What it means to be “late”
November 14th, 2007 by Cali & Jody
Here are two quotes from recent articles on lateness. The first is from a piece in the Toronto Globe and Mail about a movement to make companies recognize that not everyone is a morning person. The second is from a column in the Wall Street Journal about what’s wrong with the perpetually tardy.
“‘A lot of motivational speakers tout this stuff about the early bird getting the worm,’” says [HR consultant Jeanne] Martinson, who wrote the chapter after consulting [Carolyn] Schur’s 1995 book Birds of a Different Feather, which highlighted circadian differences among workers. “They make it seem like being a night owl is a choice. It’s actually biological. It’s like being blue-eyed or brown-eyed. It’s not about choice at all.’”
“‘Most chronically late people consistently underestimate time by 25% to 30%,” says Diana DeLonzor, author of Never Be Late Again. “Late people engage in magical thinking,” she says. “They remember that day 10 years ago when they made it to work in seven minutes flat. That becomes their standard.’”
So which is it?
When someone comes into the office at 8:30 instead of 8:00 is it because of their genes?
Or is it because they’re a pudding head who doesn’t understand that a car trip they made a decade ago might take a little longer today?
Does it matter?
We find it interesting that our conversation about time in the workplace focuses almost entirely on the individual. Whether it’s their genes or magical thinking, being late or early invites judgment. People who are “late” are unmotivated, unfocused, unproductive. People who are “early” are driven, committed, effective.
We’d like to see the conversation change. In a 24/7 global economy, when business is being conducted at all times without regard to time and space, there is no such thing as late or early. The only thing that matters is results. Individual people know this. But for some reason, organizations still cling to their outmoded beliefs about what work looks like, which often means from 8-5 in an office. Companies don’t need to “figure out” late people. They need to start questioning why they even care about “early” or “late” in the first place.
I am a full proponent of ROWE and in favor of throwing the clock out of the window. However, as a speaker and development coach, I take a different stance on the issue of “late” or “tardiness”. For me (and my team), arriving on time is a matter of honoring my word. Although I drive an hour to work (blecch…), I do not allow myself to be late because my commitment to the company is to arrive at 7am each day. 7:01, to me, is not aligned with my commitment (by the same token, I demand my employees leave at 5:00, not 5:01). It requires planning and scrupulous discipline, but I make it work because I agreed to when I accepted the job. If people generally applied the same integrity to a ROWE environment (obviously with results instead of time), I dare to dream of what could be accomplished in a day. Or night…
We agree completely with honoring one’s commitments. What we question is why our work culture requires that you commit to the clock as opposed to committing to results. You’re right to come in at 7 am because that is what was asked of you. But your company is dead wrong to ask you to make this commitment in the first place. As for your last thought, at Best Buy that kind of focus on results instead of time isn’t a dream, it’s reality. And the level of accomplishment is stunning.
It shows. I must admit, I am a little envious; I can not get our company mindset there fast enough. I’m excitedly anticipating the book–another tool to add to my utility belt of Transformation… Thanks Cali and Jody.