by Allen Teal

Created on: February 27, 2009   Last Updated: June 24, 2009

Tardiness is more than an irritation, it is a symptom of a deeper problem. Many times it is a pattern associated with being passive/aggressive. Being late is a way of controlling your life. By arriving late, it tells others that they can set the time, but you will not be controlled by their schedule.

It can also be a sign of someone who cannot say no to the demands of other people. This results in a situation of being constantly over booked. Being late for work, however, can lead to some very undesirable outcomes. The main one would be the loss of the job. Because of the impact of lost employment, it can lead to many more bad ends.

People who are late for work are often late for everything. They just have a pattern of being late. Over the years, these people have developed a list of reasons to excuse their tardiness that includes anything from work, to weddings, to parties, and on the list goes. Some of these excuses can be quite inventive. Most of the time they are just reruns of the same excuse time after time. Here is a list of 10 of the more common reasons for being late for work.

1. I needed someone to watch my kids.

This excuse is often true. However,when it happens many times over a few years, it becomes apparent that a back up plan should have been devised that does not include being late for work every time that it happens. If a person has a babysitter that consistently fails to perform, it is time to find another sitter. After 2 or 3 times with this problem, one would think that a person would find a reliable number two child care provider to cover these emergencies.

2. My car would not start. I had a flat tire. I lost my car keys. Any excuse that has to do with car problems.

Everyone has car trouble once in a while. People who can only afford a cheap used car will have more problems than most. The truth is that if you are not always late for work, someone might be willing to car pool with you. When your car dies off, theirs can pick up the slack.

3. My alarm clock failed. I overslept. This would be all of those excuses that say something was wrong with a clock.

If your job is important to you, why trust it to the reliability of one clock. Find other ways to get out of bed on time. If you have this problem more than once, you need to get someone to call you every morning and be your parent like when you were in school. It is sad that adults need to do this, but getting to work on time is important.

4. I got stuck in traffic.

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