In Your Culture, Is Being On Time Important?

[Someluck]

I worked in a high school cultural setting. The regular schedule involved class time plus passing time. So class started at odd times like begin at 7:47 and end at 9:09, next class starts 9:16. On some days the schedule might be shaved to get an assembly into the day and then the odd numbers changed again.
But class always started on time! After working with this schedule I am typically on time to any event.

 

[tasha99]

And see, if I am the hostess then I make sure to have things set up before the time on the invitation because that is the polite thing to do. I expect and would hope my guests have enough respect to not be late. If I say the event starts at 2:00 then I plan on the event to START at 2:00, not 2:15 or 2:30. So I am ready for guests to arrive by 1:45 or so.

Well, I'm ready on time as well, usually early, but you never know. Where I am, it's considered more courteous for a guest to be a few minutes late. I think it is cultural. I just came back from a dinner party. It started at 4, we were the second group there at 4:10, there were about 15 people by the time everyone got there, and we all ate at 5. That's how things usually are with the people I know. I think everyone would feel rushed and stunned to arrive without a cocktail hour, but again, this is likely cultural. It's okay to be on time, here, just not common practice. It's rude to be early, though.

Actually, this Slate piece sums up how it is with my friends (never be early, be wary of being on time, but try not to be too late, won't you?) http://www.slate.com/blogs/entertai...ide_to_being_a_great_host_and_gracious_1.html

 

[Chocolate Cake]

Bankers in Costa Rica will take your deposit slip, walk towards the general area of where deposit slips go, talk to their co-workers, maybe go over some business with their supervisor, get some coffee, and get back to you with your receipt at some point during the work day. Real-estate agents in the USVI will show up at 4:00 to 2:00 showings .

And do people just stand around and wait hours for their deposit receipt? Or sit in their car for 2 hours and wait for the real estate agent to show up?

How do places like this prosper? Just sounds so lackluster and lazy to me.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

I'm extremely punctual. I'm early almost always. My parents were too. My sister ( as my mom said) was late being born and has been late for everything since.

So we keep that in mind when including her in anything. If we need her at 7:30, we tell her 7. Etc.

When we went to Germany, I loved how punctual people were!

 

[palmtreegirl]

No, not really.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

I try to be "relatively" on time. That being said, I'm pretty laid back about it. In my experience, the people who get upset about people who are late are folks who try to cram so much in their days that they barely have time to breathe.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

I still do not understand the question. The OP is citing a specific case of card players in a town in Texas. Perhaps it would be more helpful to state what the OP's 'culture' is before asking others to define theirs? Is this simply a question for people who play cards? Or is it asking about other cities and states in the US? Not trying to cause a problem. I just don't understand the question.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

I still do not understand the question. The OP is citing a specific case of card players in a town in Texas. Perhaps it would be more helpful to state what the OP's 'culture' is before asking others to define theirs? Is this simply a question for people who play cards? Or is it asking about other cities and states in the US? Not trying to cause a problem. I just don't understand the question.

That

 

[Lilacs4Me]

It depends on which "culture".

Sports Culture - For my team, and my kids' teams, if you are on time, you are late. Be there 10 min early and ready to start practicing on the dot. If you are late, you’d better be running to join your team and looking sorry! Don't schlepp on over looking like you don't have a care in the world. It's so rude and disrespectful to your teammates and you coach who is taking the time away from THEIR family and life to coach you.


Work Culture - For my department/work, on time is considered anywhere close to the time you say you will be there. For example, I like to “start” at 7:30am, but as long as I am there or online before 7:50-ish, I don’t bother calling/texting my boss. If I think I will get there later, I will text her that I am on my way so she doesn’t worry. It’s not that I am being disrespectful, it’s that our hours are flexible and project-based and we work until the job is done, not until a certain time on the clock, plus we work from home a good amount of time, so the “start time” is basically a time we set ourselves for when we would like to get in/on and get started, not really a company-mandated time. Some of us like to start early at 7-7:30am and leave/log off by 4, and others like to come in/log on closer to 9am and work later into the evening.


Family/personal culture - For parties, I like being about 10 min later than the “start time”. I hate being the first one there, and hate walking into a crowd in full swing, so I try to plan it to get there at just the right time.


For a dinner, I def will be there on time. If the host says dinner at 6pm, we will be there before 6pm! However, I do often notice that the host does not have dinner ready on time most of the time. Nothing is more annoying than expecting to eat at 6pm and you get there and the dinner hasn’t even been cooked yet. Then you aren’t eating until 8.


Work again - Work meetings, definitely be ON TIME. Like to the minute. Most of my work meetings are conference calls. I call in 2 minutes before the meeting starts. Usually, the meetings start on time.

 

[rastahomie]

I still do not understand the question. The OP is citing a specific case of card players in a town in Texas. Perhaps it would be more helpful to state what the OP's 'culture' is before asking others to define theirs? Is this simply a question for people who play cards? Or is it asking about other cities and states in the US? Not trying to cause a problem. I just don't understand the question.

