Are People Rude or Selfish if They are Constantly Late?

I recently shared a cartoon from my friend on Facebook that received quite a “buzz.”  NO YOU ARE NOT RUNNING LATE, YOU ARE RUDE!

Here are some of the comments that I received from the post:

• I will not tolerate someone being late, not my style.
• I was going to comment on your post, but I was running late.  (someone with a sense of humor)
• Late drives me nuts.
• We need to share this with others who need to read it.
• Maybe the selfish ones are those who don’t care that things happen beyond our control.  Friendship is far more important than a few minutes in time.

This last comment brought on even more passionate comments about the rudeness of others. Obviously if someone is late once in a while that is understandable.  This happens to all of us. The people who I am describing in this post are the ones who are chronic and are late all of the time. 

So, Joyce How Do We Handle The Chronic People Who Are Always Late for Meetings?
I’m glad that you asked! 🙂  We resolve this issue in my Resolving Conflict Programs.

 Participants react with lateness in the following ways:

• Sarcasm.  “Late again?  Did the dog eat your projects?”
• Silence.  Not knowing what to say.
• Rolling your eyes or looking at your watch – these don’t change this negative behavior.
• Saying the same thing over and over and never getting solid results.

We practice using Be Direct with Respect® which I have shared with you in many of my blogs.  Make sure and look at the video below for more strategies the you can use with this important tool. 

Click Here for my Short video on how to use Be Direct with Respect®

I am frustrated when people continuously walk in late because it affects the entire meeting. 
Of course you will change the wording around to fit your specific situation.  Make sure and share your late issues with me and I will get back to you with a possible solution.

Are People Rude or Selfish if They Are Constantly Late?

This is something that only you can answer.  Some people give others more slack that others.  I’m not as accepting of chronic latecomers since I deal with Conflict in the Workplace.  Clients are always asking me how to handle this one issue with their team.  We could all be late due to traffic, weather, kids, getting up late, etc.  We all need to plan for these set backs.  This one quality can stop people from promotions and it could be a blind spot since others never had that tough conversation with them.  If you are a leader, and you find it difficult to speak with a chronic late person, your team is looking at you to take care of this.  Team morale is affected when leaders let this kind of behavior slide.

 I want to hear from you!

Feel free to send me your questions or concerns either on my blog or to my email if you want more privacy. I enjoy hearing from my readers plus they get their questions answered. Let me know what topics you want me to write about concerning your own conflict in the workplace “issues.”

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Of course! You are welcome to print this, and any other articles we send, if you use the following byline:
A recognized expert on Resolving Conflict in the Workplace, Joyce Weiss, M.A., CSP is an author, accountability coach, and a Certified Speaking Professional. To book Joyce to speak at your event or company call: 800.713.1926 or email: Joyce@JoyceWeiss.com
Visit her website at JoyceWeiss.com to sign up for your own FREE video series and Communicate with Impact Weekly to Resolve Conflict in the Workplace.

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Until next time,

This is Joyce Weiss, Business Conflict Resolution Consultant
I help people become top level leaders who get GREAT results.
How do I do this?
I teach them to tackle the tough conversations with bullies and negative people to build employee engagement, accountability, and rock star performance…
The Result? My clients resolve their conflict and they get a better night’s sleep!

Feel free to call me concerning your own team/executive retreats, workshops, on line professional growth coaching, and keynote speeches.

Remember…You Get What YOU Tolerate!

See YOU Next Week.

PS Click Here for my short video on Be Direct with Respect®

PPS  Please Click Here To Leave a Comment or Question