Effectiveness of Incentive-Based and Disciplinary Interventions In Reducing Employee Tardiness

Abstract: Employee tardiness is a recurring work problem that impedes operations, reduces productivity, and raises costs for companies. As a reaction, companies use incentive and disciplinary interventions to drive punctuality, but it is not known whether these countervailing measures are effective. Some use rewards in the form of bonuses and promotion, and others use penalties in the form of deductions from pay and warnings, but few empirical studies are comparing their relative effectiveness in the same setting. This research attempted to do this by assessing which intervention, rewards or penalties, is most effective at preventing employee lateness. Existing literature has shown the effect of punishment and incentives in isolation, i.e., Johnson et al. (2020), who demonstrated that economic incentives enhanced punctuality, and Martinez and Rivera (2019), who demonstrated that severe punishment cut down on lateness but lowered job satisfaction. But their comparative effectiveness has never been contrasted within the same organizational setting. This research utilized qualitative research with thematic analysis of secondary data through attendance records, HR reports, and previous research results. Findings indicate that the two interventions have little impact when used separately; although incentives can make one punctual, it is short-lived, and harsh disciplinary action has the likelihood of leading to resentment and disaffection. An optimal approach in terms of reward is more effective in instilling punctuality in the longer run. Consequences of the study find implications in organizational management with the yield of evidence-based recommendations for HR managers to create attendance policies in a better manner.

employee tardiness, punctuality, incentives, disciplinary interventions, workplace productivity

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