dschwarz

Agree with all above. I had a flexible morning schedule that just got INflexible now that I have to get my young daughter on the bus at 8am, no excuses. So you do what everyone does. Get an alarm clock. Get some sleep. Wake the f--k up and go.

prawza

if know im going to be late, i ride faster

Brian T

+1000

surveyor

I don't completely buy the generational thing - there are plenty of us 20-somethings that still understand that in order to attain a higher standard of living, you must work your tail off - and even then you may not get it. (Especially the way the economy is now - I am still young, and I am already cringing at my 401(k) earnings reports.) You have to put out maximum effort, all of the time if you wish to move up the ladder during a recession.

However, there is something to be said for the entitlement attitude of many kids today. And guess what? It didn't just happen all of a sudden. It started back before I was a child - if you really look at history, it started in the years after WWII, when the economy was booming and both the consumer goods industry AND the government were promising Americans that everyone could live The American Dream. Of course, the economy did not continue in that manner. But people took the idea that they were entitled to that "better life", and now people expect everyone else to give them a handout. Hey, I'm an American - I deserve it.

As for the OP, there should be very few excuses for showing up late. The only time I have ever been "late" to work was about three weeks ago - I crashed my bike about 1.5 miles from my apartment. As soon as I determined that nothing was broken (except for my skin in several places), I put my twisted bike on my shoulder, jogged home, called a cab, did some basic first aid on myself, then ran outside to meet the cab. Showed up 5 minutes later than I normally do, which is still fifteen minutes before I actually go on the clock, and an hour before most of the office personnel show up.

unterhausen

for some reason, getting in early is considered a more impressive thing than staying late. To answer the original question, this happened to me twice this week, and I drove.

girljen

I work at a job where being late is absolutely unacceptable.
So, if I wake up 10-15 minutes late (or hit the snooze once), I just cut down my morning routine (no makeup, wear something that can go straight from the bike to work) and ride quickly. Riding in when I'm late involves real physical punishment! I try to avoid it.

If I wake up later than that, I drive. And then I end up in the doghouse because I used a car that my husband or my mom really needed that day. I try to avoid that too.

I've driven because I was late exactly once. Still got to work on time!

BroadSTPhilly

A job is not a privilege, it is something you earn. Your employer is not doing you any favors paying you for valuable work.

Sixty Fiver

My employer is very flexible... as long as I am at work between 10:25 and 10:26 he's happy.

riddei

I think he meant having a job is an honor... Fits better.

jgrendel

Hey! Let's all jump on this guy who we've never met! Pile on folks!!!

Seriously. All this free advice is super nice and all, but we sound pretty effing patronizing right now.

As to the originial question: If I oversleep/snooze one too many times/feel too crapy to ride I drive. In your case, I would probably make a point to call and let the boss know you're running behind. If he's as flexible as it sounds, he'll appreciate your call and understand.

o-dog

try using multiple alarm clocks, and make at least one of them REALLY loud. if your computer is in your room, leave it on and set Outlook to play a WAV file (a song works best) at the time you have to get up and turn the volume up right before going to bed. I do that in addition to my cell phone alarm clock and a boombox in the corner of my room which I set to play the radio at max volume if my computer and cell phone don't get me up. works for me and I'm pretty bad about getting up.

my old boss was fairly lenient about lateness (one of the only good things about that job), but it does make you look bad if you're late all the time. my school is actually more hardass about lateness then most employers are, if you're late it's an absence (although some classes have a 15 minute grace period) and if you're "absent" more than 3 times you fail the class. yeah.

sumguy

Woke up late last night - lot of robocalls kept waking me up. Called as soon as I realized what time it was. Normally I go to sleep 3 hours before I need to wake and don't use an alarm lock. No car, always bike. Sometimes I call a coworker that lives nearby if I wake up too late to ride but early enough to carpool.

AdamD

If this is a job you truly care about and want to turn into a career you need to set a hard time limit for yourself, even if your boss doesn't. Humans are creatures of habit and making it a habit to always show up at a specific time will help you develop a routine.

