If you think you might be late with a document, please let us know, but work as quickly as possible to meet the deadline. Of course, it should go without saying that you should avoid having any assignment run late; editors who run late more than a few times risk being removed from the service or the roster.

If you find you've run into a snag with your current order, please do not let it affect other orders you may have accepted. For example, if a particularly tangled bit of prose is taking you longer than projected and you feel you might be late to start your other assignments, please reject those other jobs rather than have them go late. Again, just send us a quick note of explanation.

• Late Flags: We work hard to maintain enough editors so that orders never run late. If you see orders that are flagged as running late (fuchsia highlighting on screen), it's always helpful to select from these first. Select from the light pink orders next. Please note that you will not be penalized if a task that is already running late is returned late. On the contrary, we reward our editors with bonus karma points for picking up these orders.

• Don't Dawdle: It's tempting to think "ah, well this thing's already late," and then to wander off for tea or something before getting to work on a late order. Please don't. If an order is running late, we absolutely need to minimize the deadline overrun.

• Don't Rush: Conversely, don't race through a job just to get it out the door. The only thing a client hates more than a late order is a late and badly done or incomplete order.

• Don't Mention It: Do not apologize in your notes back to the client for the late return of a document. We do have built-in, internal deadline buffers, so the document may not be late from the client's perspective. Also, the client may have ordered a specific deadline but for whatever reason might not get around to reviewing the document in question until later. There is no point in advertising a late return.

Last Updated: 09/09/2022