Maybe I'm OCD but I really hate starting work with the expectation of soon being interrupted.
Sketch out a new idea perhaps? Daydream? Read the paper? Or your favorite blog? It's not "wasted time".
All I am saying is it's not the end of the world that somebody is "late". And that having free time isn't a burden if you know what to do with it.
That's something you can learn by being involved in the north american corporate workforce.
When I took my very first job at mcdonalds I was told "If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean."
That work ethic is very prominent in american culture.
If you're not working, you're not achieving your full potential. And that needs to stop.