by Lou Belcher

Created on: July 08, 2010

Tardiness is a problem. People who are late may not realize it but they are projecting that they have little regard for others.  And people who are chronically late, rarely understand that they are demonstrating disrespect for those who are waiting for them.

If you are late only on rare occasions, it should not pose a problem in a friendship. After all, there are times when tardiness is unavoidable. However, when rare instances of tardiness turn into occasionally instances of tardiness, and then turn into frequent instances of tardiness, it's difficult to not feel that the person has no respect for your time.

I had a friend who was never on time. When I finally told her that it bothered me and that I felt that it showed a lack of respect for our friendship, she was shocked.  It had never occurred to her that it was more than a minor inconvenience. One would think that after the confrontation, she would have made it a point to be on time. That wasn't the case. Her continued tardiness only reinforced the feeling I had that she had little regard for others.

In friendships, it is difficult to understand that hanging onto a habit of tardiness would be more important than the feelings of a friend. But in many cases, those who are chronically late, don't seem to have any control over it and don't seem to want to change.  It's a choice they make and in many cases the consequence of their behavior is the loss of a good friend.

In the work place, tardiness not only results in others thinking that the person has little respect for others, but it can also have long-lasting ramifications on the person's success in business.

Being late to work and meetings shows lack of caring about the job and lack of respect for others. If you walk into a meeting ten minutes late one time, it might not be considered a big deal. However, if you are late to every meeting, even if it's only by a few minutes, others will notice and it may damage how people view you.  For example, will your boss be willing to have you go to a meeting on his behalf, if he knows you will probably be late?

Teamwork is required in so many businesses. Through the team approach the manager breaks a large project into small parts and assigns it to others. In this case, tardiness not only shows disrespect for others, but it also could cause a project to fail.

When considering your own behaviors, it's wise to consider the consequences and work to adhere to timelines. You may not notice your tardiness, but others will.

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