The author is on the most wanted list for the crime of ‘not being punctual’. Therefore, before I receive a myriad of calls and texts with hate messages from my friends, colleagues and family who are begrudgingly left to ‘rustify’ as they call it, let me tell you that this post is about how to come out unscathed when late. These same friends and family members, I do urge you not to berate me when I use these techniques on you.
Quite frankly, if all of us in the world were to be punctual, life would be a lot better (more boring) for everyone. Let’s understand why and how we need to be punctual from an etiquette perspective – it is about respecting another person’s time. If we are repeatedly late, it simply shows that we are not concerned about the other person/ people’s schedules, responsibilities and plans.
Since I am infamous for being late, I have been left high and dry a few times by friends who thought I would be late and got late themselves. I did not enjoy being left to ‘rustify’, but I clearly had no leg to stand on since I am usually the culprit and very rarely the victim.
First thing to do when late is to INFORM EVERYONE who needs to know. Waking up at 9AM for a meet up at 9.30AM does not sound too promising. Send a message or give a quick call to say how much time you need.
Do the above AS SOON AS YOU KNOW of the delay. In other words, do not wait until 5 minutes before the time to say that you need to reschedule or that you would be joining late. Remember, everyone may not be in the same time zone, especially if it is a Zoom or MST meeting.
When rescheduling, please understand that simply adjusting the calendar invitation will not do. Use the easiest method of communication to reach each person without delay.
APOLOGISE as you get there. Before people embark on their irritated tirade, say sorry and mean it. When it comes to official meetings, do make sure that there is a super valid reason for the delay. Personal meet ups are equally important, but a lot of our personal commitments can be explained in those instances.
Be quick to adjust to an ALTERNATE PLAN if people say they have a difficulty with your new time slot. It’s not their fault that you are late – make it up by adjusting yours to suit theirs.
Please don’t send me hate mails to fullofetiquette@gmail.com, instead shower me with love in spite of the delays.
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