Being late is viewed by many as being exceedingly impolite and disrespectful to people who have to wait. For members of Generation Z, on the other hand, being 10 minutes late is practically the same as being on time.
Of those between the ages of 16 and 26, nearly half (46%) believe that being five to ten minutes late is totally fine and that it is the same as being on time. On the other hand, as people age, their tolerance for tardiness declines dramatically. Of millennials (those in their 27–42 age range), 39% are tolerant of friends or coworkers arriving late by up to ten minutes. For Generation X (ages 43 to 58) and Baby Boomers (ages 59 and above), this decreases to 26% and 20%, respectively.
Sixty-nine percent of Baby Boomers say that “late is late,” and seven out of ten say they have no patience for tardiness of any kind. However, just 21% of Gen Z share this opinion, indicating a glaring generational gap on social norms.
A research from The Mail on Sunday earlier this year that found an astonishing 93% of Gen Z job hopefuls admitted to missing an interview serves as more proof of this generational shift. Furthermore, a lot of Gen Zers assert that “time blindness,” a disability associated with attention deficit disorder, is the reason behind their tardiness.
The sentiments of 1,016 British individuals toward punctuality were examined in a recent study by Meeting Canary, an online meeting business. The maxim “To be early is to be on time” is one that Match of the Day’s Alan Shearer lives by, however just 38% of participants across all age categories agreed with him. Being punctual means being late. And it’s not acceptable to be late.
Across all age categories, 33% would tolerate someone arriving five to ten minutes late, and 9% would accept someone arriving between eleven and fifteen minutes late.
“It seems that being ten minutes late is now the equivalent of being on time, especially for the younger generation who are clearly more forgiving about time-keeping,” said Laura van Beers, the founder of Meeting Canary. Their views have given timeliness a new meaning, and they now view being on time as flexible as long as it’s within reason. While younger people seem to aspire to be no more than 10 minutes late to be deemed on time, older people are far more likely to come five minutes early to ensure they are on time.
The study demonstrates how evolving societal norms and expectations are reflected in how younger generations are redefining punctuality. Younger generations appear to prefer a more laid-back attitude, giving priority to understanding and flexibility, while older generations prioritize rigid adherence to timetables.
Working environments and social contexts will be interesting to watch as these generational attitudes toward punctuality change. Will Gen Z’s adaptable attitude toward punctuality take hold, or will conventional wisdom prevail? It will take time to see, but one thing is certain: being “on time” is changing significantly.
