On the latest episode of Lessons in Leadership, leadership expert and President of LearnToLead, Dave Anderson, dives into the common workplace challenge of dealing with habitually late employees. Rather than resorting to sarcasm or ineffective reminders, Anderson advocates for structured, purposeful conversations that emphasize core values, accountability, and effective follow-through.
First, Anderson begins by distinguishing between occasional lateness due to emergencies and the more persistent behavior of habitually late employees. These are the individuals whose tardiness becomes predictable week after week. He stresses that passive-aggressive comments like “Glad you could make it” do little to resolve the issue and recommends a more effective strategy: having a skillful conversation that reframes lateness as a violation of core values.
Using a role-play example, Anderson suggests starting the conversation with clarity and directness:
“Fred, come here; let’s have a conversation. Do you realize that when you’re late, you violate our core values, you create distractions, you make it harder for your teammates to do their job… and you’re not here to serve customers?”
He advises managers to pause and ask: “Can you see where that’s a problem?” If the employee agrees, it opens the door to ask: “What are you going to do to fix the problem?” Anderson points out that general responses like “I’ll start getting up earlier” need to be pressed further. Ask: “How much earlier?” and “What else can you do?” This ensures specific, actionable commitments. For example, the employee might respond:
“I’ll get up 30 minutes earlier, and I’ll get my car fixed by Friday.”
Anderson emphasizes the importance of following up with positive reinforcement. If the employee shows up on time, say: “Thanks for being on time. I appreciate you keeping your word to me.” This reframes punctuality as a matter of integrity, not just attendance.
If the behavior resurfaces, the next conversation must escalate both the tone and the consequence. Anderson explains the approach:
“Fred, we have a problem. And it’s not just that you were late again. The bigger issue is that you failed to keep your word.”
From there, the manager should clarify that repeated failure to follow through undermines the working relationship. If the employee asks if they’re being fired, Anderson suggests responding with:
“Fred, you will fire yourself by not doing what we need you to do and not keeping your word to me. I need someone who will do both.”
Finally, Anderson advises that consequences must escalate if commitments are broken again. Options can include sending the employee home without pay, putting them on probation, or even termination.
“What you tolerate will continue. What you permit will persist. What you permit, you promote.”– Dave Anderson
