Question:
I usually run our fortnightly workplace meeting, however a number of the participants are notoriously always late. How should I deal with this particularly when some are senior to me?
Answer:
1. Start the meeting on time
You will have no doubt have prepared and distributed an agenda for your meeting, so aim to begin and end your meeting on time. Although there may be a few participants missing, start the meeting as if they were there.
2. Don’t restart the meeting
Don’t back up and restart the meeting when the latecomers arrive. They’ll soon discover they have missed some important points, and they’ll know not to be late next time.
Also, don’t delay the meeting as you will only reward the latecomers, and make the ones who did turn up on time wonder why they bothered.
People who are regularly late are not showing respect for the time constraints of others nor for the meeting process.
3. Give out tasks
Another approach is to give tasks to the participants they’ll need to do during the meeting a few days prior to the meeting. This additional responsibility often nudges the latecomers into changing their behavior.
4. Speak to latecomers privately
You may also want to speak to those who regularly arrive late privately to find out if there is a reason why the scheduled time did not suit them.
