The Concept of Getting to Work On Time

When talking with others in management at various companies, I often hear them complaining that today's work ethic is lacking.  While I agree that it has slipped among a portion of our society, I think some of the problem is that management's expectations are often not communicated very well.  And from the perspective of employees, it's easy to misunderstand what getting to work on time means.  Here's what I learned-- often the hard way-- when I was an employee:

• Getting to work late multiple times can get you fired.  Yes, I lost more than one job because I wasn't punctual enough-- twice because as few as three times late within a month!  That doesn't mean an occasional 'late' because of traffic or some other unpredictable cause wasn't acceptable, but it needed to be rare and unusual (power outage, closed freeway, etc).  So, for jobs I wanted to keep, I learned to make certain I arrived 10-15 minutes early on typical heavy traffic days, giving me room for those fairly rare unusual traffic days.
• The concept of getting to work on time meant something different to my employers than what I originally understood it to mean.  They wanted me at my desk (or whatever the job required) and working at starting time.  I learned the hard way that it did not mean driving into the parking lot or walking through the door at starting time; my employers seemed to want to only pay me for time I was actually working!

I hope that helps someone!  If you like your job, make sure you don't violate either of those two guidelines.  In addition to fulfilling your employer's expectations, you'll be perceived as someone who is motivated and it might even bring advancement or bonuses!