Most professionals know that they’re expected to arrive at work on time. While being late on rare occasions – such as less than once per year – isn’t usually problematic to your career, excessive tardiness does take a toll.
Estimates suggest that around 20 percent of a company’s workforce is 10 minutes late to their job at least twice per week. While that may seem minimal to employees, it can result in significant productivity losses. Additionally, managers may view tardiness as a sign of disinterest, disengagement, disrespect, or poor time management. Those all harm your reputation at work. In turn, it can limit your access to advancement opportunities, or it may even cost you your job.
Fortunately, ensuring you can show up for work on time isn’t as challenging as it seems. Here are some tips that can help.
Prepare the Day Before
One way to make preparing for your shift easier is to prepare for it the day before. For example, by choosing an outfit, packing your lunch, and gathering work items before you head to bed, you can reduce what you need to handle in the morning. If you have children, getting their school clothes selected and set out, as well as packing lunches, can have a similar effect.
Preparing the day before ensures you aren’t left scrambling to find something you need that’s not in its proper place. Plus, it eliminates tasks from your morning to-do list. As a result, you have fewer things to navigate as you get ready for work, increasing the odds that you’ll head out the door and arrive on time.
Establish a Morning Routine
Having a set routine in the morning can make getting ready for work more streamlined. Determine how much time you need to dedicate to getting out of bed, taking a shower, dressing, eating breakfast, and otherwise getting ready to leave. Then, create a makeshift schedule that outlines when these steps need to happen.
If you’re worried about having to rush, add a few extra minutes to each step in your schedule. Also, use alarms to signal when it’s time to move on to the next step. Those can serve as an early signal that you’re falling behind, ensuring you act with urgency moving forward.
Have Backup Transportation
While many people have transportation, it’s not always reliable. Vehicles can break down unexpectedly, so it’s best to arrange for some backup options in case an issue with your car emerges suddenly.
There are several approaches that can work well. If you’re near a bus route, learn the schedule so that you can use it instead. If you have a coworker nearby that’s on the same shift, see if you can get their number so you have someone to call if you need a ride. Even using an option like Uber or Lyft can work, particularly if you’re in a larger city.
By finding a backup option in advance, you’ll know exactly what to do if your transportation is unexpectedly not an option. Then, you can make sure that you aren’t late.
If you’d like to learn more about the importance of showing up on time to work or are looking for a new job, The Advance Group wants to hear from you. Contact us today.