What Can I do to Get People to Meetings on Time?
If you have told participants that a meeting will start at a specific time, then proceed accordingly. If you start on time—no matter who is missing—you won’t be reinforcing tardiness. To make that message clearer, close the door of the meeting room when the session begins. This will draw greater attention to latecomers.
In writing your agenda, you may want to put the most important agenda items first. Items of particular interest to potential latecomers should also be at the top of the agenda. The trick is to get them to be prompt because it’s in their own self-interest rather than because you want them to.
If there are some participants who are chronically late, you might want to become friends with their assistants. Ask them what they can do to alter their managers’ schedules or remind their managers of the meeting time. If your meeting ground rules also include promptness, you can apply peer pressure on the latecomers.
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If it’s a serious problem, you might want to put the issue on the agenda, as a problem-solving agenda item requiring the group’s attention.
A private conversation with offenders might also be tried. Tell them of their importance to the group dynamic and your interest in doing whatever you can to have them there for more of the meeting. If the latecomer is one of your employees, you can make it a performance management issue. Warn latecomers that continued tardiness will be reflected in their performance assessment.
Here’s a final tip from managers experienced in holding meetings: Schedule your meetings to begin at odd times, like at the quarter or half hour. A meeting that runs from 10:15–11:00 a.m. may encourage more effort to get there on time, especially if other meetings are held on the hour.