IT worker is blamed for coworker showing up late, says it's their fault for leaving on time: 'They’ve basically gotten used to arriving late, and the person ending the shift is stuck covering past their scheduled time'

What if you were punished for someone else's tardiness?

Some people just run late. It's who they are. You likely have a friend or family member who is simply tardy, and there is not much you can do about it. Whenever you tell them to show up, they will be there an hour later and with some excuse. It's different every time, but you know the truth. They simply have a different internal clock than you do. So you adjust and start telling them that things start an hour earlier than they actually do, so they have a chance of being there on time. But this is a risky game to play. They might catch on to your ruse and adjust their schedule in turn. They might sense your lies and be even later as punishment. Or, by the laws of physics, they will show up late anyway. 

You just have to learn to live with this kind of person. You stop inviting them to time-sensitive events, and you never ask them to pick you up from the airport. You adjust your life around this kind of person because you know you're not going to change them. But what if you work with this kind of person? What if you're relying on them to be there so you can leave? This can get old pretty quickly. It's one thing to have to deal with a tardy friend. It's an entirely other thing to deal with a tardy coworker. You might have to start laying the law down.