Habitual late arrivers to work can hurt their careers in many ways. In many Western societies, workers who are consistently tardy for start times, meetings, conferences, appointments or returns from lunch hours, can be looked upon as unprofessional, incompetent, disrespectful and even rude. Image credit: Pixabay Once a person gets a reputation for being late all the time, he or she could not only place a current job in jeopardy, but also blacklist themselves from future opportunities. In cultures where a high value is placed on time, it would be pretty difficult to obtain a good recommendation or reference from an employer who was displeased with habitual lateness. Hurt one's professional reputation A worker who is constantly late in the work environment is likely going to annoy bosses and colleagues and quickly gain a poorly perceived reputation in the workplace. Other people may perceive them as unprofessional, incompetent or as not being a team player. Aside from curr...