Let’s talk about lateness – before you miss your next meeting!!

One-off Incidents vs. Habitual Lateness

First things first, what do we mean by lateness?

One-offs

We can all find ourselves in situations which are out of our control such as medical emergencies, traffic disruption, childcare issues or car trouble. Most of us would consider these to be valid reasons for being late as it’s likely an isolated incident and not causing wider problems.

Being fair in these sorts of circumstances will contribute to employee satisfaction and staff retention as the team will know that their employer is empathetic and understanding.  

Mass lateness

You might also need to navigate situations where lots or all of your team are likely to be late or absent from work at the same time.

If many of your staff might be late because of an event the night before, why not allow a late start? This will increase productivity for you, limit absences or lateness and help to improve employee satisfaction. Our blog on keeping your employees happy during 2025’s summer of sport is full of great advice on managing lateness or absences during major cultural events.

‘On Time’ … But Not

Then there are those who manipulate what ‘late’ means.

Take the porridge lady! One from the vivoHR memory bank. This particular staff member would arrive at 8:59am when work was meant to start at 9am … hang up her coat, head to the bathroom, come back, microwave her porridge, have a cigarette while it cooled, come back inside and sit in the kitchen area to eat the porridge … meaning work wouldn’t actually start until 9:25am at the very earliest.  She was also always out the door (PC off, coat on, cup washed) by 5pm sharp!

Repeat Offenders

The worst type of late starters. Those who ‘just can’t help themselves’ and are always AT LEAST a few minutes late.

Why Lateness isn’t Acceptable

Lateness is generally not acceptable if a specific start time is part of the job role and contractual terms. However, as we’ve said, there are circumstances outside of people’s control that occasionally mean someone might be late.

Frequent or high volumes of late arrivals will impact the productivity of the business and affect other coworkers negatively. Furthermore, it’s unprofessional and it’s a breach of the agreed contract.

Policy

Whether you are dealing with a one-off emergency, or a frequent flyer, having lateness and absence policies will set clear boundaries and back up your processes.

It’s the employer’s responsibility to remind all staff of working requirements. This means defining working hours and what is actually meant by ‘work begins at …’. No more porridge after 9am!

You should also define what unauthorised lateness is. If someone has informed you that they’ll be in late due to a doctor’s appointment, this could count as an authorised lateness, but just not turning up on time because they stopped for a coffee would not be authorised.

The policy should also provide guidance for the employee on what to do if they are going to be late, such as contacting their line manager or team leader to inform them, and potentially making up the time by staying later, starting earlier the following day or taking a shorter lunch break.

Different rules will work for different organisations. Could you have a timeframe for lateness? Perhaps more than 20 minutes late needs to be made up at the end of the day? Or more than two incidents in the same week need to be made up?

It’s practical to make the policy flexible, including an opportunity to assess situations case by case and make a decision based on the management team’s judgement, led by empathy and understanding. Inflexible policies can ultimately cause even more absences as staff know that – whatever the circumstances – they’ll face the same consequences with no regard for the situation.  

It’s essential is to have a process for recording lateness. All incidents of lateness should be recorded, even if it’s definitely a one-off. If you don’t record everything, bias can easily creep in, or you might not spot a pattern in someone’s behaviour which is starting to annoy other staff.

How to Deal with Lateness

Lateness is really frustrating, both for management and for the other team members who consistently show up on time. It needs to be nipped in the bud, but how?  

1. Address the situation early
2. Make expectations clear
3. Don’t forget about your policy
4. Document all conversations and warnings
5. Be consistent with all team members

When initially addressing a lateness issue with an employee, make sure – for a ‘first offence’ that it’s an informal, confidential meeting. Highlight what is expected of them and what could happen if the lateness continues, such as disciplinary action or a written warning.

Be respectful to the employee. Is there something going on outside of work that is causing them to frequently be late? If that’s the case, how could you offer support?

As well as highlighting instances of lateness, it’s important to acknowledge when someone changes their behaviour and starts to arrive on time. Be careful with this, don’t alienate other staff by overly praising something everyone else does every day.

Flexible Working?

Someone might often be late because they have young children, or a tricky commute. Would their day be more productive if they could work from home? Or start later to miss rush hour?

Flexible working policies such as working from home and hybrid working don’t suit every business but if your business can support a flexible working policy it’s worth considering how it might help employees who are struggling (or just those who welcome the flexibility) have more control over their schedules and ultimately improve the team’s work-life balance.

At vivoHR the team always have the option to arrive and leave flexibly providing diaries are well managed, clients are not kept waiting for the support they require and communication about plans is well communicated.  After all – why sit in traffic if you don’t need to?

Since April 2024, staff have had a day one right to request flexible working. This doesn’t mean a right to flexible working, only a right to make the request. The request can be to change:

• the days they work
• what time they start or finish
• the number of hours they
• the location where they are based

These requests must be handled in a reasonable manner which means examining the advantages and disadvantages, suggesting possible alternatives, and offering an appeal. An employer can refuse an application if they have a good business reason for doing so.

When considering a request, reflect on how supporting the staff member to improve their day-to-day life is ultimately positive for the business: staff with a good work-life balance will be more productive and so more cost-effective for the business.

Conclusion

When dealing with lateness in the workplace there are three key things to remember:

1. Have a policy
2. Be consistent
3. Be fair

Most people don’t want to be late to work. Circumstances outside of anyone’s control can lead to one-off instances of lateness. Approach these occasions with empathy and use clear written guidance to back up your processes.

When lateness becomes a habit, it becomes a problem

For those who are frequently late when a specific start time is required, it is essential to convey how important it is for them to be on time. Having consistent rules and methods for dealing with lateness will make it clear to all that arriving on time is essential to being successful in their role and for the wider success of the company. 

vivoHR can help you to put together a lateness policy and give advice on tackling any awkward conversations about lateness. Give us a call on 01252 757359 or drop us an email at hello@vivohr.co.uk