Apart from what Ankita and Anita said, my thoughts on this provocative behaviour are :
1) Late coming is an annoying habit and needs to be curtailed, if not nipped totally.The sight of late Latifs gets on your nerves and makes your blood boil because when the whole office plunged into work, they walk into office with the gait and style that may be tempting even to the most stylish fimstar to copy them.Thay cast glances of pity at others who are punctual and wear 'how smart Iam' look.They are the 'Tapori' type.
2)There is another kind. They come to office late running,sweating and gasping for breath to give the impression that but for some problem, they would have been on time. They keep a story ready to narrate, if asked for the reason for being late. In fact they will be eager to await being questioned since they will be enthusiatic to reel off the story for the next one hour till lunch time adding lot of spice (masala) to it in such away that it may give the best script writers of films a run for their life. Every time, they have a different story and that is original, to be fair to them.They are the story tellers.
3)There is the third kind. You should only see them to be blieved.He will come to office, walking slowly, apparently soaking in pain(not in sweat) with drooping looks, sorrow filled eyes and grief stricken face.He will try to impress that they are in great trouble to pre-empt any questiong or at least to douse the initial burst of fire from the departmental head. No body ventures to ask him as to what happened for fear of breaching a dam brimming with gushing water.If some one commits that mistake,he will burst into bucketsfull of tears, wailing at GOD as to why He singled him out on this planet for heaping all the sorrows on him,making the mood in the office melancholic.They act so convincingly that they give complex to the most veteran fim actors who enact seens of a weeping 'Babul' (father) at his duaghter's 'Bidai' or such other tear jerking scene. They are 'I am always the victim' type.
Sujatha, no wonder, Iam not suprprised at your predicament as to how to find out, in the midst of such fine acting talent, whose case is genuine and whose case is fake.You can try the following.
1) It is difficult to curb late coming unless it is firmly driven down the throats of employees that this organisation as a matter of policy does not condone late coming.Therefore frame a policy and put the employees on notice of it.
2) It si not possible for every one to be punctual on all 30 days in a month.Therefore you need to consider genuine cases. As Ankita suggested, you may allow three occassions in a month in practice, but you need not spell it in your policy since the employees may take it granted that they can be late for atleast on three occassions. They may come late, though there is no reason for them to be late. As a matter of policy, late comimg shall not be permitted. That shall be the message to the employees.
3)You need to classify latecomers into habitual ones and occassional ones to adopt different strategies of action..As Ankita suggested, you can adopt a attendance tracking system for this purpose.
4)This classification makes your task easy to find out who is genuine and who is faking a reason.
5)Another way to catch them on wrong foot is to ask few questions about the reason they offer. For example, if some one cites illness in the family and going to hospital as the reason for being late. Ask what is the illness, which doctor he visted and what medicines, the doctor prescribed. If the reason is false, he will be uncomfotable and stumble for answers.The discomfort will disuade him from being late next time since he may not like to be grilled every time.Be actful in questioning. You should not make him feel that he is grilled.
6) Anita cautioned to be patient with late comers. But my advice is be selectively patient with late comers depending up on the number of occassions or habitual character etc, In right cases, you need not hide your displeasure over such behaviour.
6) Take action as per your rules in case of persistent and unrelenting cases.
B.Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Advsior
Mumbai