How would you deal with a team member who arrives consistently late?

Lateness affects every member the team by delaying work and it affects your professional relationships. Not to mention, this is also unprofessional.

What you want to do:

• Recognise the situation
• Approach the individual privately
• Explain why their lateness is an issue in a proper manner
• Escalate the situation if you see no improvement

What you don't want to do:

• Ignore the situation
• Speak to the induvial in an accusatory manner
• Escalate the situation without trying to resolve it first

It's also important to understand why this isn't appropriate in a dental setting. Consistent lateness shows lack of respect for others around you as this delays work. You want to ensure that you have good professional relationships with your colleagues so optimise patient care. Patients can also be affected as it could mean having to reschedule appointments, inconveniencing both dentist and patient.

Suggested structure for this answer:

• Recognise that the lateness of the team member is affecting the team negatively and give examples
• Approach the individual privately and talk about why their lateness is not appropriate
• If their behaviour does not improve, inform someone superior
• Explain why consistent lateness should not be tolerated in a dental setting