When people post, I assume they are asking for suggestions or comments, but sometimes it's just to vent. Mike, have you sat down and had a heart-2-heart with this person? I agree that being late is wrong and irresponsible, but maybe he is telling you the truth. I'm not making excuses for this person, since you need to rely on someone who is on time, but remember that he might have a family and really need this job. I agree 100% that a person needs to work his hours, but I also know what's happened to me lately.

The past few months have been a nightmare. I already have other health problems but in Sept, after a visit to the dentist, my tooth started to ache. It turned into a very bad abscess. I finally had a root canal in Nov. During this time my car broke down on the highway and I was stranded for hours. I got a new battery and 2 days later I was stuck again in the middle of an intersection. That was the Hyundai service department's fault, because I really needed an alternator. A couple of weeks later I was having my oil changed and my local mechanic noticed the front axle needed repair (a boot?) because it was covered in grease. I was shopping around for another car, but I just started a new job and really didn't want the burden of a monthly payment. Then the very next week my car just died and it turned out that the timing belt slipped and irreparably damaged the engine. Hyundai wouldn't cover it (long story) and I thought I'd lose my mind. Nobody wanted to take it in trade. So I lost about $4K instantly and was driving around in a rental. I couldn't stop crying and I finally had to snap out of it and I got a loan for another car. About 100 little things have broken like my DVD player stopped working, my hair dryer practically exploded in my hand, my toilet backed up and I only have one bathroom. I actually began laughing when the strap on my pocketbook broke off, because I am sure that someone is sticking pins into a doll that looks like me. Tonight the modem on my DSL burned out and I had reports to send. Fortunately I was able to use dialup, although it took much longer to finish my work. My manager doesn't like excuses, but I really need to be here Tues so Embarq can work on my phone line and check or replace my modem.

Friday night another driver was on the wrong side of a divided entrance into a parking lot. We could have had a head-on collision. Guess what? About 3 weeks ago I had so much on my mind I made a wrong turn into a parking lot and was traveling the wrong way. So instead of honking and yelling at this person, I waited patiently for him to back up slowly and get out of harm's way. The older I get, the more I screw up so it bothers me less when other people screw up, if that makes sense to you.

Okay, so what's my point? Sometimes a person is just making up a lot of excuses and sometimes he or she is going through a really rough time. (Ever see Kramer vs Kramer?) I realize that business needs to get done, you also need to go home after a long shift, so even a real reason might not be good enough. People need to be on time. But before you report someone to a manager, make sure you're not just in a bad mood. You might want to carefully examine the reason you are upset and make sure it's not something internal that's eating at you. Remember, this is the season to be forgiving. If he turns out to be a jerk, then take the proper action. Just my opinion.

thanks for the advice.here is what i'm going to do.i thought about what you wrote.i think i'll give him the benefit of a doubt.he was also late on my other co-workers when i was off.if he is late this weekend i'll have to say something.he might be thinking he can get away with it.the boy(man) lives with his grandmother so he might've been out partying or something.

Oh, I didn't realize he is very young. I am not trying to judge a person by his age, but maybe he needs a good kick in the behind. Partying is no excuse! Maybe if you tell him he is disrupting your work schedule and that you have a family to go home to, he will be more considerate. If not, he deserves to lose his job.