On time or on thin ice: How deadline violations negatively affect perceived work quality and worker evaluations

Abstract

Deadlines are a common feature of the modern workplace. While previous research has focused on how deadlines shape the behavior of those completing tasks, little is known about how deadlines may influence the judgment of individuals evaluating the submitted work. Through eight lab and field experiments, complemented by 10 supplemental studies (N=6,982), this investigation examines whether completing work early, on time, or late––independent of the quality of the work itself––influences perceptions of the quality of the submitted work and of the worker who submitted it. Results indicate that missing deadlines negatively influences evaluations of the worker and significantly diminishes the perceived quality of submitted work through a process of reductions in competence-related trust. This effect makes people less willing to work with late submitters in the future, and it is moderated by the perceived importance of the deadline and the reason for lateness. In contrast, submitting work early confers no benefit.