Bein Late
Ever since I was a child, I have been warned to be on time. "Don't be late to school!" "Don't be late to practice!" And now that I am in the work place and in the Marine Corps of all places I now have to get used to hearing, "Don't be late to work!" Being on time is a key habit to develop if you want to hold on to your job, much less excel in it. This idea of being on time does not just apply to the Marine Corps, but life in general. As do many, if not all of our Corps Values and Leadership Principles, which are instilled in us from the day we (Marines) set foot on those yellow footprints.
The fact is that when you work for someone else, very few things will make a worse impression that repeatedly showing up late. This is true whether or not the job provides a salary or is simply volunteer. Most employers have some sort of policy governing tardiness, so learn your employer's specific rules. Also, individual managers vary in how strictly they enforce such rules. It is therefore wise to get to know the company's culture and policies, and to not run afoul of them in relation to timely arrival.
There are several reasons why individuals may be late to work, but no reason provides a completely effective excuse:
1) Unreliable transportation: One of the challenges in any job is to assess one's resources objectively and to make the best out of what one has. Part of what makes one a reliable and valued worker is simply figuring out how to get to the job. I find myself and all other Marine relying on public transportation (as is all the E-1’s to E-3’s in Kinser use the same two buses , I have to be sure to give myself plenty of commute time, and the vote for candidates who promise better support for public transportation. Now this is not my excuse for being late to work, because I ran to work as soon as I left the barracks and didn’t even wait for the greenline like I would’ve but I knew I was late so I hurried to work as soon as possible.
2) Poor self-management: "I...
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