Younger workers more likely to be late

Only two per cent of Canadian chief financial officers (CFOs) accept worker being late only if productivity doesn’t suffer, according for a survey for Accountemps, a specialized staffing service. Sixty-five per cent of respondents said coming in late is okay as long as it doesn’t become a pattern.

Tardiness can affect other workers

Thirty-two per cent of CFOs thought workers should come in on time so other employees can rely on them during set hours. Of the workers who responded to a separate survey, 33 per cent said their productivity had suffered because a colleague had arrived late.

Overall fifty-six per cent of Canadian workers said they were occasionally late for work. Four per cent said it happened every day.

The older they were, the less likely they were to be tardy.

Fifty-five per cent of workers aged 55 and older said they were never late. Of those between 35 and 54 years old 45 per cent said they never showed up late and only 28 per cent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 per cent said they always showed up on time.

Excuses, excuses

Among the excuses workers made for being late;

“My dog was feeling anxious.”

“I thought it was Saturday.”

“My alarm clock died overnight.”

“My dog ate my car keys,”

“Someone spilled coffee on me and I had to go home to change.”

Only persistent lateness is grounds for firing

In Canada, a worker cannot be fired for being late once. Generally, an employer has to warn an employee who is repeatedly late and document the process before firing them for tardiness.