Each person at least once had such a moment when he was late for work for one reason or another. Although the modern world requires absolute punctuality from all, without exception, one should not forget about sudden factors interfering in the planned course of affairs. And even if we leave earlier from home, an event may occur on the way to the office that will prevent us from arriving on time.
Any working person is interested in the questions: "What will happen to me and how will the leadership react to being late? Will the arrival to work bring punishment later than the time specified in the employment contract?" And, perhaps, the most important thing: "Will I lose my job due to being late?"
Why is an employee late?
The reason for being late for work could be a trifle: for example, a button comes off in your trousers, and, as luck would have it, there are no needles and threads. Thus, we can say that the main reason for delays of less than 15 minutes is the wrong time planning.
If you have not made a correction for the weather (for example, you have a lot of snow, and have not yet managed to clear it), have not prepared your clothes in advance, and have not collected the necessary documents, then in the morning this can seriously hinder you. And you will spend extra time looking for lost keys to the apartment, instead of going to the office.
The reasons for being late for work can be different. It happens that you cooked everything, woke up on time, left the house at a certain hour, but a sudden traffic jam still delayed you. This is an unforeseen circumstance, and now it is the second most frequent reason for being late. It can be a traffic jam, a stuck elevator, a pipe breakdown in an apartment, or even a cat who has begun to give birth. In the future, you will have to revise the time allotted by you for the training camp and double it. After all, there are such companies where it is better to come to the office earlier than to be late.
The difference between being late and absenteeism
According to the Labor Code, absenteeism may be considered the absence of a person in his workplace for more than three hours. And absenteeism, as one of the subtypes of violation of labor discipline, is considered a more serious misconduct.
If you are stuck in traffic and understand that time is going too fast and you don’t have time to meet the three hours allotted by law, then you don’t have to go to work anymore - this will already be regarded as truancy. However, we must not forget about the loyalty of the boss: if the employee performs his duties perfectly, then the employer will be able to close his eyes to such a significant delay.
Types of punishment
You can calm down right away: the employer simply does not have the right to dismiss you for being late for a good reason under the Labor Code. Dismissal as the saddest consequence, which entails being late for work, may be applicable to you if you systematically come to work after the set time.
If you are late for the first time, you will receive a written warning or comment. After the second case, you may already face reprimand. And only after receiving a reprimand, the employer can fire you, in accordance with applicable law.
In practice, in many organizations, minor delays are not punished. But we must not forget that no matter how loyal and disposed to a good relationship with a subordinate your boss may be, even his cup of patience may one day be full. And then you will receive a penalty or reprimand, drawn up in writing, and there will already be a few steps left before dismissal.
Informal types of punishment can also include lengthening the working day for an employee for being late or even needing to go out on duty on his own day off to work out missed hours (if the absence is more than two hours).
Is it possible to introduce a system of fines?
Is it right to use a late fee for work? It does not apply to late punishment. However, quite often fines exist in firms, despite the law.
According to the current Labor Code, no employer has the right to introduce a system of penalties for being late for work. If the company has employee bonuses, then for being late you may be deducted a certain amount from the bonus or completely deprive it. Which, in fact, can be regarded as a fine. In this case, the law will be on the side of the employer. This is the only way to introduce a system of fines in the organization.
How is lateness fixed?
How is work late arranged? If your organization has a time system, then be sure that every minute of your delay will be recorded by an authorized employee. If the admission to the organization is carried out through the use of magnetic cards, then the programmers save a report on the time of use of the key card. Employers, one way or another, have many ways to check on time you started your work day or not.
So, your lateness has been fixed. And somewhere in the document there is information that Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich arrived at the workplace late for 1 hour. What's next? An act of being late for work is drawn up. According to the current Labor Code, it is prepared in a single copy and stored in the personnel department. The employee on whom the act was drawn up should write an explanatory note describing the reasons for being late. Based on these documents, the employer may apply the penalties described above.
Explanatory note
As already mentioned above, the reason for writing an explanatory note is the preparation of the act. This employee is officially warned from the personnel department. A notice may be received in his name, which describes the time of his delay and voices the requirements for obtaining explanations.
An employee may refuse to write an explanatory note. But in this case, he will have to write an official refusal. When preparing an explanatory note, it is necessary to clearly describe the circumstance that prevented you from arriving at the workplace on time. If the boss considers your reason valid, the punishment for being late for work may not apply to you, which means that you will be able to maintain your good reputation.
