Missing a deadline may seem like a small slip, but research from the University of Toronto shows it can have far-reaching effects on how your work is perceived. Submitting work late can lead others to assume it’s lower in quality than the same work submitted on time or early, because they see late submissions as a sign of lower competence.

“All the studies we found looked at how deadlines affect the person doing the work,” the researchers explain. “We wanted to know how missing a deadline affects how others view that person.”

In a series of 18 experiments and surveys, the researchers asked thousands of U.S. and U.K. participants—including managers, executives, and HR professionals—to evaluate the same pieces of work: ads, artwork, business proposals, pitches, photos, and articles. The only difference? Participants were told whether each piece came in early, on time, or late. When told the work was late, evaluators consistently rated its quality lower.

Harshly judged

Interestingly, the study finds little advantage to submitting work early; evaluators rated work submitted early or on time equally. But late submissions were judged nearly as negatively as work that failed to meet basic quality standards, like missing word counts. Surprisingly, the extent of lateness didn’t matter—work that was a week late was rated just as harshly as work that was one day late.

A missed deadline also seemed to damage an evaluator’s view of the employee’s integrity, making them less likely to give future assignments to the employee. This bias held even if the employee warned their manager in advance or had a strong history of punctuality.

The reason behind a missed deadline, however, did influence evaluators’ perceptions. If the delay was clearly due to external factors, like jury duty, evaluators viewed it less negatively. Similarly, missed deadlines for work labeled as “less important” were not as harshly judged.

Clear understanding

“Clear communication about deadlines is crucial,” the researchers advise. “Managers should let employees know if a deadline is hard or flexible, while employees should communicate if external factors are causing delays. This context helps mitigate negative judgments.”

To see if these findings were universal, the researchers conducted a field experiment in a Chinese high school where students graded entries in a staged art contest. Each piece included a submission date showing whether it was early, on time, or late. Despite being instructed to focus only on the art itself, students rated late submissions lower.

“This test removes the power dynamics typical in a workplace and shows the impact applies even in peer evaluations,” the researchers say. “The takeaway is that any missed deadline, regardless of who sets it, carries weight in the eyes of others.”