Everybody runs late once in a while, at some point- traffic accidents, horrible weather, car craps out, etc... but I'll never understand the folks who show up late every *******' day.... The shift starts the same time every day, why is it so hard to get there? To me, it's just passive aggressive rudeness. I used to start report on time (I gave report on all 27 beds- I assessed everybody, did their orders and MARS, and went around with the LVNs who had the direct care, and were great about telling me if anything was going on) - full house or not (and I told mgmt this when I went back to work at a facility I'd worked at before- they said OK) ... there were notes to look at and a kardex... if they wanted 'live' and in person- then show up :) If the oncoming charge nurse was late (very rare on that floor), I'd wait for her and go over report- she had to know (and wasn't time challenged).
My favorite excuse for a chronically late CNA was "the train goes by every day on my way to work and I'm stuck at the crossing".... hmmm... could ya leave 10 minutes earlier???? Avoid the train altogether?
Chronic lateness reeks of "my time is the most important, so you peons (regardless of job/title) can just wait for my wonderful self to decide to drag my butt to work".....doesn't fly w/me
I agree that it is not just "lazy people," -- but I think those who are chronically late have some obligation to explain at least a little to the colleagues they are inconveniencing. Details aren't necesssay, but it does destroy the cohesion of the workgroup when individuals cause problems for their coworkers and don't seem to care.
I knew of one person who was often late because she had to take 3 different buses to get to work. A trip of only a few miles took a couple of hours. If a bus was a little "off-schedule" and she missed a connection, she had to wait a long time for the next bus. But no one knew that until the manager disciplined her and found out the reason. Once her situation was known, the group rallied behind her and supported her. They tolerated her lateness.
As others have said chronic lateness is simply a passive aggressive way of saying that you and your concerns are more important than those of your coworkers who are waiting to go home.
I do not tolerate this. First I will speak to the coworker and let them know that I also want to finish my work on time. If it continues to occur I will hand in a variance to the timekeeper every time I am late getting off stating "OT required d/t Nancy Nurse arriving late for shift". You can believe that after they receive several of these in a close time period they WILL address the issue. And no, I don't care if the coworker considers themselves to be "special" or have more important concerns - my time is just as valuable.
This is specifically for those who do this chronically, not the coworker who has an emergency or a one time issue.
I do staff development -- and those late folks walk into class 10-15 minutes late as if they own the place. The presentation has started ... and then the door opens and someone walks in and disrupts everything. Two minutes later, it happens again. It's maddening.
Infuriating! I was in a meeting a week ago when, 10 minutes late, a guy walked in and then proceeded to chow down (very loudly) on a sandwich and chips. I've never been one to waste food, but I wouldn't have minded throwing his darn lunch out the window.
I'm one of those chronically late nurses. I don't know what it is but I'm always 3-10 minutes late. I set my alarm clock early, I'll even get up early but by the time I get out the door I'm barely holding it together. Oddly enough I have great time management on the job. Honestly, it's the sleep thing. I've been a chronic insomniac for my entire life. By the time I finally get some shut eye it's usually 0300, so by the time the alarm rings (at 0600) I've just settled into REM and I press the snooze a few too many times. I HATE that I'm late. I certainly don't think my time is more precious than anyone else's. But there it is....
Why not get some sleep Rx, some Benadryl, Atarax, Atavan, or Melatonin, warm milk, some other insomnia treatment? It would help you and everyone who is waiting for you.
i struggled with lateness for years when i worked in retail...looking back, i'm pretty sure it was because i hated my job and wasn't very happy overall with the state my life was in...now that i'm in nursing school (something i love doing), you bet your a** that i am never late to class/clinical. bottom line: chronic lateness is a choice (IMO). so when peers spit out excuse after excuse, i find myself very annoyed at them.
It's not always a choice. People who take public transportation or carpool, people with young children, those who deal with babysitters or share a car with another person who has to get the car to them by a certain moment, those who work another job and have to wait for relief there - these are just some of the reasons someone might be late. I agree that it is necessary to try to fix these problems.
At where I work if you call out its 1 occurrence, and if your late its 1/3 occurrence. If you get 3 occurrences in a 12 month rolling period its a verbal warning, 5 is a written warning, 7 is your final warning, and 8 your fired. So you could be late 21 times a year if you never missed a day, but after that its the ax. Its a big hospital system, and this comes from HR not our floor management. I have been there a little over a year, and I have seen people get fired already for it.
There was an instance at work where a CNA was writing in the times a certain nurse showed up. That CNA took her notes in the DON and the nurse was reprimanded for falsifying her time sheets. The kicker is that that one CNA comes in herself late at least 3x a week. Hello pot calling the kettle black. Yes, both the fools are still employed there.
When you have more than one chronically late person on the same floor, the previous shift is forced to hang around and wait for them to show up. They don't get paid for that, and people have classes to attend, kids to pick up from school, or they just plain want to get the hell out of there! It's so, so rude to come in late all the time. I don't care if you have trouble moving your butt in the morning or your commute is crazy- these are things we all deal with and most of us find ways to manage without being inconsiderate of others.
You should be paid if you have to wait for people who are late on the oncoming shift. That is often the way to get management to do something about it. Why would you not be paid, you are still working, right? And you are working until the handoff.
We have one nurse, that whenever she is in charge, she's late. As charge, you're expected to be clocked in by 0645/1845, ready to take charge report. She frequently doesn't arrive until the rest of the day staff. No young kids, lives closer to the hospital than anyone else. I don't get it. Mgr won't do anything, as her explanation is, "well that's just her."
I am one of those on time by the skin of my teeth people. However, I am on time and ready to kick butt, take names because I want the same courtesy on the way out. I notice if I have ten min to spare I find all sorts of things I need to do before I go out the door. Now I have a 5 min last call, no more last minute just before I go stuff.
I notice in every orientation it is stressed that there is a 7 min grace period before or after punch in time but....I am expected to be on the floor ready to start work at 6:45 or whenever the shift starts. So it's possible to be written up and not lose money for being late. Deep down, everyone knows when late it, it's just harder for some than others to be where they're supposed to be at the right time.
If the oncoming charge nurse was late (very rare on that floor), I'd wait for her and go over report- she had to know (and wasn't time challenged). 
llg, PhD, RN
13,469 Posts
I agree that it is not just "lazy people," -- but I think those who are chronically late have some obligation to explain at least a little to the colleagues they are inconveniencing. Details aren't necesssay, but it does destroy the cohesion of the workgroup when individuals cause problems for their coworkers and don't seem to care.
I knew of one person who was often late because she had to take 3 different buses to get to work. A trip of only a few miles took a couple of hours. If a bus was a little "off-schedule" and she missed a connection, she had to wait a long time for the next bus. But no one knew that until the manager disciplined her and found out the reason. Once her situation was known, the group rallied behind her and supported her. They tolerated her lateness.