The morning frenzy of getting dressed, finding the car keys and weaving in and out of traffic to arrive at work on time is considered normal.

What's also considered normal for a good number of people is showing up at work five minutes late. Depending on the profession, this may not be a big deal.

However, some managers hold your lateness against you, said Diana DeLonzor, author of "Never Be Late Again: 7 Cures for the Punctually Challenged." Those managers believe that "if you're chronically late, you don't care, you're not committed," she said.

It may sound like the bosses are nitpicking, but U.S. businesses lose more than $3 billion annually in lost productivity because of lateness, according to DeLonzor, a business and marketing consultant.

To put it another way, if a person is 10 minutes late each day, it adds up to about a week's paid vacation at the end of the year.

For some, their lateness precludes them from even getting hired.

"There's very little tolerance for people to be late to an interview," said Steve Selway, a recruiter for Newark, Del.-based W.L. Gore & Associates. "You better have a good excuse."

He said an interview is an opportunity to sell yourself, and "if you show up 15, 20 minutes late, it says a lot about your sense of urgency."

That isn't to say that if you're late, you won't get the job. Selway said he understands that people can get stuck in traffic.

Chronically tardy people generally hate being late, said DeLonzor, who used to be late frequently. "Late people consistently underestimate how much time it takes to do things," she said.

Having strong motivation can help you be punctual.

"Given the right circumstances, people who are always late can be on time," said Bruce Baker of Wilmington, Del.

Before recently becoming a stay-at-home dad, Baker worked more than 20 years as a psychiatric social worker. Though he has problems being on time for events in his personal life, he said, he was always on time for work.

Being a team leader, he had to set an example for the rest of the workers. However, staff members would be late from time to time. Baker didn't yell at them, instead choosing to engage in role-playing.

He said he'd have them pretend they were patients waiting 10 minutes to be seen, or Baker himself would play the patient and question their tardiness.

"It helps to put them in the position of the people they're trying to help," he said.

Your lateness can create a snowball effect, DeLonzor said.

For example, if a meeting is delayed 10 minutes because you were tardy, one of your co-workers could be 20 minutes late picking up their kids because of traffic and their dinner 40 minutes late.

DeLonzor gave one piece of advice to people who have difficulty being punctual: "Never plan to be on time," she said. "Always plan to be 15 minutes early."