What should I do when an employee is always late?
An employee who is always late needs a private conversation backed by the record, never a public warning. Check the pattern first, ask what's causing it, agree one specific change, and review it after four weeks. PeopleMuster gives you the record: late minutes against the person's own assigned shift, and an on-time rate for any period.
Look at the data before you say a word. Fifteen minutes late three times a week is 45 minutes a week, or 36 hours across a 48-week year. That's a real cost, and it's also a pattern you can describe calmly. Filter the attendance table to that person with Late Arrivals Only and read two months, not two mornings.
Rule out a wrong yardstick next. If someone was moved from a Morning shift at 10:00 to a Mid shift at 12:00 and the change never got recorded, every noon arrival shows as two hours late. PeopleMuster keeps an assignment history for every shift change, so you can confirm which shift applied on each day before you raise it.
Hold the conversation in private and open with the facts. Something like: your check-in has been after the start of your shift on 11 of the last 20 days, averaging 18 minutes. Then ask what's going on, and listen. School runs, a changed bus route, caring duties and poor sleep all show up as the same number on a report.
Agree one change that fixes the cause. That might be a later shift, a different start time for two days a week, or a clear commitment to be in by the start. Write down what you agreed and the date you'll look again. Four weeks gives enough mornings to see whether it's working.
Review against the same measure you started with. The on-time rate for those four weeks either moved or it didn't, and you both see the same figure. If it improved, say so. If nothing changed, move to the next step your attendance policy names, and make sure that step was written down before this began.
Keep the conversation between the two of you. A team-wide email about lateness lands on the punctual people who read it and rarely reaches the one person it's aimed at. One honest talk, with a clear record on the table, settles more than any group reminder.
Related questions
How many late arrivals before you talk to an employee?
Talk once a pattern shows, for example late on 3 or more days in a fortnight. One late morning is a missed bus; a run across two or three weeks is worth a private, calm conversation.
What should I say to an employee who is always late?
Open with the record, not a judgement: how many days, by how many minutes, over which weeks. Then ask what's causing it, agree one change and set a review date about four weeks out.
Could a shift change fix constant lateness?
Often, yes. If someone can reliably arrive at 12:00 but not 10:00, moving them from a Morning to a Mid shift ends the lateness and keeps the full day. PeopleMuster records the new assignment with its start date, so later reports measure them against the right shift.