Punctuality

[Kittiecat]

Do you ever take a dump on the company's time?

 

You posted the above question, and for that I think you are certifiably mad!

[magichands]

You posted the above question, and for that I think you are certifiably mad!

For insinuating that everyone at least try to synchronise their bowel movements outside of normal business hours?

 

Maybe I'm getting a bit scat terbrained in my old age.

 

I wholeheartedly apologise for the implied breach of basic human rights.

[Guest]

here's the thing...your boss HAS said something. He specifically took you into his office to talk about the timesheets. That's a talk. Candy-coat it any way that you want to, disregard the official office hours all you want, in the end, you will not win this fight. If your boss thought that there was absolutely nothing to have a discussion with you about, he wouldn't have, but he has. Which is why you need to come in on time, or early every day if you want to keep your job.

 

The thing about the business world is, they have a set start time. This is the time that they expect each and every employee to come in. If an employee flaunts the fact that they do not come in on that time, that employee will be given a correction, which has been done in your case.

 

Another thing about the business world is that they do not give a crap if you "stayed 1/2 an hour later last night, and now feel that you can come in later today." If you can't get your work done in the allotted hours, then either work more effectively, or stay late, or finish it up the next day. It is not an option to show up 1/2 an hour later than your start time, or 10 minutes later for 3 days. I don't know who taught you that this was acceptable, but it is not. If your boss told you it was acceptable, then you need to get it in writing from him and have it sent to HR. I guarantee you that should you broach this idea to him, he will not do it.

 

Your boss has a boss, if HR is taking note of your time discrepancies, --it will get to your boss's boss.

 

Lastly, I don't see why you are being so stubborn on 10 freaking minutes. As I said earlier, get up on time in the morning, stop stopping for coffee or breakfast, and get to work on time. Is your job worth this 10 minutes? If so, then you need to find a new job. Because seriously, you are acting like a spoiled brat right now, and that does not fly in the business world. Everyone is replaceable, never forget that for a minute.

[magichands]

If all else fails.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUGBvUnRGxM

[Kittiecat]

here's the thing...your boss HAS said something. He specifically took you into his office to talk about the timesheets. That's a talk. Candy-coat it any way that you want to, disregard the official office hours all you want, in the end, you will not win this fight. If your boss thought that there was absolutely nothing to have a discussion with you about, he wouldn't have, but he has. Which is why you need to come in on time, or early every day if you want to keep your job.

 

The thing about the business world is, they have a set start time. This is the time that they expect each and every employee to come in. If an employee flaunts the fact that they do not come in on that time, that employee will be given a correction, which has been done in your case.

 

Another thing about the business world is that they do not give a crap if you "stayed 1/2 an hour later last night, and now feel that you can come in later today." If you can't get your work done in the allotted hours, then either work more effectively, or stay late, or finish it up the next day. It is not an option to show up 1/2 an hour later than your start time, or 10 minutes later for 3 days. I don't know who taught you that this was acceptable, but it is not. If your boss told you it was acceptable, then you need to get it in writing from him and have it sent to HR. I guarantee you that should you broach this idea to him, he will not do it.

 

Your boss has a boss, if HR is taking note of your time discrepancies, --it will get to your boss's boss.

 

Lastly, I don't see why you are being so stubborn on 10 freaking minutes. As I said earlier, get up on time in the morning, stop stopping for coffee or breakfast, and get to work on time. Is your job worth this 10 minutes? If so, then you need to find a new job. Because seriously, you are acting like a spoiled brat right now, and that does not fly in the business world. Everyone is replaceable, never forget that for a minute.

 

I'm going to go ahead and guess that you come from the old school where people punched time cards and worked an honest 8 hours and "flex time" was unheard of. If that's the case, then your posts are completely understandable. However, today there is a level of flexibility wherein nobody has a coronary over 10 minutes. Ten minutes of sitting around, doing nothing, is easily 10 minutes spent sleeping, or watching CNN, or doing a million other things more interesting than waiting for something to happen at work where absolutely NOTHING happens before 9am. A lot of important people like to sleep in.

