Punctuality Pays

(1)One of the cultural differences that tend to annoy Americans has to do with understanding of punctuality. Getting ahead at work starts withgetting to work on time!

Ifyou come from a culture that has a more relaxed view of time, you’re likely tobe surprised at how serious Americans are about time. While not all Americansare punctual all the time, the society as awhole operates on the basis of well-kept schedules. This is true in personaland community life as well as in the U.S. business culture.

Here’sa real-life story that happened to me recently. I had scheduled a business meeting with a team from India, but had somehow forgotten to log it into myagenda. (2)Arrivingat my office 30 minutes after the appointment, I got a voice message telling methe team was waiting for me in the meeting room. (3)Beingafraid that I had missed the appointment, I hurried in, and found them happilychatting together. Their attitude was “Ah! You’re here! We can startnow!”

Ifthe team had been American, it’s likely that they would have been annoyed, andunlikely that they would have waited more than 10 minutes — at the most. Theywould have left me a message asking to re-schedule the meeting. Why? BecauseAmerican-style appointments have a firm end as well as start time, and (4) if you start late you won’t be able to finishthe business at hand without running beyond the scheduled ending time.

If you’re new to working in the United States, doing business with the U.S., orworking for an American company overseas, here are a few tips for your everydaybehavior around appointments andpunctuality. They are sure to help you get ahead with your American colleagues.

• Schedule meetings and appointments in advance — a few days, a week, even a month inadvance.

• Always make appointments for in-person meetings. Don’t just show up and expect people to make time to talk with you.

• If you think you’re going to be more than a few minutes late for any appointment, call and let the other party know you’re running late.

• Plan your own time so that you can be punctual for appointments you have made. Avoid changingplans at the last minute.