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Here they come, casually strolling in ten minutes after their expected arrival time. Once again! This time they throw in that shuffled look, just to really sell the act that they tried to get here on time. But you’re not handing out Academy Awards and this has been a growing issue. So what do you do? You don’t want to injure the collaborative energy of your office, but you have a business to run which includes people meeting standard expectations.
First… Allow Yourself Time to Think
Before approaching the subject with a knee-jerk reaction, let’s think this through and discuss ways of handling the behavior. We want to make sure we’re dealing with tardiness due to factors in their control, and we don’t want to assume we see the whole picture. Most importantly, we want to put on our leadership hat and solve this with a win-win solution. Sometimes this “slowing down” approach can be difficult because of that boiling frustration you get when you think of employees showing up late; after all, you always show up to work on time! It’s okay to be upset about the behavior, so quiet the voices suggesting that you’re making a bigger deal out of this than it is. The fact of the matter is, it’s bothering you, and while other managers may take a different approach, if you’ve decided that punctuality is important to you then let’s move forward by taking steps to re-align conduct with expectations.
Discerning Between Circumstantial and Habitual Tardiness
There’s nothing more embarrassing than starting a reprimanding conversation only to find out that the reason they were late was because of a legitimate circumstance. So, rather than jumping in, try grabbing a cup of coffee with them with no intention of bringing up their tardiness. Ask them how they’re doing, trying to discover if there are personal factors that could provide context and understanding for the tardiness. If none appear, start cataloging their days and times of being late so that you can document trends rather than responding to single incidents (we know of a great time tracking software to help with that). Why should you keep track of repeated behavior? An individual who demonstrates a persistence in arriving late will have a harder time pinpointing circumstantial factors that made them late; showing the pattern of arriving late will help delegitimize such excuses.
When It’s Time To Have “The Talk”
Okay, you’ve identified the habit, you’re now ready to lay out your approach to the topic. First off, do not nag. Merriam-Webster defines nagging as “to irritate by constant scolding or urging; to be a persistent source of annoyance or distraction.” The key words here are “constant” and “persistent”. The discussion over timeliness should not be a perpetual and recurring topic. If it is, you’re doing it wrong. Instead, set out to have one talk to identify the problem, and then a limited number of follow-ups.
Next is where we are opening this up to a Choose Your Own Adventure blog post. There are so many different leadership and management styles out there. Rather than sharing one approach which may not sit well with your personality, we are going to briefly offer four legitimate ways to have The Talk.
Directive Leadership
This can be summarized as a “do it the way I tell you” approach. This is for the direct, straight and to the point type of manager. You sit them down or stop them as they walk in late and tell them exactly the way it is. Now, the tone and word choice is key here because this can come off very aggressive, but being frank does not give one a license to abandon professional civility. You can be clear “start showing up to work on time” but you can also include statements like “if factors out of your control occur and you know you’ll be late, we’re all human, I understand, just give me a heads up; but aside from those few times you’ll need to show up on time like everyone else.” There is no wiggle room, there is a shred of compassion, but mostly you hit the nail on the head: “arrive on time.”
Authoritative Leadership
This style can be understood as “firm but fair.” You approach them to set up a talk non-aggressively, perhaps scheduling it through email. Before getting to the discussion of their tardiness you ask them how they are doing. You then breach the topic by focusing on the company’s policy that applies to all employees. Then, explain the disappointment in their failure to meet that standard and your unwavering expectation that they will adjust their ways. You’re door is always open if they need to talk, but they “have to be held accountable to the same expectation as everyone else.” The authoritative leader will not mince words, but draws the focus more on the organizational needs and standards during the conversation rather than zeroing in on the employee.
Coaching/Developmental Leadership
This method is where you own the problem and the solution with the employee. Just like any coach, this is a team and we’re in it together (rah-rah-rah!). You still understand and distinguish between their responsibility and yours, but you’re more willing to take on some of the load and help them to achieve success. You are really digging into the situation with them, sharing ownership of their struggle and crafting the mental, emotional, and physical approach to resolve it. Phrases like “what can we do to get you to show up on time” and, “let’s come up with a plan” are commonly heard from coaching managers. Arriving promptly is seen as an issue affecting the team; “we all need you here.” In the end, you’re less focused on blame or disappointment, and more focused on working together to find a solution.
Affiliative Leadership
This approach is known for avoiding conflict in favor of keeping people happy. There’s no use in hurting the office vibe with hostile confrontation, so let’s take this nice and easy. The affiliative manager starts off with a Post-It note or quick email asking for a chance to talk, at their convenience, and then asks the employee how things are going. Like the coaching manager, you’ll be willing to help, but the length to which you’re willing to go will be greater. You may even go as far as to offer a different start time and end time. It’s a very understanding approach.
Next Steps
In the ideal world the problem goes away and you can focus on more pressing needs. For the employee who needs a bit more, what do we do? Well, just like before, first pause, then catalog, and then plan your talk with one of the four approaches. Consider trying a different management approach to see if they respond better to one over another (this is a true sign of leadership, being the leader your employee needs you to be, not the one you’re most comfortable being). This next time around your main message isn’t “we need you to show up on time,” it’s “if you don’t start showing up on time there will be consequences.” Here is where you need to refer to your HR department’s policies, but be clear that you will give them a period of time to correct the error and that you’ll hold another meeting at that time to let them know things are good or that the consequence will take place. Remember what we said earlier, no nagging. This is the second conversation, you planned a third, no more after that. No bringing it up casually throughout the workday, and try not to think of it while you’re working with them on other projects. You have a groundwork laid to solve the problem, and now it’s on them. Let yourself now be free mentally to focus on other tasks at hand.