Being late all the time is not OK!

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I came across an article today that expresses my feelings on the matter very well: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-sava ... 69441.html

People usually tell something along the lines of "lighten up" or "everyone does it" if I bring it up, so at least I'm not the only one who feels this way. I've had a problem with frequently being late myself, but at least I felt bad about it and as a result I've improved. Of course, sometimes I'm still late, but it's the exception now rather than the rule. I understand unforeseen delays now and then. It's chronic, shameless (or even purposeful) lateness that really bugs me and makes me lose respect for the person.

Where do you stand on this?

All the jobs I've had were tough on lateness. Come in late and your paycheck gets docked. Come in late enough times and you get fired. I tended to be early anyway.

It does amaze me when people are late to interviews or meetings. Def not ok.

My room mate was once 2 hours late to her own birthday, and left people sitting at the restaurant for two hours. They were pissed. So we now intentionally tell her the wrong time since we know she'll be late.

I disagree though about the house party thing. Unless society itself is going to change, your going to be the awkward guy there by himself if you show up on time.

With a house party or something, I think the expectation is people will come and go. With any kind of fixed event (dinner, interview, meeting, etc) it's rude to be late.

Clench your sphincter over it all you want, it won't change me.

There is something in my neurological makeup that makes me chronically tardy for virtually everything and has done so my entire life. Bitching and threatening don't make any difference, I have no conscious control over it. I can start preparing four hours early and still will get halfway down the road and have to go back for something, making me five minutes late.

My Dad, on the other hand, was just the opposite. He would drag us to everything at least a half hour early. We always had to be sitting around waiting when the first arrivals began to show up. It was a ridiculous waste of time.

Maybe my own issue is a reaction to that, but it hasn't changed in half a century and it's not likely to now. As long as everything gets done efficiently and thoroughly, I really don't see the point in raising one's blood pressure over a few minutes.

That said, I have worked with slackers who sometimes roll in hours late and act like it's nothing, but understandably they never lasted long. I may not be a clock-watcher, staring at the minute hand all the time, but when you inconvenience people by causing them to stay overtime while you lay in bed napping or goofing off somewhere, that's a horse of a different color.