My first thought was you've already set a bad precedent by letting him be late 4 times without punishment. But he's also been a hard worker for you, so I'd want to be lenient as well.

Here's a thought - the kid's got a lot on his plate. If you can be flexible he's more likely to be loyal and committed. Can you find a position/schedule that will fit better with his home situation? Don't schedule him for early runs, let him pickup extra hours here and there. But make it mandatory that he inform you of any schedule updates - ie call ahead before being late taking brother to work, etc.



You know him better than us, so you'll have to judge whether he's the type of employee that can handle the responsibility and not just keep taking advantage of you.