Herman’s obstacles and habits
Many obstacles contribute the lateness of Herman to his work station. As seen from the map, his home is approximately four miles from the Dewey, Cheetum and Howe Accountants. Along the way, Herman experiences a lot of obstacles that make him late for work. In addition, he has an unacceptable behavior that also makes him get to work late. Punctuality in the workplace is an issue that needs no debate because every worker must ensure they report to their duty stations on time. Failure to arrive at workplace on time irrespective of the reason for lateness introduces an aspect of incompetence. Punctuality in the workplace matters more in the present business society than any other factor. Arriving to workplace on time sends a better image to the employer and shows ones commitment to their duties. In addition, being on time makes one gain more respect from other employees (Wijesiri, 2012).
The following obstacles and habits contribute to the lateness of Herman to work. Firstly, his home is located in the reserve and his house is one mile away from the main road. He leaves home at 8:00Am, a clear indication that he wakes up late. Herman is faced with a lot of traffic in the main road making him spend more time on the road. Secondly, he spends time at the coffee shop with friends. Chatting for 10 to 15 minutes while seated happens to a waste of time for a person expected to report to work. Thirdly, the passing train creates another obstacle. If he spends much time chatting with friends at the coffee shop, Herman gets stuck at her railroad crossing. In addition, he gets stuck behind the school bus that picks kids on the way to school. The high traffic on the main highway creates no room for overtaking and he has to stick behind the school bus until he reaches the junction. The red triangles in figure 1 show the main places that create obstacles for Herman on his way to work. The yellow line represents slow movement due to traffic.
Figure 1: A map showing Herman’s movements and obstacles from home to workplace
Possible solution
According to Hoffman (2014), competences in the workplace are achieved through effective problem solving and reasoning skills, intelligence, taking decisive actions, perseverance, and understanding challenges. Leaving home at eight in the morning and driving at the normal speed, Herman would manage to get to work on time and avoid warnings from his employer. Herman needs to improve his habits and avoid obstacles in order to make it to work on time. Firstly, Herman has a grown family that gives no reason for leaving home at 8:00Am. His last born is 12 years old and can take care of himself like going to school alone. Moreover, Herman should be leaving home at around half past six in the morning in order to avoid getting stuck in the traffic jam on the main highway.
Leaving the house earlier will help him avoid many other obstacles. Firstly, he can manage to get to the railroad crossing earlier enough before the train passes and avoid stopping for the train. Secondly, he will manage to get to the residential houses before the school bus, hence avoiding delays caused by the slow-moving bus. On the other hand, Herman needs to get rid of the habit of chatting with friends at the coffee shop. He could just go, take his take-away coffee and continue with the journey to the workplace. Chatting could be scheduled for hours after leaving work since he will be not in early to get back home.
References
Hoffman, J. (2014). How workplace resiliency can work for you. Retrieved November 1, 2014
http://www.psychologyfoundation.org/pdf/publications/WorkplaceResiliency.pdf
Wijesiri, L. (2012, October 15). Punctuality, good attendance will have positive impact on
workplace. Retrieved November 1, 2014 from http://www.dailymirror.lk/business/features/22687-punctuality-good-attendance-will-have-positive-impact-on-workplace.html