Texas Hold Em is a game, not a town. I was talking about the game being played in a town in Missouri.

 

[mjkacmom]

I agree about the sports. If practice is at 9, you get there at 8:45, at 9 you are warmed up and ready to go.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Wow.... this is still the first thread on page one?

I don't care what culture one wants to cite.
We are not talking about being fashionable or socially late, here.
Or just some reasonable changes in social norms.
We are talking about examples of an hour, or two, or even more, of just leaving others hanging due to ones self-centered laziness.
Seriously????
Are some of you guys kidding.

I absolutely have a problem with anybody who wants to cite an example from some 'culture' to justify a true disrespect or 'wrong'.
Heck, in many cultures women are property, and can be enslaved, beaten, raped, and even killed.

People, let's not EVEN go there.

 

[smiths02]

I think, generally speaking, American culture values being on time. Even in the South, business, public events, etc run on time.

My DH's family has "micro"culture. His mom's side of the family works on "old people" time. They are all retired and they just can't move as fast. If it is something important (like a doctor's appointment), then they compensate by allowing enough time...if it is a family meal, well, you are just going to eat when it's ready. I had to get used to Christmas "breakfast" being served at 11am (you know when everyone woke up at 6am to unwrap presents)...eat before, snack in my purse...I was eventually able to get over the "no one wants to be the first to eat" junk (even though we are doing breakfast at 11 am or lunch at 3pm).

 

[mjkacmom]

Wow.... this is still the first thread on page one?

I don't care what culture one wants to cite.
We are not talking about being fashionable or socially late, here.
Or just some reasonable changes in social norms.
We are talking about examples of an hour, or two, or even more, of just leaving others hanging due to ones self-centered laziness.
Seriously????
Are some of you guys kidding.

I absolutely have a problem with anybody who wants to cite an example from some 'culture' to justify a true disrespect or 'wrong'.
Heck, in many cultures women are property, and can be enslaved, beaten, raped, and even killed.

People, let's not EVEN go there.

I don't think you can compare a card game starting 40 minutes late with rape! At there is a difference showin up 45 minutes late for a 2 hour children's birthday party and arriving 45 minutes late to an afternoon cookout. It's situational. In the latter, you aren't making anyone else wait.

 

[HarperLeigh]

Wow.... this is still the first thread on page one?

I don't care what culture one wants to cite.
We are not talking about being fashionable or socially late, here.
Or just some reasonable changes in social norms.
We are talking about examples of an hour, or two, or even more, of just leaving others hanging due to ones self-centered laziness.
Seriously????
Are some of you guys kidding.

I absolutely have a problem with anybody who wants to cite an example from some 'culture' to justify a true disrespect or 'wrong'.
Heck, in many cultures women are property, and can be enslaved, beaten, raped, and even killed.

People, let's not EVEN go there.

No one did, other than you.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

I despise being late and I despise people that are habitually late for things. There's no excuse. The worst I experienced was recently. I had 7 weeks of radiation for my cancer treatment. Radiation appts are given out in 15 minute increments and run all day long. They stressed that it's important to be on time for your appt time meaning you have to be in the building, dressed in a gown and waiting in the room outside the equipment BY your appt time. The lady ahead of me EVERY DAY FOR SEVEN WEEKS was at least 5-10 minutes late. The first week they waited for her but then it was 10 minutes past my appt time by the time they got to me. Techs tried talking to her and were getting upset. They asked me if I minded coming in a little earlier so that they could take me first and unofficially switch late lady to my appt - I said that was fine. So for the rest of the weeks I went first, late lady continued to come in late and continued to complain about how hard it was to get going in the morning and people should have more sympathy because she has cancer and it's hard for her to get up in the morning. Really because I also have cancer (you know hence the reason why I am getting radiation also) and I have no problem getting there on time. @@ BTW our appts were 9:30 and 9:45 am hardly the crack of dawn.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Wow.... this is still the first thread on page one?

I don't care what culture one wants to cite.
We are not talking about being fashionable or socially late, here.
Or just some reasonable changes in social norms.
We are talking about examples of an hour, or two, or even more, of just leaving others hanging due to ones self-centered laziness.
Seriously????
Are some of you guys kidding.

I absolutely have a problem with anybody who wants to cite an example from some 'culture' to justify a true disrespect or 'wrong'.
Heck, in many cultures women are property, and can be enslaved, beaten, raped, and even killed.

People, let's not EVEN go there.

You went there, nobody else.

 

[mjkacmom]

I love my dentist, no waiting. Cleaning appointments are schedules on the hour, usually take about 45 minutes. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, you are rescheduled (happened to DH, he was never late again).

 

[Wishing on a star]

Ummmm, "I" went there....
Are you even saying that....
The first reference to 'culture' or 'cultural' was the very Title of the thread.
Many other references before I chimed in.
In fact, that is the actual topic of the whole thread.

But, ummmm, whatever...
Good try, anyhow.
Gotta give kudos for effort.

No further comment.

 

[mjkacmom]

http://articles.latimes.com/2005/dec/11/travel/tr-insider11