Professionalism, defined in simple terms is the level of brilliance which is expected by a professional (WebFinance, 2016). This brilliance is the actually brilliance of performance and being able to perform a task so flawlessly that it fulfills the expectations of clients and satisfies them at the same time (WebFinance, 2016). Professionalism is also depicted by the conduct, the aims and the individuality of a professional who is working at a recognized and dignified place. There are several areas where professionalism is expected by clients and other people when a person is a part of a large enterprise or holds great business in the world (WebFinance, 2016). Examples include behaving professionally while conducting business with their clients. Professionalism is also directly linked to the success rates of an organization, a person or business. When a person follows the guidelines of Professionalism, they are welcoming success into their lives. There are several trademarks of Professionalism which have to obeyed, without which it is impossible to be considered even a professional. These trademarks are general rules which a professional needs to follow in order to uphold a reputation. When professionals lack in these, they generally lose public favor and tend to become disliked and unpopular amongst their clientele (Amarnath, 2015).
Namely, these trademarks include efficiency, listening to the clients, being responsive, being quick and being punctual. While for all professionals, there might be different trademarks for their work, one mutually agreed on the trait of professionalism is being on time (Amarnath, 2015). Punctuality is one of those traits which are followed from the earliest years of life and has to be obeyed until man has an important duty to perform in their lives. Without punctuality, there can be no business; there can be no work carried out. Hence it cannot be denied that professionalism is considered one of the most important traits for a professional (Amarnath, 2015).
The value of being on time is very crucial. It is mainly punctuality which makes an organization become recognized as responsible and caring. For example, if there is an appointment scheduled with a doctor or therapist, then it is important that both, the client and the doctor reach the office on time (Amarnath, 2015). If either one of them is late, it casts a bad impression about one another. The client will be perceived as careless or reckless while the doctor who is the professional involved, will be considered irresponsible and unprofessional in their business. It might also make the client think that the doctor is not serious about their work and might not be a good bargain in the first place (Amarnath, 2015). Hence, such a doctor might lose their clients over time due to their habit of slacking in punctuality. Moreover, even the doctor might get tired of waiting for a client who always shows up late to the appointments and might refer him to another doctor, who might not be as good as him. Either way, punctuality will cost both of them (Amarnath, 2015).
The importance of punctuality is more likely to be observed religiously at the workplace, because a person is being paid for punching in on time, staying and working for the required time and leaving at the time ordained. It can be considered all right for a person to be ‘fashionably late’ for any event they have to go to, but being late to work is unacceptable on every level. In the business world (and even in the ordinary world) they say time is money. Hence every second being lost, wasted or delayed is money being lost. In the world of economics and commerce, being late is considered a loss of economic prospects and money.
Even when people work from home, such as online or doing business while being at home, they need to observe punctuality and be very rigorous about delivering their work on time or in time, so that their customers can be satisfied and do not end up leaving them for good. They have to log into meetings on time, deliver projects on time and be available on time. This is reckoned as professionalism.
Even if a person takes a look at the field of Aviation, it is utterly important for the transport to arrive on time and be there for the passengers at the given time. Constant delays in landing and take-offs are a complete disaster for the flight’s reputation, and they can lose their customers very easily (Reichmuth, 2005). Punctuality is one of the main traits of being a professionally recognized airline, and if they are not keen on observing the time constraints, then it is difficult for the airline to survive for long. Moreover, there is a lot of competition in the present day as there are a number of airlines that passengers can choose from which makes it crucial for professionalism to be observed in their performance. It is true that no flight gets delayed without any important reason and that it is highly unlikely for flights to be delayed intentionally. There are weather issues or maintenance issues which can become a likely cause of the delay. However, long delays in flight are only a substantial loss for the company which has to make amends for its passengers (Reichmuth, 2005).
According to Europe’s Aviation rules, there are several passenger rights granted to EU’s passengers (Reichmuth, 2005). If the passengers arrive for their flight on time, and they have observed the rules of the airline patiently, they are given certain accommodations for the flight being delayed. If the delay exceeds 2 hours or longer for a distance of over 1500 km or it is a delay of 3 hours or more with a distance of 1500km to 3000km or it is a delay of 4 hours or more with a distance of 3500km outside the EU, then the responsibility lies with the airline hence they are obliged to provide their passengers with the hotel accommodation, food and refreshments as well as communication needs- all for free (Reichmuth, 2005). Moreover, if the delay is about 5 hours or longer than that, then they are obliged to refund the ticket and provide free traveling from the departure to their destination (Reichmuth, 2005). Ultimately, it means that the burden of not being punctual lies upon the company and they have to pay for it. As discussed above, time is money, and the longer a company delays its performance, it is considered unprofessional and not likely to gain profit.
The agenda for flights is to observe punctuality and to make their customers feel comfortable. As a person has to travel a long distance, they have to feel the brunt of the journey, and if that includes waiting for a delayed flight, then it only increases their dislike for the airline, and they feel disinclined upon traveling through it again. According to the rules of aviation, it is recognized that 99% punctuality has to be observed as a minimum for every airline (Reichmuth, 2005). Hence it means that being punctual is very crucial, and it is one of the most important means of telling the world that a company is all about professionalism.
Being on time means that a company or a professional is all about business. Punctuality is a means of conveying that a professional respects their client and holds their interest above everything else. By giving this respect, it is earned back, and it can be cashed in, as well. It is also recognition of the credibility of the professional (Ketchum, 2016). A punctual company is a professional to any of their clients which is great for business. It also gives the impression of being organized and serious about business. If there are too many delays and prolonged distances between work lying there, waiting to be done, then there is no assurance of the professional being a professional. Most importantly, punctuality is linked with productivity (Ketchum, 2016). The more a professional is concerned about being on time and delivering their work well, the more they shed off the impression that they are really professionals and people like their response. There are higher chances of being accomplished and successful when a professional delivers work on time (Ketchum, 2016).
Conclusively, professionalism is directly linked with punctuality. Being on time means that a professional is serious about their work, is willing to deliver promptly and is serious about work. Being late throws off a bad impression and ruins the reputation of a company and proves they are unprofessional. Hence the two are directly related and hold a lot of importance.
References
Amarnath, N. (2015, April 13). How tardiness at the workplace can hamper growth - personal and
professional. Retrieved September 6, 2016, from http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-08-05/news/33036347_1_punctuality-tardiness-time-management
Ketchum, D. (2016). Why is punctuality important in the workplace? Small Business Chron.
Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/punctuality-important-workplace-10253.html
Reichmuth, J. (2005). Airport- Bottleneck or Booster for Future ATM Punctuality. Retrieved
September 6, 2016, from
http://atmsymposium.dlr.de/Vortraege/J.Reichmuth/Punctuality.pdf
WebFinance (2016). In . BusinessDictionary.com. Retrieved from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/professionalism.html
