Some People are Always Late.

We all know people who treat their chronic lateness as a cutesy attribute – they walk around smiling and carrying a cup of Starbuck’s coffee as if the barista “made me late”. They tend to make a joke about this serious condition . They usually laugh it off saying, “I’m always late, you should know that by now?” They intimate that you’re the one who’s going to have to deal with it because they certainly don’t intend to change.

There’s the person who is always overwhelmed and frazzled. This type is usually a woman whose job is a leadership position – management. She is a poor, put-upon nervous wreck who is always ready to tear her hair out – frantic. She’s always late because some tragedy has befallen her. It’s “The Perils of Pauline” – there she was, tied to the railroad tracks. She managed to get lose in the nick of time, a minute before the train would come bearing down on her. She appears to be in the constant state of a silent scream.

There’s the joker who is late and amiable. The time simply got away from him. He explains how much he wants to be on-time – even set his alarm clock an hour earlier than usual. Well, you see, he was awake but his coffee pot broke down and he hunted for that ancient jar of instant coffee he had on the top shelf of his kitchen cabinet. He stood on a chair and reached up for it but fell backward off the chair. And, to make a short story long you can imagine the rest of the scenario – Emergency room, x-rays, back problems…

The girl with the messy hair and the boy who’s addicted to video games. When a parent yells, “Come on, it’s time to go, we’re going to be late!” – the inevitable answer comes, “Just a minute, I’m brushing my hair – almost done.” The adult version of this type will text, “Okay, I’m one block away now, almost there.” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is always late. Recently Pope Francis held a climate change meeting at the Vatican. De Blasio showed up 80 minutes late for his allotted time to speak to the gathering. He has shown up late at parades and funerals. The chronically late person often refuses to change. He probably realizes that tardiness is rude, inconsiderate and disrespectful yet he will continue to be late.

If you are an employer of a chronically later employee, take a proactive stance if you notice a pattern. Have a confidential talk with the person to explain how frustrating it is for you and colleagues to deal with the situation. Discuss ways for the employee to change. Reward improvements and find a way to punish being late. Lay it on the line saying that the person might be docked in pay or not receive a bonus, The extreme solution would be to fire the employee.

As for students who are chronically late for class, some teachers request that all students be seated two or three minutes before class. The teacher should make it clear at the beginning of the school year that being on time is an important life lesson. Being late causes frustration for all involved. A student who has a pattern of being late might be asked to take a seat near the door instead of being permitted to sit at his desk. If you have a strategy to deal with this problem please share it in the comments section.