Reaching Office Late

C: To begin with, I would like to get a better understanding of the problem at hand and have a few questions which can help me out in the same.

I: Sure, go ahead!

C: Where is the office located? Also, has there been a change in office timings &  what are the problems this 5-min delay is causing to the organization ?

I: The office is in Delhi and no there has been no change in office timings. The team that the employee works on has a client call at 9:15 am.  Since he is late, the preparation of the call get hampered.

C: Are we seeing this trend with only a single employee?

I: Yes

C: Also, have seen a change in the behavior of the employee lately?

I: No, we haven’t.

C: Okay, to begin with understanding what might be the reason for the delay, I would like to break down the travel of the employee into 3 parts. The first part will be pre-office travel. The second will be Office travel and the third one will be post-office travel.

I: The approach seems interesting. Can you elaborate on each of the parts?

C: Sure. In the first part, I would look for any changes in the routine between waking up and starting the commute to the office. Similarly in the second part, I would check for any difference in the commute routine and finally, from the end of the commute to his office desk.

I: Sounds right, go ahead.

C: In the first part, has there been a change in the time the employee wakes up?

I: No.

C: Is he leaving his house at the same time as he was when he was punctual ?

I: Yes.

C: Okay, based on that information we can rule out the pre-office travel part. Moving to office travel  (i.e) the second stage. What mode of a commute does the employee use, and has there been any change in it?

I: Well, he drives his own car and there has been no change in the mode he commutes.

C: The time taken to travel office is basically distance divided by the average speed. Factors like changes in routes, obstructions/road quality can alter the time taken. Have we observed any such digression from the routine route?

I: Your factors are quite precise and comprehensive. Unfortunately, there has been no change in either the speed or the distance travelled. You can proceed to the third stage.

C: Yes, sure; To analyze the final leg of his travel, I would break it down into; Office premise entry, parking & travel to his desk. Have we seen a change in pattern in any of the three-part mentioned??

I: One change in this leg of travel we have noticed is that due to fitness reasons he prefers to take the stairs and not the elevator. 

C: I think that should be the reason for his delay.

I: Yes correct. We can close the case now. You put forth crisp and clear points. It was great talking to you !