Punctuality vs. Tardiness...

There are people who are always on time and there are people who are always late. And yes, there are some in the middle, but most gravitate towards one side.

Time is everyone's most valuable commodity and in the division between punctual and tardy people, the punctual people lose out...in most cases.

It comes down to respect for the other person.

If I'm punctual and I show up at 10am (or 9.50) for our 10am appointment and you don't (assuming nothing catastrophic of course and it's just poor planning), you are basically saying that my time isn't important to you.

When you show up late for a customer appointment, you are saying that you don't respect the customer's time...the reverse is true as well.

Do you want to start a business (or other) relationship with someone who doesn't value your time? Not an auspicious beginning.

Tardy people don't realize that their poor planning is sending a message about themselves and the way they view other people.

Fortunately for punctual people, they've come to realize that most of the world isn't punctual and while they can't help but being on time (and even though they know that the tardy people will, in all likelihood, be tardy), they are going to prepare for it.

Still, if you are normally late for things, and you are trying to make an impression (or at least a good one), think about how the tone is set when you show up late.

Comments

• Anonymous
  May 09, 2007
  Agreed, the last 2 places I worked, meetings never started within 15 minutes of their scheduled start time. Both places gave the same excuse, that the tardiness seemed to be their corporate culture, rather than fix the issue. I just got in the habit of bringing my laptop with me and coding through meetings to make up for my time that they wasted ;)

• Anonymous
  May 09, 2007
  I'm from Yorkshire, where the saying is "five minutes early is on time" and people mean it.

• Anonymous
  December 16, 2010
  I beg to differ... I hate punctual people and don't mind at all being kept waiting (as long as it isn't for hours)... as a matter of fact i like waiting... it's time i use for meditating and reading (always carry a book with me). What i don't like about punctual people is that they expect everybody to be like them, i see it as a disrespect. (funny... the comments are all from 2007... mine is from 2010... apparently i'm late for this too :-)