Even though everyone knows the importance of being on time and that being constantly late is perceived as being rude, there are times when you can run a little late and that might not even be your fault. Being always on time is hard especially if you are a night owl, if you stay up late at night and you have to get up early in the morning. That’s okay if you work in a flexible environment that allows you to be a couple of minutes late if you do your job properly. But that’s not aways the case and sometimes, arriving late at a meeting can get you into trouble. Here are 7 things you should do when you are running a little late:
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Call as Soon as Possible
If you realize that you are running a little bit late, then the first thing you should do is to call to tell the people who are waiting for you that you will not be able to be there on time. Even though you may not want to do this, this is a necessary thing to do because others may count on you to be there on time and if you don’t let them know that you are running late, they might be disappointed.
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Offer to Reschedule
If you have a meeting and you realize that you will be more than 5 or 10 minutes late, you could even offer to reschedule. It’s not nice to keep people waiting for you, so think about their priorities and ask them if it will be okay to meet with you another time.
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Do Everything in Your Power to Get to Your Destination
If you are running a bit late but you may still be able to arrive on time if you try a little harder, then do everything in your power to get to your destination as soon as possible but don’t risk an injury in doing so. Just put less make on, forget about drinking coffee and just go.
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Stay Calm
If you realized that you will not be able to arrive on time at a meeting, try to stay calm. Take a deep breath and try to figure out what’s the best thing to do in this situation. You will not be able to focus on finding solutions to your problems if you are stressed out.
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Explain Why You Are Late
When you call to say that you will be late or even when you get there, try to explain why you arrived this late. Try to resist the urge to blame other people, because this won’t work, especially if are are usually arriving late. And if you do this often, it might even make you seem incapable of taking charge of your life.
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If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence.
Apologize
Always apologize when you are running late and don’t forget to thank others for their patience. If some of the people who are waiting for you make some snide remarks, try to avoid the urge to argue, because you won’t win and it will only be a waste of time.
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Don’t Let Your Tardiness Ruin Your Whole Day
Even though you arrive late at your meeting, don’t let your tardiness ruin your entire day. Apologize for being late, accept the consequences of your actions and then go and enjoy the rest of your day. Focus on what you have to do and take care of your tasks as best as you can.
Being constantly late for meetings or for work can be seen by others as being rude but there are times when you just can’t arrive on time. These things happen but it’s best to handle them in a graceful manner so that people could forgive you easily for this little mistake. What other things someone should do when they are running a little bit late? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section!
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