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I had been working at my new company for about six months. Up to that time I had a perfect attendance record and I was always on time. A group of friends I worked with (they were in different groups) invited me to take a weekend trip with them. We were taking a private aircraft, leaving early Friday evening and returning on Sunday night. The trip was great, but on the return flight we encountered severe weather and had to make an unscheduled landing at the closest airport. We were stuck overnight and we were still at least a two-hour flight from home. I knew that even if we left early on Monday morning I probably wouldn't make it into work by noon. I was terrified that I would get into trouble with my boss for being absent. The other people I was with had been at the company much longer than me and they had vacation time; I didn't. They were not worried. Before we took off on Monday morning I was able to call a friend at home and I asked him to let my boss know I was stuck out of town because of bad weather and that I would be late. We made the flight home and I did get into the office after lunch. I Immediately looked for my boss. I was relived to find out everything was fine. My boss understood that sometimes things like that happen and appreciated that I made an effort to notify her. She also told me I had earned her trust because of my good attendance record and reliability. |
Attendance Counts
Woody Allen said, "Eighty percent of success is just about showing up." There is a lot of truth to that statement, especially as it applies to the workplace. While you were in college, you had a lot of flexibility. You might show up for a class late or skip a class here and there and it had no impact on your grade.
If that was your experience, be prepared for a radical change. Now that you are working, others are depending on you to do a job. A major component of the job is being there when you are needed. Your long weekend or late night is of no concern to your boss or your colleagues. You will be expected at work everyday and to be there on time.
Does this mean if you don't have perfect attendance you will not advance or might get fired? No. People get sick and there are emergencies. What the employer is looking for is consistency. An employee who misses a week because of the flu is excused. An employee who misses alternating Mondays and Fridays is headed for trouble. The easiest way to make a good impression and to build a good reputation as you start your career is to be at work everyday and to always be punctual.
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