Chronically late workers?

Chronically late workers? How to handle it with legality in mind.

Yes, sometimes we all have family problems or traffic issues and we walk in a few minutes late to work. But what happens when this becomes a chronic issue of tardiness? Most employers track tardiness. Verbal and written warnings only do so much with an employee who just can’t seem to make it to work on time. Does the behavior ever improve with written warnings? Maybe not. But did you document it?

Documentation is very important and it's worth its weight in gold if you decide to fire an employee and they in turn decide to sue. If you can show that you let the employee know about the overall concerns and the consequences, then the former employee may have a hard time winning their case.

In a recent case, an employee was often late. Her bosses warned her repeatedly and kept good notes. Hence, the documentation and why it is so important. Due to the excessive documentation noted with the employee’s chronic tardiness, this case was dismissed immediately.

With that in mind, all documentation should be followed by the disciplinary procedures documented in the Company Handbook.