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Our office personnel are all very punctual. They have high expectations from people when it
comes to punctuality. They do not scold or berate late colleagues, but the fact that one’s tardi-
ness has inconvenienced a lot of people is punishable or sanctionable enough to be punctual
the next time around.

1. You have an important presentation to make to the board of officers of your
company. Unfortunately, you were unbelievably late for the presentation.
Think of two valid reasons for your tardiness and apologize for the delay.

Sample answer:
I sincerely apologize for my tardiness in this very important meeting. I was on my way to the
office very early this morning when I was hit by a speeding truck. My car was dragged fifty me-
ters away from where it was. I wasn’t hurt, but I couldn’t leave my damaged vehicle because of
the police report and other things. I don’t think it’s still possible to continue because it’s almost
time to end, my files and materials were damaged in the accident, and I am not fit to make the
presentation. I hope that you will understand my situation and grant me another chance to
present. Thank you for your consideration.

2. You are the supervisor of your office and you have to remind an employee
about her repeated tardiness in reporting to work in the morning and after
lunch break. He has gone beyond the allowed number of tardiness at work.
Consider the following points in your dialogue with the employee.

a. Ask for reasons for tardiness
b. Give general suggestions for punctuality
c. Present the sanctions for tardiness

Sample answer:
Good morning, Mr. Yu. I called for you because it is imperative that we talk about your punctu-
ality in reporting to work. Based on our records, you have acquired quite a number of tardiness
and you are on the verge of being sanctioned for this. May I know what causes these tardiness?
What have you beendoing to prevent your tardiness? There are ways to help you report punc-
tually for work. For example, you could sleep early and prepare your things for work. Sleeping
early helps you to get up early at work. Avoid the delays that cause tardiness. Use a different
route in going to the office. It might work better. Develop this as a habit, so that you will get
used to arriving early at work. Set a goal and work on achieving it, because if you continue to
be habitually late, you will soon get suspended and that won’t reflect well on your record. So,
do your best to be on time, Mr. Soon. It’s for your own good.

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