Having said that the OP said the job was recent and then made light of being late 2 times. I have a job that I really care about and I haven't been late 2 times in... well I can't even remember so it must be a long time (measured in years). I learned this little tidbit years ago and took it to heart:

If you're early, you're on time.
If you're on time, you're late.
If you're late, you're AWOL.

joshandlauri

if i wake up late i still ride, no set time to show up, as long as I'm in between 7-8am, I usually come in about 715am.

apricissimus 

My situation is probably a little uncommon in that taking my bike to work is the quickest way for me to get there. I don't own a car (and there's no parking even if I did), and I can beat public transportation easily on my bike.

So it's bike no matter what for me!

paddlerspock

I suppose I should be specific about my situation, since it turned into a scolding from everyone about me being late, instead of what you do if you are late.

So, I have a laid back boss who, as long as the work gets done, does not really mind what time I come in. In fact, we never really discussed what time he wants me to be in and what time would be considered late, per say. My boss usually comes in at around 9:30 or 10:00 and the graduate student I work with comes in between 10 and 11. So I like to make myself come in between 8 and 9, so I am not working to late.

Also this is not a career position either, but I am going to work here for several years.

So I appreciate everyone playing Mommy and Daddy, but my original question was just to see what other people here did if they woke up late.

I am definitely going to try to using several alarms around my room and might try Outlook, as someone suggested.

CommuterRun

I am not late, ever. If cannot be at an appointed place at the appointed time, I call ahead of time to let whoever is expecting me know what is transpiring. Anything less would be rude.

Here's the deal. When your boss hired you he/she is expecting to see a certain amount of reliability and responsibility. In repeatedly being late you are not giving your boss a reason to keep you on, over the next prospect for your job that walks in the door.

Another thought is, that your boss may, correctly or not, connect you being late with bike commuting in. You may be putting yourself in a position to be told you have to drive to work if you want to continue to work there.

Never mind, belay all that in light of your last post while I was typing. I don't wake up late. To bed around 8-9, up at 4, on the bike by five or very shortly after. So there's really no point in paying attention to my post, since I don't put myself in that position.

BroadSTPhilly

Woot to rowing its good for the GUADS. There is not faster way for me to get to work than cycling so if I wake up late I cycle. I almost never get in after my boss so I don't really worry about it.

BroadSTPhilly

The thing is every situation demands differing amounts and types of reliability. My boss could care less about when I am at work but he cares alot about work getting done quickly and accurately. Some bosses are smart enough to distinguish between these things. Some aren't.

vaticdart

I dealt with extreme sleep deprivation in college. I had terms were I'd get 2-3 hours of sleep a night and felt weird if I got more than 5 hours. I survived by using a complex napping system, drinking lots of coffee, and slamming a few shots of Jack before bed so I could actually get my 2-3 hours.

It was still extremely hard to get up in the morning at times (one such term I had a Calc class at 7am). The solution, if you need it, is multiple alarm clocks. Two to start, at different distances from your bed. Three if you need to go there (I did).

Now I just use one and find it sufficient most of the time. When I ride with my cycling group on Tuesday or Thursday night and get home at 1 or 2 am, it can be difficult to get up for work at 5 or 6 am, but I usually manage. I did once wake up 10 minutes after I was supposed to be at work. Oops.

bizzz111

If you have such a flexible schedule, why are you sweating it? Bike in, show up at 11 and don't worry about it.

If you are so worried about it, talk to the drivers in your office and find out where they park so you have an option to drive in when needed.

Barabus

"You're fired", the boss.

ItsJustMe

When I had trouble getting up in college, I did two things. First, I put the alarm clock on the other side of the room, so I had to get out of bed to turn it off.

Second, I psyched myself out. I said "You don't have to go to class, you just need to go down and take a shower. A nice hot shower. You like showers, right? Go on, it'll be nice." By the time I got done with the shower I was awake and ready for class.

Pig_Chaser

Of those in my position at work, i'm typically the first to show and the last to leave, so no... i don't sweat it.

Catgrrl70

To answer your question, "What do you do if you are late?"

Personally, I am never late to work. If I accidentally forget to set my alarm (like, once or twice a year) then I shorten my morning routine and get out on the road ASAP. It's faster for me to ride in so I don't even think about the bus. The last time I was late to work was in 1997, only by 15 minutes, due to a bus that didn't show up. My (former) boss was livid, so I also make it a point to get in 15 minutes early - and I have a 'soft start' schedule of 8:00 - 9:00 am. But I'm usually here by 7:45 am. Just because you don't have a set start time, don't assume the boss isn't watching.