MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Punctuality - it's an important asset in a whole lot of professional settings - certainly key here is broadcasting. Same for some in sports world, where timing can be everything, as Greg Echlin reports.
GREG ECHLIN, BYLINE: It was the second round of the PGA Championship last May when professional golfer Garrick Higgo of South Africa made sure he was on time.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: This is the 12:43 p.m. starting time. Now on the tee, please welcome Garrick Higgo.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Whoo, whoo.
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ECHLIN: While Higgo was on time for his second round, before his first round even started, Higgo was assessed a two-stroke penalty for being late, as he later explained to reporters.
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GARRICK HIGGO: I was there on time, but the rule is if you're one second late, you're late. So if you think about it, I was there on time, if you know what I mean. But...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: I don't quite know. What is that - when you say that you were there on time but late, what's...
HIGGO: Like, I was there at 7:18, 30 seconds.
ECHLIN: Thirty seconds too late. Wayne State University professor Kess Ballentine is the co-author of a study on consequences of punitive time policies.
KESS BALLENTINE: I focus on the intersection of low-wage working conditions and people's well-being.
ECHLIN: Ballentine would be the first to admit that top-end professional golfers hardly fall into the category of low-wage working conditions. Nevertheless, all are subjected to workplace policy. And Ballentine says there are some accepted parameters about what constitutes being late.
BALLENTINE: In my experience talking to workers, you know, it may be 3 minutes. So 30 seconds, even among the policies that I'm aware of, is very harsh.
ECHLIN: To underscore it, those 30 seconds are essential by standards held by the PGA of America, the championship's governing body. Higgo had to admit that he may have been a bit too relaxed.
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HIGGO: Yeah, if you know me, then yeah, you know I am very casual and laid-back.
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ECHLIN: For Michael Andrew, a world-class swimming pro trained by his South African parents, punctuality is everything. A decade ago, Andrew was the first swimmer in the U.S. to turn pro at 14. Michael eventually won an Olympic gold medal as part of the U.S. relay team at the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021. His father, Peter Andrew, says Michael was always a stickler about when to make it to the starting block.
PETER ANDREW: I've seen it at competitions when we're going to the pool. Michael was always - we'd have a time, but he'd always be a few minutes early 'cause he gets anxious. So he's very much on time all the time.
ECHLIN: And punctuality is what Professor Ballentine says is what employers in the U.S. workplace push for.
BALLENTINE: Anything outside of that, for any reason - cultural, personal, health - we have documented that it is punished in many workplaces.
ECHLIN: Higgo knows that all too well. The 27-year-old touring pro found out how his 30-second tardiness could be very costly. Because of his two-stroke penalty, Higgo missed playing in the final rounds of the tournament. As a result, he lost close to $20,000 in prize money.
For NPR News, I'm Greg Echlin.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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