How Do You Handle Chronic Late Arrivals Despite Having a Policy in Place?

Hi Team, I'm the HR head of a company. There are policies for late coming and leaves. Despite the late mark policy, people come late 10 times, 15 times, and sometimes every day of the month. Kindly share how to control late arrivals. Thank you

Dear Gauri,

Employees' late coming is always a challenge. Once it becomes a part of the organization's culture, it is a herculean task to change it.

Analyzing the Reasons for Late Coming

Have you analyzed why people come late? Did you check what percentage of employees report late? From what departments do they come late? Did you ask the employees why they came late? What justification did they provide?

Solutions to Address Late Coming

a) Please check whether tardiness is embedded in the organization's culture. Not completing activities on time or missing deadlines is the larger issue, and is coming late to the office part of it? If this is the case, then measuring the activities done on time is a solution.

b) Timeliness and orderliness go hand in hand. Please find out whether the company has an organized way of working. Unless the structured way of working or orderliness in work is introduced, the issue of timeliness cannot be addressed.

c) As stated earlier, analyze the malaise of reporting late to the office. While analyzing, apply the 80:20 principle and find out from which departments form the 80% reporting. Thereafter, conduct a meeting of the HODs and managers and present the analysis to them. Obtain assurance from the HODs who are part of the 80% that they will start questioning their juniors for coming late. Additionally, encourage the HODs to come up with solutions to improve punctuality.

d) After (c), give some time to bring a change. Bad habits die hard. Therefore, sudden change cannot be expected. After a month, analyze the data on late coming and present it to the HODs and managers. Identify where there is room for improvement. There could be a case of a few employees who are impervious to their HOD's exhortation. Issue them show-cause notices.

e) You have raised a query on how to address the employees' late-coming habit. But then what about late-going? You have not written anything about it. So you need to analyze how many employees are leaving their office late and what is the percentage of it. Find out whether those who come late and those who go late are the same employees. If it is so, then they could be rationalizing their late-coming with late-leaving. In such a case, you need to ask the HODs why their subordinates are leaving the office late and what can be done to encourage them to leave the office on time.

f) Identify what is the mental attitude of the top boss about sitting late in the office? Does he/she consider it as a sign of loyalty to the organization or him? If it is so, then you need to bell the cat and tell him/her that productivity does not necessarily increase by sitting late in the office.

I hope the above solutions are sufficient at this stage. Once you work on them, please come back after 2-3 months and write about your experience on handling the issue of late coming.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Thank you, Mr. Dinesh. We follow all the protocols, have work roles in place, and adhere to everything you've conveyed in your suggestions. I have periodic meetings regarding late arrivals and other issues. Despite their tardiness, only the dispatch team consistently arrives late.

We maintain a standard and organized approach to our work. Everyone is expected to follow a protocol. I conduct regular meetings to address lateness. When questioned, they simply say they "got late." This behavior is not a recent development; I have given them a 4-month period to adjust. To accommodate their challenges, we have shifted the office start time from 9 am to 9:30 am. However, they continue to arrive late. While I understand and provide support from my end, they have not shown improvement. Therefore, I would like them to reduce their instances of tardiness.

Dear Gauri,

If the Despatch Team is always late, have you raised the issue of lateness with their HOD? As a HOD, they should be able to enforce discipline. Consider giving a final warning and implementing a policy of deducting half a day's salary for every three instances of lateness. This could be the solution!

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Gouri,

The rules and policies alone cannot achieve much without proper action and monitoring of violations. Marking people as late will not help unless there are proportionate deductions in salary wages, and employees are suspended for regularly arriving late and taking unauthorized leaves. Stop taking attendance after the grace period, close the gate entry once the shift timing starts, or allow entry only after signing an apology letter. One or two significant actions would yield results, so it is essential to notify employees about any new actions before implementing them.

Hi, Latecoming can be due to a combination of many reasons, including the inability to organize oneself and not being able to prioritize.

