Having headache with employees who are always late?

Having headache with employees who are always late?

Depending on your business’s attendance policy, a consistently late employee can damage your business and reputation adversely.

If you are looking to dismiss these consistently delinquent employees, there are a few important considerations and steps that must be taken.

Some of these factors include the employees’ length of service with the company and/or the various reasons of their lateness. Given these issues, it is vital employers follow the appropriate process before dismissing a consistently employee

1. Warnings to employees for being late
   An employer are to ensure that the employees are aware that lateness is a problem so a series of warnings including both verbal and written should be used. On the minimum, an employee should be given at least an official warning in writing before dismissal is even considered. The warning must be clear including all relevant details, with what improved behaviour is expected, and emphasise the severity of the misconduct of the lateness.
   
   The repetition of consistent lateness is as a behaviour can be ground for dismissal. Documentations and evidence must be in place to safeguard against unfair dismissal

2. Counselling
   Consistently late is a possible red flag to a deeper problem for the employee. The employee could be late due to a family member that is sick that require extra attention or the employee could be experiencing depression from personal matters, or problems that could be a major concern. Thus, having a conversation via counselling on lateness can be an effective way to address the subject matter including identifying the root cause and reasons for this conduct. Counselling should be provided to the employee and all care taken to ensure these personal issues are not considered in any employment decision.

3. Communicate with your employee
   Consistently late is a possible red flag to a deeper problem for the employee. The employee could be late due to a family member that is sick that require extra attention or the employee could be experiencing depression from personal matters, or problems that could be a major concern. Thus, having a conversation via counselling on lateness can be an effective way to address the subject matter including identifying the root cause and reasons for this conduct. Counselling should be provided to the employee and all care taken to ensure these personal issues are not considered in any employment decision.

Final thoughts

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