How Should We Address Employee Tardiness: Verbal Warning or Written Notice?

If employees are coming late and we want to take action against them, such as issuing them a show-cause notice, we should first ensure they are aware of their tardiness and encourage them to be punctual. How should we communicate this message? Should we address this verbally or through a written communication? If a letter is to be issued, what should be the subject of the letter?

Please provide your suggestions on this matter. Thank you.

Regards,
Fahd Khan Sherani

Hi,

Find below two samples which I had drafted for my organization to deal with the issue of latecoming. First, I verbally warned the respective employees, then a written email (memo) was issued.

Dear All,

Kindly adhere to reporting to work by 9:20 am at the latest.

Please ensure that your colleagues without email IDs (official/personal) are informed about this email.

Disciplinary action will be taken against those who fail to comply with the above guidelines. No excuses will be accepted, except in genuine, unavoidable, and problematic situations. In such cases, please inform the department head and/or HR.

Your cooperation is appreciated.

Dear Colleagues,

It has been observed that some of you arrive at 9:30 am or later due to personal reasons such as illness, traffic, or travel issues. It is expected that you all be at your desk at least 15 minutes before 9:30 am, and not arrive at 9:30 am.

In light of the above, it is expected that all of you reach the office by 9:15 am.

I am confident that this small effort and adjustment will significantly contribute to better relationships with our current clients, help us attract new clients, improve customer service, and enhance our reputation in the market.

Seeking your cooperation for the advancement and progress of our organization.

Regards,

Ambika Kamath

Manager - Human Resources

Hope you like the above. You can make necessary changes wherever you see fit.

Ambika

Dear Fahd Khan Sherani,

You may send such a memo to the frequent latecomers. On the other hand, to resolve such issues, generally, an incentive can be paid to employees on a monthly basis who are punctual. This can create a good culture and avoid latecomings in an organization.

Hope you agree to this.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Siva Subramaniyan.R :)

Hi Fahdkhan,

Can your organization afford a Time Punching Machine? If yes, that will solve the problem of latecomers once and for all. This is essential for handling latecomers. Also, frame a policy for this system. Let there be deductions for latecoming from salary. Next, this fact should be reflected in their Annual Performance Reports. The APR should include a column for "adverse remarks." It is legally essential under Indian Service Laws to communicate "adverse remarks" to the appraisee. I do not know the law point in Pakistan. Even if there is no law laid down, you may safely follow this practice.

Regards,
Satish Kumar
Head (HR)
NTPC Foundation,
Noida (UTTAR PRADESH),
INDIA

Hello Satish Kumar,

We do have a hand punch machine, but still, employees are coming late, and we did have deductions for latecomers. However, the issue is that our CEO doesn't like deducting salaries for late arrivals, even though he knows well that when we implemented this policy, all employees started to arrive on time. Nevertheless, he instructed us to discontinue this practice. Our CEO emphasizes using other techniques to address this issue. Therefore, the problem of late arrivals by employees has escalated, and now HR is facing criticism from other HODs.

Regards,
Fahd Khan Sherani

Dear Fahd Khan,

As Satish has said, a punching machine can greatly solve the issue, provided there is some sort of deduction from the salary.

There are varied reasons why people come late:

1) They might be working late at night and are not able to get up early in the morning.

2) As stated earlier, they may be late due to ill health or traffic.

3) The reason can also be a lack of clarity regarding the work that needs to be done (not sensing the urgency of the work).

4) Lack of interest in the specific job.

5) Unfavorable work environment.

6) Excessive free time for the employee.

7) Laziness.

My suggestions:

1) To overcome the first two reasons:
a) For example, if a person usually arrives at 9:40 am and on a particular day arrives at 9:35 am, then send an email to all appreciating that he has come early. Every time he arrives early before 9:40, he should be appreciated with some inspirational quotes. When he arrives on time, he should be given a small gift or a coffee treat by his boss.
b) Before the person leaves the office, assign them a task that needs to be completed and sent to a higher official/client/customer without any delay by 10 am.

2) Conduct a survey among the latecomers (points 3 to 6) to understand the exact reasons and recommend solutions based on their issues.

3) Laziness cannot be overlooked; it needs some negative reinforcement to overcome.

(The suggestions are based on successful practices, but it is not mandatory that they will work in every situation. It purely depends on the personality of the person, and hence recommendations should be considered from that aspect alone.)

Now, I have a question for all the members: Is it necessary for all employees to report to the office on time, or does their performance/productivity matter at the end of the day? This is where my boss and I have disagreements. I believe timekeeping is essential for various reasons, while my boss focuses on output. So far, I haven't found a strong argument that can convince my boss's views.

Regards,

Dr. Kavita Shanmughan

Dr. Kavita Shanmughan,

I would like to comment that being on time to the office is very essential. Though a candidate may be extremely good in his performance, when he lacks basic office discipline, it matters a lot. He will be setting standards for the others. This can have a significant impact on others. Therefore, maintaining basic discipline systems in the workplace is very essential, which is why we are encouraged to practice the same in schools and colleges.

Best Regards,
Siva Subramaniyan.R

Hi,

Your question regarding how to inform the latecomers about their tardiness is very common. What you should do in this regard is to apprise your boss about this occurrence and seek his directions. If you are the one who has to make the decision, then you should call the particular employees and ask them to start coming on time. Your message should be polite initially, but if the employee is late again, then call them and clearly communicate the issue. If the lateness persists, issue a warning letter referencing the previous two counseling sessions and have the employee acknowledge the letter.

Following these steps should meet your requirements.

Regards

Dear All,

Thank you all for your replies, but the issue is that sometimes even Heads of Departments (HODs) allow their competent staff to arrive late due to the achievement of targets/goals. When HR attempts to address tardiness, they are overruled by the higher management.

I have come to the conclusion that regardless of the techniques HR tries to implement, they are often disregarded by the higher management in favor of their competent staff.

Regards,
Fahd Khan Sherani

Hi :) This is Sunny.

When someone is coming late, you should inform them of their tardiness and the time they arrived. After that, obtain information about the reason for the delay.