Dealing with a Habitually Late Employee: What Steps Can I Take When Counseling Fails?

Hi, I am facing an issue. One of the employees at our company arrives late every day, by half an hour to one hour. How should I deal with this employee? Even after counseling him, he said he can't get up early in the morning. What disciplinary action can be taken for him?

Hi, Being on time to work will help the employee to plan and kickstart the work on time. Hope you have counseled the employee enough. In spite of counseling, if the employee is still coming late, find out his actual reason for being late, whether due to long travel or other reasons ("can't get up early") as quoted by you. If the employee performs well, consider alternate shift timings. If there are no shift options available, issue a warning letter to the employee and inform him that for every three late arrivals, a penalty will be applicable, either through deduction of leave or salary. Once the employee sees the direct impact on his salary or leave account, he might automatically change his habit of arriving late.

If there is no late-coming policy for the organization, please frame one. If there are certified standing orders, there may be a clause for late-coming. Usually, most organizations allow a 10-minute grace period for lateness. If an employee is more than 10 minutes late, it may result in one day of leave adjustment for every 3 days of late arrival or a deduction in salary equivalent to the minutes of lateness. A maximum of 3 to 5 days of late-coming in a month is typically permitted, and beyond that, the employee should not be allowed to join duty.

Please promptly issue a strong warning letter addressing the issue of regular late-coming and the corresponding rules. If the employee's behavior is not corrected despite this initial warning, then proceed with a show cause or charge sheet. Following an inquiry and findings, provide a punishment commensurate with the severity of the misconduct (such as a 4-day suspension without pay). It is hoped that the employee will rectify their behavior at this stage; however, if there is no improvement, issue a second show cause or charge sheet, conduct a disciplinary enquiry, and adhere to all procedural and legal requirements before terminating the individual's employment.

S K Bandyopadhyay (WB, Howrah) CEO - USD HR Solutions