-handed manner. Before responding to a tardy employee, find out why they were late and whether the situation is one-time, or whether it is a problematic pattern. It makes a difference. And if it is a singular situation, demonstrate compassion and help the employee come up with a workable plan for future success. The employee should also take responsibility and try to make arrangements ahead of time to compensate for the aberrational behavior. Remember that a work environment is intended to be a cooperative undertaking; it cannot flourish unless all parties communicate respectfully, keeping in mind the goal of organizational success.

       There is one other point which is integral to the subject of this podcast. Your Mentor frequently emphasizes the need to recognize opportunities and act on them. Keep in mind that an employee who is habitually tardy takes the chance of missing out on opportunities which might help them advance their careers. It would seem, if anything, one might want to make the effort to arrive on time, if not early, in order to be available to respond to favorable situations as they arise. Remember that while a tardy employee may gain demerits, they may well be losing out on coveted opportunities for advancement. Perhaps that should be sufficient incentive to curb one’s tardy tendencies.

       Thank you for sharing your time today. Remember, your application of strategic decision-making approaches can result in more beneficial outcomes for you, both professionally and personally. Why not turn that process into your opportunity?

 Copyright 2022 by The Bermaelyn Group, LLC