In this post, I want to provide a sample Army Counseling for being late. If you supervise others, there’s a good chance that you will need to conduct this type of counseling at one point or another. Let’s face it, some people have a problem showing up on time.
When someone you supervise is late for work, here are a few things I recommend you do.
– Talk to the Soldier to get the information about why/what happened
– If this is their first time being late, consider giving a verbal warning
– Realize that the soldier will give you an excuse, regardless of the situation
– Consider how many times the soldier has been late in the past and what punishments were given for being late
– Consider punishments you have given to other soldiers in similar situations
– Wait until you “cool off” before you issue punishment (especially if you are really angry)
If you decide that you want to write up an Army Counseling for being late, use something like the following statement:
“The purpose of this counseling is to inform you that you were six minutes late for formation on Tuesday, 8 Nov 2012. The unit formation commenced at 0630 hours and you did not show up until 0636 hours. On the previous day (7 Nov 2012) I reminded you about the formation time. You also had a copy of the training schedule and training calendar, which provided the time and location for the formation.
When I talked to you about the situation on 8 Nov 2012, you told me there was a traffic jam and you got stuck in traffic. My response was that you should have planned better and left your house earlier so you could show up on time.
Last month on (15 Oct 2011) you were also late for formation. At that time I verbally counseled you about the importance of showing up on time. I told you that if you were late again, I would recommend corrective training or administrative punishment to the Company Commander and First Sergeant.
Since you were late today (for a second time), I’m going to require that you do “extra duty” for 4 hours of work in your “off time.” You will report to the Staff Duty NCO this Saturday (12 Nov 2012) at 0630 hours and complete his assigned tasks until 1030 hours. If you show up late on Saturday or are late again for another formation within the next 90 days, I will recommend UCMJ or Administrative Action to the Company Commander.” END.
NOTE: Keep in mind that this is geared toward Active Duty Soldiers. But, you can change or modify the Army Counseling for being late for your pertinent situation in the ARNG or USAR. I hope that helps.
Do you have any other suggestions for actions against tardiness? Do you have any questions? You can post them below. Thanks for visiting.
Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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Army Counseling for being late is a great way to address the issue, especially if late attendance becomes an issue. I am the type of person who hates being late to anything, especially work or an event. Sometimes being late can be an accident, like oversleeping or certain life circumstances, but with the responsibilities and discipline requirements of being a part of the military, there really should be NO excuse for being late.
My opinion and experience about being late: People who are chronically late steal from a crucial item in the rest of lives … our time. Everyone is late occasionally. Those who are habitually late, simply fail to plan properly. They don’t do what it takes to make sure to the best of their ability that they are able to do everything that they promise they will do. It make take a calendar, post it notes in weird places, and even writing on their hand at times. If they don’t want the party to start before they arrive, they need to get organized.
I like the neutral tone of your Army Counseling for being late writeup. Neutral leaves room for fewer questions.
Lateness cannot be tolerated. For a first time offense, a verbal reprimand seems sufficient. Explaining consequences for future instances should make sure most soldiers are on time in the future. For repeat offenders, being consistent with the punishments given is critical. If a unit perceives a lack of consistency or fairness, soldiers may lose respect for a Commanding Officer. As for a “cooling off” period, that is something I recommend for everyone. It is never a good plan to administer punishment or act when angry.
In the Army, tardiness is not normally a problem. However, you always have one or two Soldiers that are habitually late, no matter how many times you counsel them. The best thing you can do is create a tardiness policy for your unit. For instance, the first time a Soldier is late might end up in a verbal counseling, the second time a written counseling and the third time a reduction in rank, etc. Put this in writing and tell your soldiers about your policy. Also, the nature of the event might justify the punishment. For instance, a Soldier missing movement for a deployment is obviously much worse than a Soldier being late for first formation in the morning.
I laughed a bit when I saw that the soldier will give an excuse, regardless of the situation. Very true to life outside of the service as well, haha. There’s ALWAYS an excuse to be had!