Addressing Tardiness in the Workplace

You may consider giving a pep talk to the department where tardiness is high:

1. I'm back working in the morning. I have to be at my work spot by 9 A.M.; for example, a walk from the station takes... up to starting from home.

Prioritizing Techniques

2. On prioritizing, you may consider giving a pep talk on any prioritizing technique (the Eisenhower matrix may help).

Please ensure that you speak to them in a casual manner, preferably for 7 to 10 minutes.

Cheers, Best wishes

Dear Gauri,

Review the Policy

- Understand the Rules: Ensure you are thoroughly familiar with the company's attendance policy regarding lateness. Know the specific definitions of lateness, the allowed number of late arrivals, and the corresponding disciplinary actions. This ensures that your handling of the situation is in line with the established regulations.

- Check for Exceptions: See if there are any special circumstances or exceptions in the policy that might apply to the employee's situation. For example, there could be provisions for employees with medical conditions or those facing unusual personal circumstances.

Document the Incidents

- Record the Details: Keep a detailed record of each instance of the employee's lateness. Include the date, time of arrival, and any relevant notes, such as whether the employee provided an explanation or excuse. This documentation will serve as evidence and help you track the frequency and pattern of lateness.

- Use Official Channels: Use the company's official attendance tracking system or create a formal log to record the lateness incidents. This ensures that the records are reliable and can be easily referred to if needed.

Have a Private Discussion

- Choose the Right Time and Place: Select a time when you can have an uninterrupted conversation with the employee. Find a private and comfortable location, such as an empty meeting room, to ensure the employee feels at ease and can speak openly.

- Approach with Empathy: Start the conversation by expressing your concern about the employee's repeated lateness. Listen to their side of the story and try to understand if any underlying issues are causing the problem. For example, the employee might face transportation difficulties, family problems, or health issues.

- Set Clear Expectations: Communicate the impact of their lateness on the team and the company. Let the employee know that punctuality is an important part of the job and is expected of them. Set specific and realistic goals for improvement, such as reducing the number of late arrivals to only two per month.

Implement Disciplinary Actions

- Follow the Policy: If the lateness continues despite the discussion, apply the disciplinary actions as outlined in the company policy. This could start with a verbal warning, followed by a written warning if the problem persists. Document each step of the disciplinary process.

- Be Consistent: Apply the same rules and consequences to all employees who exhibit repeated lateness. Avoid showing favoritism or making exceptions unless there are legitimate and documented reasons. Consistency is key to maintaining fairness and ensuring that employees understand that the policy applies to everyone equally.

- Consider Progressive Discipline: Implement a progressive discipline system where the severity of the punishment increases with each subsequent instance of lateness. After verbal and written warnings, the next steps could include suspension without pay for a certain period or even termination if the lateness is extremely severe or persistent.

Provide Support and Follow-Up

- Offer Assistance: If the employee's lateness is due to issues that the company can help with, such as providing flexible work arrangements or suggesting alternative transportation options, offer your support. This shows that the company is willing to work with the employee to solve the problem.

- Schedule Follow-Up Meetings: Set up regular follow-up meetings to check on the employee's progress. During these meetings, discuss whether they have been able to improve their punctuality and if they still need any support or assistance.

If the problem of repeated lateness persists even after all these steps have been taken, and the employee continues to violate the company's attendance policy without any valid reason, termination may be considered as a last resort. However, this decision should be made carefully and under the law and company policies.

Thank you and best regards,
John Chiang

Policy on Late Arrivals

All employees should be available at their desks at the correct time. Attending the office belatedly is not acceptable. If the staff attend the office late, despite clear instructions, advice, and warnings, we may impose a penalty on them. If they are late to the office four times in a month, we may deduct one day of CL/PL from their credit. If it exceeds more than four days, two days can be deducted from their CL/PL credit.

Implementation of the Policy

Before implementing this policy, we must issue an internal circular to all employees with crystal clear instructions and obtain their acknowledgment in the copy of the circular to confirm that they have read and understood its content.