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KEEP TO TIME Else others wait endlessly

Sai Divya a process consultant with a software company says, “Punctuality is a matter of discipline and is ingrained right from childhood by one’s parents and the education system. Much depends on upbringing. It is a tool with which to brand yourself. As a trainer it is extremely important for me to be on time. When people arrive late I make it known that it is not appreciated and its not acceptable.”

However people in certain types of jobs reason that time is not always in their hands but controlled largely by those they serve.

Suresh K. Nair who manufactures water and waste-water treatment plants explains, “My time is decided by clients. Supposing I go to a meeting expecting it to finish in half-an-hour it may stretch for longer for a variety of reasons and then the second one gets delayed. People also work late hours. If I have something lined up with the family for the evening there is a 50-50 chance that I will make it. But for the first meeting of the day I am invariably on time as I don’t want to be seen as a laidback professional. As far as business meetings go ladies are more punctual. ”

Zuhair, a business development manager in an auto ancillary says, “In our line of work we find very few women and most of them tend to stick to deadlines. At work I have to make an effort to be on time. This is because of the way I structure my day and my tendency to bite off more than I can chew. When I am in the middle of something I may get a request for something else from a client. And I end up trying to juggle both tasks and might miss a timeline.”

But if one had to take a pick - who is more punctual men or women?

Joel a HR professional replies, “I would say men are more punctual As far as timelines at work go men delegate jobs and expect the task to be done. Women like to see work completed with their participation and would prefer things to be done their way- so this may cause delays. However, I won’t say women aren’t time conscious. They are in today’s corporate world. The point is women also have to grapple with other priorities such as family, marriage, babies etc. Men can stay back late to meet a deadline, not all women can do that. It is not a question of efficiency but priority. ”

Ravishankar who heads corporate communications in a company observes, “I have seen habitual late comers among women. They are usually freshers from college who are into a job and are not used to the work routine. It also sends out signals about what kind of a person you are and whether you have respect for other people’s time.”

When it comes to keeping time at social functions its quite a different ballgame.

Points out Zuhair, “For a casual get together when a guy says 6 p.m. it means 6.10 p.m. When women say 6 p.m. they probably mean 7 p.m. Women are a little worse off because they need time to get decked up. Also they tend to optimistically estimate commute time (traffic being unpredictable) whereas men are better at factoring in things like these.” With that, it is time for a wrap.

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