Struggling with Late Arrivals at Morning Meetings: How Can We Motivate Punctuality?

Dear Members,

I am working in an NBFC which has branches all over India. We start our day with a morning meeting - the agenda of the meeting is morning prayer, and then we discuss the previous day's business, important announcements, and, in the end, the problems faced by different departments the previous day.

Now, the problem is that earlier, every employee came on time and attended the meeting. However, for the last 3 months, very few employees have been coming on time for the meeting. They usually arrive between meetings or at the end of the meeting. As a result, the employees who arrive on time are feeling demotivated.

I have decided to take action to motivate the employees who are punctual and encourage others to arrive on time.

So, please suggest how I can motivate them. Our office hours start at 9:00 a.m., and we allocate the first 20 minutes of office time to the morning meeting.

Regards,
Sumit

My contribution:

It's my suggestion.

Example:
Fix up a time, say 9:30 am. Track the attendance timings using any effective means. Send a circular stating that punctuality plays a major role in performance appraisal. Stick to the policy for at least 3 months. I believe this will help a lot.

Hi Sumit,

Sometimes, daily meetings might turn out to be a monotonous activity, and the true essence is lost.

I am not sure how many members are attending the morning meetings. If it is more than 10 for a 20-minute time slot, individual attention is lost.

We should understand the purpose of these meetings. Is it to review everyday work and problems? If that is the case, the charm would be lost. Make the business issues a weekly affair.

I understand the basic purpose of morning meetings is prayer and sharing. After your prayers, ask one department/individual to share one innovative idea. Call these sessions "Fresh Ideas" - document these ideas; it should be in a brainstorming mode, nothing critical. You moderate the session - give each person 5 minutes to present ideas.

Award every month - "Best Idea of the Month," "Einstein of the Month," "Wonder Woman," "Superman"...

5 min - prayer

5 min - idea

10 min - quick review

Attach guidelines for the awards...

That is one way we can motivate employees, and at the same time, the organization would have innovation flowing in.

Melvin.

First, you should find why this practice has started, i.e., why have people started coming late as you have mentioned that earlier they used to come on time, but since the last three months, they have been disobeying. Maybe whatever is discussed in the meetings doesn't hold much importance for them, or another factor could be that these meetings have become monotonous. First, find the reason and then proceed further so that whatever actions you take are effective, and you can easily hit the bullseye.

For motivating employees, you can start with a "Star of the Month" award in each functional unit, and the person who comes on time the most number of days in a month will be awarded.

Hi, Mr. Sumit,

Just be strict on the timings! This is from my experience, I am telling you! Just be strict on the timings, but first of all, you have to be in the office before time! Be a model to them, and then you have the right to ask them.

In my company, many used to come late, that too when the timing was 9:30. Now we have changed the timings to 9:00 a.m., and now all are coming before 9:00. Again, three late arrivals will be considered as one half-day leave. Along with that minor punishment for the latecomers, you can reward the person(s) who are on time every day!

Try these, please...

Regards,
Minie.

Hi,

'Late attendance' is a disease that needs to be taken seriously and tackled with strictness. Not only does the company suffer in terms of loss of production in some cases, but it also reflects on the discipline of the organization.

One method is to permit the entry of latecomers after 2 hours of the normal reporting time and to deduct proportionate wages for the day. This should be enforced without exception. In this system, once a person knows that they will not reach before the appointed time, they will strive to arrive before the next deadline. If they happen to arrive just after the appointed time and wish to enter the plant, they will, in any case, lose proportionate attendance for two hours. This policy should be strictly enforced and become the company's standard.

Unless the "cause and effect" relationship of late attendance is established, it will not bring about the desired discipline.

Our experience has shown that those who are punctual tend to remain punctual, regardless of incentives, and those who are habitually late continue to be so, irrespective of incentives.

If strict measures are implemented, things will definitely change.

Cyril

Hi,

Everything is fine. I am working in an IT firm where people work late into the night and come in late in the morning. I am wondering what disciplinary actions I should take.

Looking forward to your valuable suggestions.

Regards,
S.J

Hi,

I am not very clear about the question. If I have understood you correctly, the employees are working late until night and reporting late the next morning. If this is the case, I think you should not take any disciplinary action as persons working late at night are bound to come late the next day. In fact, depending on the extra hours put in by the employee on the previous night, he should be given relaxation for reporting on duty the next day. This is the normal practice. If a person is asked to work until late in the day and not given any consideration for the extra hours put in, and asked to come in on time the next day, it will be very unfair.

Cyril

Dear Sumit,

I agree with Melvin. What purpose does it serve? Even idea generation becomes redundant if ideas are not converted into action.

What is the purpose of prayer? Prayer is always connected with school, and no one in employment likes to start the day with prayer in the organization. They feel it is a little regimental. Anyway, you must address the question... What is the purpose?

If this is answered, then we can suggest more ideas.

Siva

Hi,

I feel it's a bad idea to have a meeting on a daily basis, especially in the morning, as it can demotivate employees and waste time. It would be better to schedule meetings every Saturday afternoon, incorporating some fun programs.

Thanks,
Pallavi

Hi,

Just my 2 cents. I believe meetings should be conducted as a weekly affair, probably ending the week or beginning the week to get employees motivated to take action during the rest of the week itself or the following Monday. Meetings should not be conducted on Saturdays. Being an employee myself, although in HR, I would 'switch off' my productive self if it's beyond my working hours.

Liy
HR Exec

Dear All,

I am 100% in agreement with Sir Siva. Prayers are not a part of organizational activities (don't treat these words as harsh). Although we are living in the world's most emotional contingent, to acquire professionalism, you don't need these things.

Number 2. Meeting on a daily basis? I don't think it's good; it should be conducted on the first weekday.

Number 3. There are two aspects of motivation: 1. motivation by giving rewards and incentives, 2. or by strict compliance. As punctuality is a serious issue, to ensure this, we have to reinforce it by strict compliance.

Hello,

What if, after enforcing strictness and applying deductions according to the rules, some employees still fail to be on time? What should be done in such a case?

You can use your biometric machine to provide everyone with a sheet of their attendance performance, marking the late timings or highlighting them.