Some people self-destructively make poor impressions.

People are late because they have little self-worth. ^[1]. Often, people with self-esteem issues don't invest in how others perceive them. As a result, they cannot find the energy to be on-time for work or make new friends. Instead, they are habitually late. This self-destructive tendency can be conscious or unconscious. People may not have the confidence to show up somewhere, leading them to be late. They don’t value themselves, so they don’t think other people value their presence. This leads them to drag themselves places, often at a slow pace. A low-self worth leads people to act in self-destructive patterns. These self-destructive patterns might arise because of depression or for some other reason, but people practice them because they cling to them as manifestations of their low-self worth. ^[2]People who show up for work late every day may want their coworkers to continue to think little of them so that their perceptions will match the late person's low opinion of themselves. Another reason for this self-destructive lateness can be anxiety. People get trapped in a rut of thinking they’re not wanted somewhere, and so are constantly late if they even show up at all. This means that lateness can be caused by a manifestation of social anxiety. ^[3] In light of this, it is logical to think that some people's lateness indicates deeper problems of low self-esteem or poor mental health.

{P1] Self-hatred causes people to act in self-destructive ways. [P2] Depression can cause self-hatred, thus leading to self-destructive behavior. [P3] Therefore, depression's manifestation of symptoms can cause lateness. [P4] Anxiety or social anxiety can also cause tardiness because anxiety causes people to be late.