Late for work research summary. Being late for work is an anxiety-inducing anomaly for some, and an everyday occurrence for others. Either way, we can all agree that an unexpected spike in traffic causing us to be late for work will always be frustrating.
This article will dive into all of the latest insights about being late for work in the US. Here are some key insights from our research:
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29% of employees admit to being late to work at least once per month.
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25% of Americans report being late due to traffic.
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6% of hourly workers are late to work on average.
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Employees who are late to work cost the US an average $3 billion a year.
For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways: Frequency of Lateness | Cost of Employee Tardiness and Absenteeism | Opinions on Punctuality
Reasons employees are late to work
There are many reasons why an employee might be late to work. Traffic is by far the most common reason, but you might be surprised to learn some of the others:
Top reasons why employees are late to work
| Reason for tardiness | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Traffic | 25% |
| Personal problems | 18% |
| Oversleeping | 15% |
| Child-related issues | 12% |
| Health issues | 12% |
| Family-related issues | 12% |
| Searching for lost item | 6% |
| Home-related issues | 5% |
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Traffic is the most common reason for employees being late to work, with 25% citing it.
1 in 4 employees are late to work because of traffic, with the only other reason coming close to that being personal problems, at 18%.
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Employees are 3x more likely to be late to work because of oversleeping than home-related issues.
As it turns out, oversleeping is actually the 3rd most common reason for being late to work. Americans might need to invest in better alarm clocks, or an improved sleep schedule.
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The average tardy employee shows up to work 21 minutes late.
That’s more than double the typical grace period of 5-7 minutes employers are comfortable providing employees.
Lateness by frequency
Being late to work isn’t a problem for everyone, and some employees are late at a much greater frequency when compared to others. Here are some interesting facts about the frequency of lateness among American employees:
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19% of employees are regularly late for work.
Nearly 1 in 5 employees are late to work at least once a week, which can cause major damage to employers and the economy as a whole.
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Around 20% of workers arrive 10 minutes late to work at least twice per week.
While this is still preferable to the average of 21 minutes, it’s still not good that many employees are arriving more than 5 minutes late twice a week. That equates to 104 times per year.
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Those between 18 and 34 are most likely to be late for work, with 13% being late a few times per week.
By contrast, those 55+ are least likely to be late for work, with only 8% being late a few times per week, and 55% never being late (as opposed to only 38% of those 18-34).
Work tardiness by age
Frequency of tardiness Ages 18-34 Ages 35-54 Ages 55+ Every day 6% 4% 4% A few times per week 13% 10% 8% Once a week 3% 4% 3% A few times per month 7% 6% 4% Once a month 8% 4% 5% Less than once per month 25% 19% 21% Never 38% 52% 55% -
9.6% of shifts have at least one late employee.
Believe it or not, nearly 1 in 10 shifts will have at least one late employee, which can have a detrimental effect on not only profits, but also the morale of employees who are on time.
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The most common time for employees to be late for shifts is between 6 a.m. and noon.
Getting up for a 6 a.m. shift can be brutal, which is why it’s the most difficult time for employees to be on time. This is mostly due to oversleeping being a major issue.
Cost of employees being late to work
Employees being late to work costs the US billions of dollars every year, with that cost being even more tangible for individual employers. To learn more about the true cost, we’ve gathered all of the most essential facts:
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The average cost of being late to work per employee is between $500-$600 per year.
Now imagine that a company has 500 employees, of which, 20% are regularly late. Just that share of employees would cost the company upwards of $50,000 per year.
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41% of employers have fired an employee for lateness.
And given that replacing an employee costs an average of 20% of their total annual salary, having to replace employees for lateness can add up very quickly.
Opinions on punctuality
Being late to work is frowned upon by most, but you might be surprised just how many employers and employees don’t consider it an issue. Don’t believe us? See for yourself:
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18% of employers say they don’t need punctuality at long as work gets done.
A surprising share of employers aren’t too fussed about late employees. Unfortunately, this likely encourages employees to be late, which further exacerbates the cost of tardiness.
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59% of employees think working 9 to 5 is an antiquated practice.
Between remote work and other opportunities, many workers believe that a 9-5 hourly job is an outdated practice. After all, those who work from home often have the opportunity to work at whatever hour they want, on whatever day they want.
Late for work FAQ
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What percentage of people are late for work?
52% of people are late for work at least less than once a month or more. More regularly, 29% of all employees are late at least once per month, and 19% of employees are regularly late to work.
Unfortunately, the average employee who is late is also 21 minutes late, making this a serious issue for the majority of employers.
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What percentage of employers have fired someone for being late?
41% of employers have fired employees for being late. You might think this number would be higher, given the large percentage of employees who are late, and late repeatedly.
However, some employers aren’t actually bothered by tardiness, with 18% saying they don’t need punctuality at long as work gets done.
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What happens when an employee is always late for work?
Employees who are always late to work will often receive warnings or other punitive actions taken against them, depending on the employer. Many larger employers like grocery stores and restaurants may tolerate someone who’s five minutes late, but can be very strict and serious about taking action with employees who are more than 10 minutes late on the regular.
Smaller employers may be more or less lenient, but this largely depends on the individual employer and their values.
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How late is acceptable at work?
Most employers will accept a 5-7 minute grace period for late employees. However, given that the average amount of time employees are late is 21 minutes, this grace period may not be generous enough for some.
Further, around 20% of employers are at 10 minutes late to work at least twice per week, which is also outside of the average grace period.
Conclusion
Being late to work can have hugely detrimental effects on not only your employer and the economy, but also put your career in jeopardy. However, this doesn’t stop tardiness from being a major issue.
At least 29% of employees are late to work at least once per month, and around 20% are late by 10 minutes multiple times per week. While some employers are accepting of the behavior, 41% have fired employees over tardiness.
Ultimately, being late to work is a huge issue that costs the US billions of dollars per year. Whether the solution lies in remote work, or better alarm clocks, will be up to Americans to decide.
References
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CBS News – Late For Work? 1 In 4 Employees Say At Least Once A Month, Cite Traffic, Oversleeping
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Business News Daily – The Real Reasons Employees Are Late to Work
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KERI Systems – How Much Does Employee Lateness Cost your Business?
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HCP – True Cost of Firing an Employee: Saying ‘You’re Fired!’ Could Cost You
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98.1 The Hawk – Employers Chime in on Employees Showing up Late for Work
Author
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