 

My boss said something to me because he's a company man, and honest, and probably told HR he would do so. He said he wasn't upset, I wasn't "in trouble" and he didn't want any of this to go on my "record." I believe him. I have no reason to question his sincerity.

 

I've been at my company for over 6 years and have filled my timesheets in the same way, and have NEVER been spoken to about it. Maybe the company is not pulling the cash it once did, and has to tighten its grip on other areas (i.e. the staff) because we of course have to accomodate the gigantic salaries of our superiors.

 

Fair enough, I guess. They do make it in at the ungodly hour of 9am.

 

As for being a stubborn, spoiled brat -- that I am, and I wouldn't change a thing. Authority should be questioned now and then. I know I'm good at my job, and I know my boss values my work and likes the fact that I have no home commitments and can stay as late as he needs me, or work weekends, etc. If he wants to replace me, fine. I don't think he does, but you seem to be the expert on the business world, so I guess I have to concede to you in this matter.

 

Maybe I'm not cut out for the 9-5 grind. I've often thought that. Unless I'm told otherwise, I guess I'll just stay where I am and see where it takes me.

[magichands]

I know I'm good at my job, and I know my boss values my work and likes the fact that I have no home commitments and can stay as late as he needs me, or work weekends, etc.

It is very hard to find good help these days. I think your boss is very lucky to have you.

 

My last boss had all sorts of problems with me, so he gave me a fantastic reference. Now I'm causing digestive upsets to someone new, but it's not on purpose.

 

Maybe I'm just lazy. We all want people in our lives that we can rely on.

[Mary3]

Whats 10 minutes ?...

Ask someone about to be executed in the electric chair how valuable the last 10 minutes of his life is...

 

Who's 10 minutes are these ? The COMPANY'S and not yours.

 

You seem smug that you can waltz in and shrug off that if you start at 9 then...... maybe you should START at 9 ! ( wow , novel idea huh ? )

 

If you have falsified your time records ( as one employee we had did ) you can and will be terminated. Thats called : Falsifying company time records.

 

I know you got in with the boss and this is no big deal to you but it IS a big deal .

 

Maybe your boss can overlook another 6 years but I don't think you are going to get away with this much further . HR has been brought in and NOW this is permanant part of your WORK RECORD.

 

Go ahead and lose this job and try to find another with your poor punctuality.

[Guest]

"Authority should be questioned"...seriously, how old are you? You want to question "authority" over your 10 minute late "start time"? If this is your idea of "questioning authority" then you really have no idea what it is to question authority.

 

I'm sure you feel that it's your "right" to show up whenever you want, and that it's "old School" to *gasp* actually make it into work on time, or perhaps, early?

CNN will be on when you get home, most likely repeating the same stories ad nauseum, go to bed earlier if you need sleep, and any errands that need to be done can be done on --listen closely here, it's important--your OWN time.

 

I think that your sense of entitlement is clouding what should be common sense with in this situation. The reason that you are working later everyday is because you cannot get it together enough to get to work on time. And as much as you would like to deny this, it is in your employee file. It is being noted, and a company, no matter how much "they like you" will make cuts when a company feels that the employee doesn't give a crap-which is the message that you are sending your company everytime that you are late.

 

So, in the end, "question authority" all that you want, you are just questioning the wrong authority, and in the wrong way. Good luck with that.

[Kittiecat]

No, I don't think it's my right at all to come in whenever I please. Aside from it being a bit of a rant, the entire point of this thread was my questioning the true severity of tardiness, and perhaps to see if anyone else, with otherwise clean records, has had to deal with administrative pickiness. I wasn't expecting a finger-wag fest, but hey, I guess that's risk you take when revealing your deepest, darkest work secrets on a public forum.

[Mary3]

Just curious : Are you late for other things in life too ?

 

Being late is rude behavior if a friend is waiting for you ...or 20 coworkers who want to start a project.

