Punctuality goes hand in hand with time management. Being late once or twice because of an unavoidable incident is all right but habitual latecomers need to do something about their lack of punctuality for their own good.
People who are constantly late are more stressed at work because they are always rushing tasks. They either need to stay later than the others to finish a task or their work spills over to the next day until it piles up. Hence, it becomes impossible to manage time well for those who often start their day late.
Punctuality is crucial in the workplace. Time is a valuable resource and for latecomers who do not see its value, it could mean losing a sale, a perspective client or a career opportunity. The reason for this is obvious tardiness creates the impression of poor time management and unreliability.
If you fail to do something as simple as showing up on time for work or for an appointment, then how can you convince you boss or a client that you can manage a project schedule and meet a deadline?
Tardiness can also be contagious, in a sense, because when other people expect you to be late for a meeting, for example, it increases the likelihood that they will not show up on time either to avoid waiting up for you. Your lack of punctuality can also negatively affect other peoples time management plan. If you are late for a meeting, your co-workers would either delay the start of the meeting or spend five to ten minutes telling you what you missed when you finally arrive. Either way, your tardiness will cost other peoples time.
On the other hand punctuality reflects that you value your time and the time of others. It says that you are serious about your work and that people can rely on you because when you show up on time as promised then that means you can keep your word, and that trait will get you a long way in whatever profession.
Improving how you manage your time is the only way to improve punctuality. If you keep doing things at the last minute then there will always be something to hold you up. One useful tip to help you avoid being late is to schedule your meeting throughout the day with enough time, maybe fifteen to twenty minutes, in between each appointment.
Another punctuality technique is to record your appointment in you calendar but make the time ten minutes ahead of the scheduled time. You can also set an alarm in your phone or PC calendar to remind you to finish what you are currently doing so you can be on time for your appointment.