Why Running Late is NEVER an Excuse

 

Before I say anything, I want to deliver a warning. Firstly, that this is going to be a rant, and secondly that it is going to be offensive if you are a person that says, “I’m always late.”

 

In my years, I have applied for lots of jobs. That is not to say I got offers for many of them, but I have certainly applied. In most, if not all, job applications, punctuality will be mentioned somewhere. And I am going to say why I think that it is one of the most, if not THE most, important part of a job, life, and the world in general.

 

In 2017, things are faster than ever. Our calendars update on our phones, people always seem to be in a hurry and the world is ever changing. In times gone by, an email would be sent (or a letter) and it would be several days, if not weeks before the person was to expect a reply. Now, responses are expected immediately, with things moving on all of the time and no one having any time to stop and take check. Now, that is not to say that I agree with this, there have been several times when I am sat in front of the television on a Sunday night and have received a work email, to which I feel obliged to reply.

 

However, one positive thing that has come out of the contact technological advances is that there is no longer any excuse at all for lateness; and this I am very glad about.

 

In years gone by, if you had missed your train, you could have blamed it on it being delayed and you not being aware, or on bad traffic, or on a variety of other excuses. Now, all of these falls on deaf ears to me and all can be solved. For example…

 

“My train was delayed”

 

• Did you not check before you left the house that your train was running on time?

 

“There was really bad traffic so I dint get to the station in time”

 

• Did you not check the traffic before you left and then amend your time accordingly?

 

Now, I know this seems totally ridiculous and of course, things happen all the time that we cannot help, and I have been late for things in the past (albeit rarely!)

 

However, I really do not think that there is any excuse for not informing the person you are meant to be meeting that you are going to be late. This happens to me all of the time. Only today in face, a school group were meant to be visiting the university I work out, and arrived 20 minutes late, despite being in walking distance and didn’t even have the decency to drop me an email or a quick call. This is just plain rude.

 

I also do not think there is an excuse when you don’t allow yourself enough time. If you leave the house at 10:00 for a 10:30 meeting knowing that it takes you 25 minutes to get there and you will need to find a parking space, then you only have yourself to blame.

 

My main issue with punctuality is excuses. I have a few friends who simply say, “oh, I am always late.” It is almost like defence mechanism. You know if you go for a job interview, and you really want it, and someone asks how it went, you may say, “I won’t get it,” to defend yourself against the pain when you eventually find out that you did not get it. I feel this is similar. People who are late warn you that they are always late to save you ever criticising them to the fact that they had already warned you about.

 

It really does drive me bonkers.

 

It is rude, unacceptable and lazy.

 

If anybody ever greet s me with an, “I am always late,” I simply respond with, “well, don’t be.”

 

I wold love to know if anyone else shares a passion as strong as mine for this! Let me know J