 

Being late is loss of productivity to everyone.

 

And last but not least, being late is just wrong. Try showing your coworkers you give a heck and show up on time ?

 

Can you do that ?

[Kittiecat]

Just curious : Are you late for other things in life too ?

 

Being late is rude behavior if a friend is waiting for you ...or 20 coworkers who want to start a project.

 

Being late is loss of productivity to everyone.

 

And last but not least, being late is just wrong. Try showing your coworkers you give a heck and show up on time ?

 

Can you do that ?

 

You've stated all of this before and now you're just repeating yourself.

 

I'm not late to anything else in life. I'll agree with you that it isn't nice behavior and people should not leave others waiting.

 

I've worked in a restaurant before and yeah, I was always on time. I knew I had another girl I had to relieve, and I didn't want to make her wait. My current work situation is not one where I have a team of people, or anyone, waiting for me first thing in the morning.

 

Hmm...now I'm repeating myself...

[amerikajin]

Well, I'm a teacher, so if I'm late, lessons don't start on time. It's pretty important, I guess.

 

But at my old job, we could afford to be flexible - or at least I could, because I had a lot of paperwork and my job mainly consisted of projects and meeting with people outside the office. So as long as I was on time for the important things, the little things didn't matter.

 

Here's the deal: from their point of view, an HR office at a big company can't afford to overlook the little things. Yes, you're basically a good employee and easy to get along with and don't cause problems, but every X number of employees they hire might turn out to be a real problem, and tardiness is always one criteria HR or personnel departments look at in terms of evaluating a person's performance. If they get slack with a handful of employees or even just one, it can make it harder for them to get rid of those employees they don't like - for the simple reason that the terminated employee might complain that he/she was treated unfairly, and he'd actually have a point.

 

It goes beyond that, though. The employee hours logged obviously have a great impact on payroll, and labor law also comes into play. They have to make sure that all employees are working within the 40 hour per week limit - because if they don't, they are liable for overtime, and that has become a potentially sticky issue in this day and age of flex time. Some employers have been burned because they simply did not document time properly. So when that happens, a po'd employee either quits or gets run off and then complains to the federal and local authorities that they weren't paid overtime. It becomes the employee's word against the company's, and if the company doesn't keep accurate logs, they can definitely get screwed - it has happened.

 

It's not about you at all, it's about the company covering its arse, and I actually happen to agree with them in this case. Nothing against you. My guess is, if this were a small company it might not be an issue, but a big company with tens or hundreds of employees (or more) has millions of dollars in potential liability, and they can't afford to take that chance. I would not be surprised if it actually was your boss who called HR's attention to your time sheet. Maybe he didn't want to be the bad guy, and at the same time, maybe he wanted to get the point across - it would be on his hands if poor documentation led to problems later.

[Tete de poulet]

You've stated all of this before and now you're just repeating yourself.

 

I'm not late to anything else in life. I'll agree with you that it isn't nice behavior and people should not leave others waiting.

 

I've worked in a restaurant before and yeah, I was always on time. I knew I had another girl I had to relieve, and I didn't want to make her wait. My current work situation is not one where I have a team of people, or anyone, waiting for me first thing in the morning.

 

Hmm...now I'm repeating myself...

 

I'll wait for ya, Kittiekat. I like you as a brunette!

[Touche]

I'll wait for you too, KC! You sexy little unpunctual doll!

[Mz. Pixie]

Who's 10 minutes are these ? The COMPANY'S and not yours

 

You stated before something about flextime? Well, if you had flextime it would be outlined in your company policy, and, no one would have said a word to you about time clock issues. I've participated several times in a flextime environment as well as had employees who did so.

 

If you have falsified your time records ( as one employee we had did ) you can and will be terminated. Thats called : Falsifying company time records

 

Yes it is. And I have fired people before just for this. HR is in charge of what goes on at that company- whether you wish to accept it or not. Otherwise they wouldn't have a HR department, wouldn't be necessary because they would just depend on the managers to handle that function.

