Sorry, But I’m Going To Be Late Today…

We have all been late for work for one reason or another and if it is not a regular occurrence then our bosses are usually fine with this unless of course, it's a consistent habit which in that case no doubt we will find ourselves on the wrong side of a disciplinary.

If we are going to be late for work, the key here is to inform your place of work as soon as possible and to offer an explanation as to why we are late. This way, they know what is happening, when to expect you and can delay or even postpone important meetings, phone calls or events that have already been scheduled for the day.

Punctuality is very important and should always be respected and our starting times are there for a reason but we have all experienced sleeping in just a little too late, traffic jams or road closures, the car not starting or we can not locate our keys, missing a bus or train or even a childminder letting us down at the last minute. However, this is just life getting in the way and happens to everyone at some point in their working lives, even your boss.

It is imperative to not immediately jump to the conclusion that you are letting everyone down and will be badly thought of as this is definitely not the case at all and panic will make you feel more anxious. For example, if there are road closures or particularly bad weather then you can almost guarantee that this will affect not only yourself at your place of work as others will be invariably late also.

Contact your manager or HR department as soon as you are able to inform them of your predicament and estimated time of arrival. Try not to ask a colleague to do this for you as it is much more professional and plausible if you contact your company yourself and there is always the chance that your colleague may forget to pass on the message.

Once you arrive at work it is considered polite to once more offer an apology and then to suggest that you could stay on at work to make up the lost time.

If you feel that lateness, for whatever reason-personal or otherwise, is going to become a problem and you feel worried about this and how this is affecting you, you must discuss this as soon as possible with your manager or an HR representative. They are there to help you.

Rest assured, your meeting will be confidential and companies nowadays are very understanding and can offer certain degrees of flexibility and will offer you tailored advice and support.