So, you’re trying to find the best way to ask someone to be on time, right?
However, you’re a bit concerned that using the phrase is too direct and, therefore, rude.
It’s okay! We’re here to help you with this issue.
This article will teach you how to say be on time politely to ensure you don’t accidentally offend anybody.
6 Alternative Ways to Say “Be On Time”
Check out these 6 alternatives to learn the best ways to politely tell guests to be on time:
- Respect the schedule and arrive as planned
- Please arrive in a timely manner
- Aim to be punctual
- Ensure you’re on schedule
- Arrive promptly
- I would appreciate timely attendance
1. Respect the Schedule and Arrive as Planned
The first synonym we want to go through when trying to tell someone to be punctual is respect the schedule and arrive as planned.
The invitation wording here is great for multiple cases. It mainly works when writing professionally, so make sure your invitation relates to a professional event.
For example, it could be a client meeting. You can use this to remind everyone that they should arrive at the scheduled time to ensure that nobody misses the meeting.
You can review the following email sample to learn a bit more about how to use it:
Dear All,
We have a very important client meeting coming up.
Respect the schedule and arrive as planned on Friday to ensure the clients are happy.
Best wishes,
Max Bradshaw
2. Please Arrive in a Timely Manner
If you want to politely ask someone to be on time, you can’t go wrong with please arrive in a timely manner.
It’s respectful and formal, which is why it works so well in most written cases. Try using it when encouraging employees to be on time.
Generally, this works best when you’re hosting an important meeting. It suggests that your employees need to get there at a specific time, and you’d like to see them follow that.
So, you can check out the following sample email to learn more about it:
Dear Aimee,
Please arrive in a timely manner for the meeting.
I’m excited to sit down and talk you through some of the more important topics.
Yours,
Joel Anderson
3. Aim to Be Punctual
You can also write aim to be punctual when confirming someone’s attendance for an appointment.
For instance, you can use this when emailing a patient. If you work in a doctor’s office, this is a great way to ensure that patients know when an appointment is and when they should meet.
For the most part, this isn’t a bossy phrase. Using aim to be instead of please be suggests that you want the recipient to do their best, but you understand if they can’t.
Perhaps this email sample will also help you to understand it better:
Dear Mr. Parks,
Aim to be punctual for your appointment on Monday.
We would like to get through all of our patients as quickly as possible.
Yours,
Clara Kingsnorth
4. Ensure You’re on Schedule
You might also benefit from writing ensure you’re on schedule when asking someone to be on time.
This works well when writing to applicants. It shows you’re inviting them to an interview appointment and would like them to arrive at the scheduled time.
Generally, it’s formal and respectful. So, it’s a great chance to message applicants, letting them know what you expect of them.
After all, if they’re not able to be punctual before their first meeting with you, it’s likely they’re not going to be great employees.
Feel free to review this example if you still need help:
Dear Abbie,
I’m looking forward to meeting you for your interview.
Please ensure you’re on schedule to make sure you don’t interfere with anyone else’s meeting.
All the best,
George Smash
5. Arrive Promptly
Let’s strip things back to something a bit more private. Not every situation has to be a professional one.
For instance, you can ask your friends to arrive promptly when attending a birthday party. This is a more personal event, and a phrase like this is short and direct.
It lets people know that you expect them to turn up on time. Of course, this works best when you’ve already established a suitable time and would like for people to follow it.
So, you can use it when writing to coworkers or people you trust. It suggests that you believe they’ll follow the schedule, but you just want to remind them quickly.
This invitation sample should also help you to understand it better:
Dear Colleagues,
I hope you can arrive promptly for my birthday party on Friday.
I’d certainly love to see each of you there for my big 30th!
Yours,
Boris Markath
6. I Would Appreciate Timely Attendance
Finally, it’s worth using I would appreciate timely attendance. It’s more professional, so it works really well when you’d like to encourage employees to attend an event.
Let’s say you have a very important meeting coming up. This phrase is a great way to make it seem urgent and suggests that everyone needs to agree to the time beforehand.
Employees will notice your tone when using this phrase. So, they should be more willing to show up at the stated time to ensure they don’t get in your bad books.
You can also check out this email sample before you leave to learn more about it:
Dear Steven,
We have a very important client meeting coming up on Monday.
I would appreciate timely attendance, as I don’t want to upset any of the attendees.
Best regards,
Sean Whitstable
Is It Correct to Say “Be On Time”?
Be on time is correct to say in formal contexts.
It’s not rude to ask this of someone. If you’re the boss, it’s quite a good way to encourage people to show up at the specified time.
Therefore, it’s a good professional choice. We highly recommend it if you’re trying to encourage punctuality from the recipient.
Feel free to review the following email sample if you still need help:
Dear Benjamin,
Please be on time for the meeting on Friday.
It’s very important, and you need to be there to find out more about this situation.
All the best,
Sarah Millican
You can also switch things up a bit by writing come on time. However, using come instead of be makes the phrase more informal. So, you need to account for that when writing it.
Check out this sample email if you’d like to learn more about it:
Dear Allen,
Please come on time.
I know it’s tricky because of when the meeting is, but it would be good for you to be there.
Best,
Shaun Rogers
Before using the phrase, though, you have to use the correct preposition. Otherwise, you run the risk of looking silly when asking someone to be punctual.
Mistake: Using in instead of on
- Correct: Be on time.
- Incorrect: Be in time.
