Close Enough

Being late is just rude. If you agree to meet someone and you set a time, then they show up 10 minutes late, why wouldn’t you be miffed. It’s rude for one thing and it shows a lack of respect. You got there at the agreed upon time but they kept you waiting.

This won’t come as a shock to many baby boomers, but many Gen Zers believe showing up ten minutes late is as good as being on time. Seriously. Almost half – 46 per cent – of those aged 16 to 26 believe that being between five and ten minutes late is perfectly acceptable, just as good as being punctual.

[Brief sidenote here: The original meaning of punctual described a puncture made by a surgeon. The word has meant lots of other things through the centuries, usually involving being precise about small points. And today punctuality is all about time; a punctual train or a punctual payment or a punctual person shows up “on the dot.]

Well, if Gen Z truly believes 10 minutes late is on time, that’s a hell of a way to run a railroad. Hold on. Maybe Gen Zers are running the trains! The times on the schedules are more aspirational than real. And if the train leaves 10 minutes late, is it really late or as good as punctual?

Baby boomer bosses have zero tolerance for tardiness, research reveals. Well yeah. We may have a lot of faults but we always make it a priority to be on time. Tolerance for tardiness decreases with age, however. Around 39 per cent of millennials (ages 27 to 42) forgive friends or colleagues for being up to ten minutes behind schedule, dropping to 26 per cent for Generation X (43 to 58) and 20 per cent for Baby Boomers (59 and over).

Seven out of ten Boomers said they have zero tolerance for any level of tardiness, with 69 per cent saying ‘late is late’. Just 21 per cent of Gen Z agreed with that.

As the British poet and essayist Charles Lamb said, “I always arrive late at the office, but I make up for it by leaving early.” If there’s a better tee shirt for your favorite Gen Zer, I haven’t seen it yet.

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. You can also visit his author page here. His newest mystery novel, Rio Puerco Demise is available on Amazon. His first mystery novel, Head Above Water, is also available on Amazon. But that’s not all. You can also purchase the Best of BoomSpeak on Amazon.