Who should initially address performance issues such as chronic lateness of a health information professional?

The initial responsibility for addressing performance issues like chronic lateness of a health information professional typically falls to the departmental manager. This is because the departmental manager is directly supervising the employee in question and has the best insight into the individual's performance, work habits, and any contextual factors that may be contributing to the issue.

The manager is in a position to have direct conversations with the employee, set expectations, provide feedback, and explore any underlying issues that may be affecting the employee's punctuality. Taking this approach can help to resolve the issue more efficiently through direct communication and management support.

While other bodies like human resources, staff unions, and ethics committees play important roles in the overall structure of employee management and support, they usually become involved later in the process if the issue cannot be resolved at the departmental level, or if formal grievances need to be addressed. Therefore, the departmental manager is best equipped to handle performance issues initially.