Effective Ways To Lessen or Avoid Tardiness in the Office

Tardiness is considered one of the factors that affect the productivity of employees in the workplace. Various things contribute to why employees often come late in the office. That needs to be given proper attention because it can create more issues when neglected.

Common Causes of Tardiness in the Workplace

In a survey conducted by CareerBuilder, the top causes of tardiness include traffic, lack of sleep, bad weather, trying to get the kids to school, and issues with public transportation. Other experts agreed on some of the most common causes of being late, and they are as follows:

1. Illness or Injuries. Illnesses and injuries are common reasons why people come late or make absences on their work. They can be excused because of medical reasons. However, the problem arises when employees fail to inform the management that they won't be able to come to their shift.

It's a must to utilize a system where employees can easily communicate with the HR team that they will be late or absent. In that way, employees will be more likely to report their status as soon as they know it. This allows your HR team to fill holes and cover shifts promptly.

2. Low Morale in the Workplace. An employee will not be comfortable in a workplace with various conflicts. It is crucial to keep good employee morale, so people in the workplace will treat each other with respect and tact. They should also be given the freedom to make decisions on their own and be creative in their insights.

3. Bullying. When employees experience bullying and harassment at work, they will lose the motivation to come to work. Often, they will only force themselves to go to the office but can't work productively. That's why bullied employees will choose to come late or make absences rather than come to the office and do their tasks.

There should be an open-door policy to encourage employees to inform the management of any bullying or harassment incidents. An environment with open communication, respect, and mutual understanding must be promoted among employees.

4. Less Commitment to their Jobs. Employees who are not committed to their work have the tendency to be always late or make absences. This is also known as disengagement. This happens due to various reasons. They may be seeing unfair treatment among employees, issues with benefits, improper task delegation, and the sense of not having a room for growth.

To solve issues on tardiness, the management must implement rules and programs that will help employees become empowered and recognized for their hard work and achievements.

5. Family Issues. Some employees experience a hard time to manage their time due to cases such as taking care of their family members. Employees should give prior notice if they are going to take a time-off. The management my also implement a flexible schedule where employees can have a flexible time to do their duties at home and in the office.

6. Burnout. Burnout can happen when employees become too overwhelmed with their jobs. It's essential to keep track of employees who often work late and doing overtime before they experience burnout.

7. Stress. For sure, most of us already know that stress is the cause of many problems in the workplace. People in the workplace who experience extreme stress because of personal matters, poor morale, and burnout may be likely to lose focus or quit their job. Make sure to provide the employees a good working environment where they can conveniently do their jobs. Invest in helpful equipment such as a standing desk converter or an ergonomic chair. These items can help people in the workplace to get rid of the risks of a sedentary lifestyle.

8. Lack of Flexibility. When employees feel that they are being deprived of work flexibility, they may become rebellious towards their work. They may tend to come late often or take long hours of breaks. They may become irresponsible when it comes to deadlines and work projects.

Effects of Tardiness in the Office

It's simple. Tardiness affects the overall productivity of the workplace. Employers will not get what they are paying for. Schedules for that day will suffer because adjustments are required to be made. Both employers and employees must use more energy and resources to be able to cover up the losses. Your credibility and the trust of clients and customers may be affected due to frequent tardiness and absenteeism in the workplace.

Useful Tips to Lessen or Avoid Tardiness in the Workplace

When tardiness is observed too often in the workplace, the management must take action to solve this and prevent possible consequences. Here are tips to lessen tardiness in the workplace effectively:

#1 Identify the reasons for the employee's tardiness. First off, identify the reasons why employees come to work late several times. Some reasons are understandable. There are other factors such as traffic accidents, weather issues, and sickness. However, when an employee shows up late too often for unacceptable reasons, proper actions must be given. Talk to the employee to know his reasons. At the same time, the employee must also be open to sharing his reasons so that the management can help.

#2 Solve the issue promptly. Both the employee and the employers must be proactive to give solutions to the problem promptly. But make sure not to use foul language when talking to the employees. It will be better if there will be a  one-on-one talking about the problem. Do not let the issue gets worse. Inform the employee about his behaviour and the possible effects this can bring to the company. Let the employee know that there can be solutions, so cooperation is needed.

#3 Come up with the solutions and an effective action plan. Never take action when in the middle of being angry. Yes, frequent lateness is disappointing, but it's still more important to know the reasons first. From there, come up with an action plan that will help solve the problem. It can be either giving a more flexible schedule or listening on the part of the employee that needs adjustment. It can be as well a matter of becoming more disciplined towards work.

#4 List the consequences clearly. A company must have a clear policy that addresses the issues of tardiness. For instance, when an employee has incurred 2-3 cases of coming late at work, then a written warning can be sent to her. This will help the employer to become more aware of the possible consequences that may happen. A more serious action is needed when delays are starting to affect the company's credibility and relationships with other clients.

#5 Value and respect a person's privacy. When employers are going to talk to their employees, it will be helpful to have it in private. Especially if disciplinary action is needed, that should not be given in front of their colleagues. That will hurt the employee's feelings and credibility due to embarrassment. Explain your points and discuss the consequences that may possibly happen. Employees are likely to follow if they are given a fair, forthright, and honest approach.

#6 Recognize and reward employee's improvements. Whenever an employee shows improvement, make sure to recognize it. This will help increase the employee's morale. A reward can also help uplift their motivation to work even better. A simple acknowledgement of their improvement can mean a lot to them.

One of the signs of an employee's commitment to work is when they come early and motivated at work. When stress, burnout, and other factors cause them to lose interest at work, their performances will be affected. Managers must come up with effective solutions to give proper answers to the problems. Consider the tips mentioned above to help lessen or avoid frequent tardiness of people in the workplace.