The Importance of Punctuality in the Workplace

Punctuality is the most obvious form of loyalty you can display to your company. When I say "company", I'm not just talking about businesses. It's just as important to house guests, a restaurant with which you have reservations or your dog that's been waiting on you to come home after work and let him out. But your promptness at that meeting about the company merger is probably going to prove more valuable than a little mess on the kitchen floor.

Surprisingly enough, and despite all the deadlines and the emphasis placed on being prompt, you're hard pressed to attend a meeting that starts on time. Why is there so much stress in the workplace? One solid reason is that people have the tendency to put things off until the last possible moment, forcing them to complete the task at warped speed and narrowly miss, or make, their deadline. Now, if you're that one person that completes their work early, or helps someone else meet their deadline you'll be setting yourself apart from the rest.

The simple task of arriving ten minutes before your manager shows up in the morning shows them that you can take the initiative and think for yourself. For all they know you may have just sat there and stared at the ceiling until they walked in, but they don't know that. You also could have been making coffee, copies, and getting a head start on your work for the day. Regardless of your activity, the point is that you planned ahead and proved you respect your coworkers, the company and the position for which you work.

Taking an extra fifteen minutes to read the newspaper in the morning can jeopardize your accountability. It's all a matter of professional consideration. Punctuality should be nonnegotiable and a part of the company's constructive regimen. If you make a habit of keeping people waiting for you, they're not going to trust you with the work that needs to be done. Respect your coworkers and you'll get theirs as well.

I've been at the top of the ladder with an assistant that didn't seem to understand the value of being on time. As a result of her constant tardiness, I didn't view her as a loyal member of staff, the other employees didn't go to her for help and I lost that respect I used to have for her. After a few memos, meetings and forewarnings of what will happen to her place in the company if her lateness continued - we seem to be back on track. While it may seem like a silly thing to make such a fuss about, we have to remember that the effect it has on the workplace. Treat the problem with the same degree of importance as its effect on the overall functionality of the company.