“Sorry, there was so much traffic!” “My apologies, I couldn’t find my keys!” “Pardon the delay, my kids wouldn’t eat breakfast!” “My bad, I honestly just didn’t feel like being here yet, so I decided to come in late.”

Regardless of what your reason is for showing up to work late, you’re likely going to receive the same punishment (if there are any consequences at all). But when one employee realized that there were also the same repercussions no matter what time he showed up, he decided there was no reason to rush. Below, you’ll find a story that this man recently shared on the Malicious Compliance subreddit, as well as some of the replies amused readers left him.

This employee had a habit of being early for work under his company’s old management

Image credits: Cherrydeck (not the actual photo)

But when a new rule came along to enforce punctuality, he realized there was a way to take advantage of it

Image credits: ZSun Fu (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Marius Mann (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Ben Rosett (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Lisa Fotios (not the actual photo)

Image credits: ActualMis

Punctuality is something that many of us struggle with, especially when going to work

Image credits: Ono Kosuki (not the actual photo)

Being a punctual person is something a lot of us aspire to be. If you’re always on time, you’re seen as organized and systematic, while your perpetually-tardy counterparts are seen as less reliable, less conscientious and less disciplined. But no matter how hard we try, plenty of us still have a difficult time making it to work before our hours start. (Or maybe we’re just not trying at all…) According to HR Daily Advisor, a quarter of employees are late at least once a month, and 12% are tardy at least once a week. Younger workers also tend to stroll in late more often than their older colleagues, as 38% of those between the ages of 18-34 are late at least once a month, compared to 36% of those aged 35-44 and 14% of those 45 and older. 

When it comes to why we show up to work late so frequently, there are a few common culprits: traffic, oversleeping, bad weather, being too tired to get out of bed, and having to go back because something was forgotten. But it seems like many employers are actually understanding of workers showing up late from time to time, as only 60% expect employees to be on time every day. If your boss is not forgiving of tardiness, however, it’s important to be careful, as 43% of employers report that they’ve actually fired someone for tardiness. And overall, it seems like workers are not fans of having to abide by a strict 9-5 schedule anyway, as 88% believe start and end times for their workday should be flexible.

Employers have to understand that tardiness from time to time is inevitable

Image credits: Aayush Srivastava (not the actual photo)

This employee on Reddit explained that his employers never had a problem with him showing up late every now and then, because he was usually early and was always sure to get his work done. But it can be challenging for employers to decide whether or not they should punish employees for being tardy in the first place, as implementing punishments can often backfire. According to Bright HR, bosses need to understand that it’s inevitable for employees to be a few minutes late from time to time. Life happens, and we can’t always anticipate traffic from an accident, family emergencies or extreme weather conditions. A typical grace period for workers is about five to seven minutes, but Bright HR says this tardiness should still be reported, to have a record of how often workers are late.

Tardiness does not typically need to be addressed unless it becomes a habit. If you notice employees are turning up late frequently and it’s impacting their job performance, or putting more work on other employees, it will be important to get to the bottom of it. Bosses should ask their employees why they are consistently late and see if there’s anything they can do to help them. There might be mental health issues contributing to an employee’s chronic lateness. Employers can also plan a schedule to inform their staff when lateness will no longer be tolerated, or what the punishment will be for excessive lateness. While lack of punctuality can escalate to a worker being fired, it shouldn’t have to. 

When punctuality becomes a problem, bosses can work with their employees to find a solution

Image credits: Sora Shimazaki (not the actual photo)

In some companies, there are ways bosses can help out their employees to make being on time less of a priority, and instead focus on the quality and quantity of work that they get done during the day. If bosses implement flexible work hours, employees might be able to come slightly later to avoid traffic or to get more sleep, and they’ll likely show up even more energized than when they’re rushing in late. Incentives to come in early can also help, such as free breakfast and coffee for anyone who arrives a few minutes early. 

And while employers might need to have a conversation with team members who can’t seem to be on time, it’s important that these conversations happen privately, Fit Small Business notes on their site. Bosses can work with their employees to create a plan of action to reduce their tardiness, and all conversations on the topic should happen one-on-one, or with an HR representative present. Shaming employees, particularly in front of one another, into showing up on time is never going to be an effective tactic.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas? Do you think this man was brilliant to take advantage of his employer’s punctuality rule? Or would you have continued showing up on time anyway? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing punctuality in the workplace, look no further than right here! 

Readers flooded the replies with similar stories from their own workplaces

And some shared their thoughts on management enforcing strict time rules

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