I haven't noticed this as strongly as the author of the article. But there are definitely cultural factors at play.

I'm Dutch and I work a lot in Germany; everyone tends to come in right on time whether it's a physical meeting or a conference call. Either that or they got hit by a bus. That's in general also the way it works in the Netherlands.

With the UK and the USA it's different; not as bad as in the article but they definitely aren't as punctual as the Germans and the Dutch.

Maybe it's because of the lack of wrist watches? I feel like I'm of a dying breed anyway since I still wear one all the time. Especially in the USA everyone just uses their phones for that.