WHEN DUTY CALLS

Williams Safire, “When duty calls, that is when character counts”
It was 10:15am, a workday in February 2023, the third of seven members expected for the 10 o’clock meeting just walked in.  The new entrant, slapped one of those seated at the back, beaming with good morning all and took his seat.   No apologies for coming late, in any case, four more persons are still expected, the meeting is yet to start because quorum has not been formed.  As E. V. Lucas says “I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them.”
In this particular case, thankfully, the convener was seated.  The talks about the upcoming elections and the scarcity of cash continued until 10.35 am when another member arrived and meeting started formally.   
Is this scenario strange? Not in this clime. It is almost the norm to walk into meetings, late.  Is this right? Absolutely NO.
In the workplace, arriving promptly at meetings is a sign of professionalism.  It is a show of maturity, and courtesy to the rest of the meeting attendees.  Furthermore, it eliminates associated distractions and time wasting.  It is even better to arrive a few minutes before the meeting, settle in and focus on the business for the day.
Well, having said this, there may be genuine unavoidable reasons for attending a meeting late.  If this happens, apologise, take a seat and focus.
In closing, we can all be helped by common technologies on our mobile phones.  Put that meeting on your calendar – add reminders by the day, the hour and the minutes, use full screen beep if need be.   Be punctual, be professional.