ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- In a previous TRACKS article, you read about employee discipline and some of the more common problems in the workplace that warrant discipline, including attendance problems, failure to follow rules, inappropriate or offensive behavior, and discourtesy.
Of these, the most frequent disciplinary issues supervisors deal with are attendance related problems, such as tardiness.
What's the big deal about being tardy and what does it mean anyway?
According to dictionary.com, "tardiness is a disappointment and an interruption; a kind of falsehood and theft of time."
Isn't that interesting? I never thought of it that way, but it is as good a definition as I have ever heard.
And, yes, five minutes can make a difference; after all, we have over 2,500 employees.
When employees are tardy without justifiable reasons, such absences can be charged to an approved leave status or charged to unauthorized absence without leave (AWOL) status and may become the basis for disciplinary action.
Can employees be removed for tardiness?
Yes - remember the previous TRACKS article and progressive discipline? If an employee is late for work, a verbal counseling may be in order. If the employee continues to be tardy, subsequent corrective measures may involve a Letter of Leave Instructions, a Written Reprimand, a suspension and possibly removal.
According to AR 690-700, Chapter 751, Army Table of Penalties, removal may be warranted if the tardiness is habitual.
One of the first cases on which I advised a supervisor involved a removal action, after progressive discipline, for an employee who was habitually tardy.
Being tied up in traffic is one of the most common excuses for tardiness.
We all know a traffic accident may occasionally impede traffic flow and cause a delay in your arrival to work. That is understandable.
But, an everyday occurrence in delay of traffic flow may require you to reevaluate your departure time from home and/or your route to work.
Getting your children up and ready for school may also cause you to be late for work.
Although that may be a valid reason, the delayed arrival may not be excused.
The car failing to start for the third time in a week and causing you to be late is not a justifiable reason to excuse your tardiness.
We are all responsible for our own transportation to work. It is not the depot's responsibility to make sure we get to work on time.
It is not the depot's responsibility to ensure our personal needs and preferences are taken care of before we report to duty.
Sure, there are situations where things happen, which may cause us to be unable to report for duty when expected and in a timely manner, but, those situations should be a rare occurrence, not routine.
Life happens. We all understand that and Murphy's Law is no stranger to many of us. But, when all is said and done, we have an obligation and responsibility to report for duty as expected; ready, willing and able to work.
Tardiness is a serious employee attendance issue and needs to be addressed promptly.
An employee's failure to report to work as scheduled can have a negative impact on an organization's ability to complete the mission.
Remember, it is the employee's responsibility to arrive at work on time. Who knows, in the final analysis, your job may depend on it.
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