The Blubber

Punctuality Perceptions Vary by Generation, Study Finds

How you feel about being 10 minutes late to work might reveal your age. While baby boomers often see tardiness as a sign of disrespect, Gen Z doesn’t think it’s a big deal.

In fact, a 2024 study found that the youngest generation in the workforce considers being 10 minutes late as still being on time.

The online meeting platform Meeting Canary surveyed over 1,000 British adults on their attitudes toward punctuality. Nearly half of respondents aged 16 to 26 said that arriving five to 10 minutes late is just as acceptable as being on time.

However, the study found that tolerance for lateness declines with age:

• 40% of millennials are okay with colleagues being 10 minutes late.
• That number drops to 26% for Gen X and 20% for baby boomers.

And for those with boomer bosses, the margin for error is even smaller. According to the report, 70% of boomers say any level of tardiness is unacceptable—even arriving one minute late is considered being late.

Why the Generational Divide on Punctuality?

It’s not surprising that Gen Z has a looser sense of time. Many of them entered the workforce remotely during the pandemic, when it was common to wait for people to log in due to technical issues.

Unlike older generations, many haven’t experienced the awkwardness of walking into a meeting late with an entire team staring at them—and perhaps they never will.

Studies have shown that pandemic-era hires want to maintain the flexibility they became used to. Not only are they willing to quit jobs that enforce strict schedules, but many prefer juggling multiple roles over committing to traditional 9-to-5 hours.

"Gen Z prioritizes work-life balance and mental health more than workplace stress—including the pressure of being on time for a meeting," said Laura van Beers, founder of Meeting Canary, in an interview with Fortune.