Tardiness is among the top ten employee challenges listed by managers. I'm sure that gives you little comfort as you watch the minutes tick by each morning.
I think it will help you to understand why she does what she does by reframing it. First of all, it might help you to understand that her tardiness is not about you. It has little or nothing to do with her respect for you as her manager or her degree of commitment to her job. When employees are consistently late or absent for work, 80% of the time, it's because the employee's norms about timeliness are in contradiction with those of the organization or the manager. Based on a combination of the way we are wired and the cultural norms we are raised in, we end up being 'on time' people, 'through time' people, or 'no time' people. Whatever people perceive as the norm is what they usually consider to be the right way. The culture in most organizations in the USA is 'on time' but be aware that, with people joining organizations from all over the world, that is not the time assumption on 80% of the planet.
So, 'Punctual', while you are judging her as irresponsible and thoughtless, she may be wondering why you are so nitpicky and critical about a few minutes here and there when she works through lunch and does such a good job for you.
But, that doesn't mean that she can keep being late. So, prepare to talk to her in a way that will bring about a permanent change in her behavior. To get her to change her behavior permanently from her norm, you have to make sure you give her a big enough reason to do so. So, before you start your next conversation with her, write down all the ways her being tardy affects the organization, the team, the patients, you as her manager, and her personally in a negative way.
Then, let her know you want a half-hour meeting with her. When you two meet (in a private room), start by telling her, once she shows up, that you want to talk to her about her pattern of being late for work. Let her know how important it is to you that it be resolved and your fervent hope that this will be the last time you two have this discussion.
State what you want to talk about. You can say something like, "Velma, your tardiness continues to be a serious issue and I want to talk to you about it today so we can resolve it once and for all. This week, you have been late three times, which is a common pattern for you. This has to stop because of the negative impacts it is having on many levels.
"Velma, I want you to think about what happens around here on the mornings you are late. When you're late, like you were this morning, we are short staffed. This morning when you were late, how do you think that affected the patients who were waiting for their eight o'clock appointments?" Although she will probably say at first that she doesn't know, tell her to think about it and that you will wait for her reply. She will eventually admit that they probably had to wait longer than they would if she was there on time. Then you ask, "How might their appointments starting late have affected the rest of their days?" Let her answer. If you have one, give her an example you are aware of. Before you go on, make sure she has acknowledged that her tardiness affects patients.
You can continue by asking her how her being late affects her coworkers. Get her to answer that question. Give her time. Wait patiently without talking. If she seems stuck or doesn't answer it fully, fill in the blanks for her. Say things like, "They have to cover for you. They have to rearrange the workload so they can take care of the patients you should have handled. They have to search for your records…." Then ask, " How do you think your coworkers are feeling about having to cover for you several times a month?" She may say that they really like her and that they have never said anything to her. Whatever her answers, tell her that even if they aren't saying anything, you wouldn't blame them for being angry or resentful."
You've covered the impact on clients/patients and coworkers. Now it's time for you as her manager and the organization. It's time to say something like, "You and I agree that your tardiness is having a negative impact on our patients, your colleagues, and you, so something has to change. As your manager, if I allow it to continue, I'm not doing my job."
Now it's time for solutions. Ask Velma, "Now that you are fully aware of all of the negative repercussions your being late causes, what are you going to do to make sure you are on time for work?"
At this point, listen to the employee's plan. If it makes sense, reinforce it and get details and a commitment to follow it starting now. If it sounds implausible or if it involved too much effort on your part, coach her until the plan is agreeable to both of you. Have her put it in writing, sign it, date it and make a copy of it for each of you. Let her know you are glad she is going to be at work on time since you want to keep her as part of the team.
When she's on time, reward and compliment her. When she's late, call it to her attention and start or continue on with the reprimand and documentation process outlined in your employee manual or by human resources. If she continues to be late, being fully aware of the negative impact of it, it's time to document and coach until you say goodbye.
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