How to Deal with People Who Are Late to Meetings

Today we’re going to talk about how to deal with people who are late to meetings.

Meetings! I just love meetings! 

No … I don’t. I hate meetings. I especially hate meetings when people arrive late. It’s truly maddening and disrupts the entire flow. You need to whip them into shape, for the good of the team. Also, because it can be really fun to use a whip. But you need to do it in a professional manner.

Be Understanding

When Late Lenny shows up late, how you handle it will depend on Lenny’s history. If they’re usually on time, then you don’t necessarily have to make lateness an issue. It’s entirely possible that they simply got held over in a prior meeting, or they got caught in a traffic jam, or their dog ate their homework. When the meeting’s over, just ask. “You showed up late. Was Fido’s having a low-fiber day? Canine digestion is such a delicate thing.” 

Make sure you both understand the subtext: “Show up on time to the next meeting.”

Once, just to be a nice person, I would have advised you to be understanding. But that’s so pre-social-media. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. So smile nicely as you ask Late Lenny about Fido. And make sure you both understand the subtext: “Show up on time to the next meeting.”

You can also ask what would make it easier for them to arrive on time. Then get creative. If they have a condition like ADHD that makes it difficult to be prompt, you could try assigning them a meeting buddy. If Fido is the problem, buy them a ream of inedible paper for their homework.

Let Repeat Offenders Pay the Price

Sometimes, Late Lenny will arrive late again and again. Each time, they have a truly reasonable excuse.

“A call with our division head went longer than expected.”

“I had to put the finishing touches on the team’s progress report and send it to headquarters.”

“My dog ate my homework (it seems Fido loves inedible paper).”

Even though there's an excuse for each incident, the fact that there’s some incident every time you need to meet is a problem. But it shouldn’t...

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