 

The issue is that if they are allowing you to do it, and you're not getting in trouble for it- then if they fire someone else for doing it they could come back and sue the company and have your records pulled to show that you do it and get away with it. It's potential liability for the company.

 

That is why they pulled them all and brought everyone in and warned them about it. That's what that was, a verbal warning.

 

I've had to fire people who have been good at their job, but unfortunately they were manipulating the time clock and technically stealing from the company. I know you don't see it that way, but they might.

 

Your boss will ultimately protect his own ass should things come down the line- which is why he had the talk in the first place.

[RecordProducer]

It's not really an issue with my boss. I beat him into the office every day, I get my work done, I work as late as he needs me, and he's never said anything to me about being late (15 minutes MAX, I promise!! ).

... and you hold all the cards by being a good worker! Keep it that way and if you can, start coming on time. It's not important for the company's profit, but it shows responsibility. Don't give anyone the benefit of finding you a fault. People enjoy finding faults in others so at least at work you can be spared.

 

Of course because I love making mountains out of a molehills, I marched myself into the OM's office and asked him what the hell is the deal with all the nitpicky bureaucracy, etc. [Nicely, of course] He yammered for about 20 minutes, mainly repeating that he doesn't believe for a second I'm trying to screw the company out of $, etc. That made me feel a little better, I guess.

Brave girl, you!

 

I don't know. My whole issue is with HR getting involved in a situation that has only to do with me and my boss. If my boss had a real problem with my lateness, I'm sure he'd say something.

Everybody has a problem with lateness. I am always late, ALWAYS! But frankly, if I had someone working for me, I would have slightly more respect for them if they were always on time, dressed professionally, didn't use the work PC or phone for private matters, didn't tell me: "I'll be thehre as soon as I finish my sandwich in 5 min"... I would never say one word about any of these things if the job is done properly and doesn't harm the business... but I would have LESS RESPECT for this emoplyee. He or she would actually have to make money for my pocket for me to completely discard these small mistakes.

 

Regarding this issue being only between you and your boss... you might want to move to another company some day or get promoted. Your boss might be transfered. In other words, your boss is not your Siamese twin and he might not always be your boss. This is between you and your habits and people who watch your every move. If you decide to give them material to harm you, believe me - they WILL use it!

 

HR needs to butt out. Yes, it sounds immature to say this but I HATE "company policy."

I admire people who spit on all the rules. Unfortunately, other people follow the rules. Spit on the rules when you're better than them and can move faster than others by doing so. Don't spit on the rules that damage your own position - you're working against yourself when doing so.

[RecordProducer]

Just curious : Are you late for other things in life too ?

 

Being late is rude behavior if a friend is waiting for you ...or 20 coworkers who want to start a project.

 

Being late is loss of productivity to everyone.

 

And last but not least, being late is just wrong. Try showing your coworkers you give a heck and show up on time ?

This is how most people see your habit of being late. My husband tells me this all the time.

 

Can you do that?

We can't. And we show weakness by that. Every time you show weakness, be prepared for a punch in the nose!

 

Solution: show them that you CAN be on time. Don't show your weaknesses to people who are not your close friends and family. YOUR life will be better.

[Guest]

A co-worker of mine is always late. I usually don't notice or care, but every once in awhile she'll be late for a work assignment we have to do together and then it's my time she's wasting. And then I think about the fact that she's always late.

 

The impression I have of her is that she's disorganized and she doesn't have her life under control. On top of that she always justifies being late by trying to give the impression that she's so over-worked, over-stressed, over-booked. Which only contributes to making her seem disorganized. I am probably going to get ahead in the field where we work, and I would not give this woman a strong recommendation.

 

I don't necessarly thinks this applies to you. It sounds like you just have a hard time getting in on time in the morning. Unfortunately, it doesn't go un-noticed, and it can come back to haunt you at times when you're genuinely late for a good reason.