I work a customer service job in a golf course. I do front desk secretarial work, mainly. I usually work morning shifts, so I like to clock on 5-15 minutes early and spend that time before the place opens gettings ready – organizing files, tidying my area, getting a radio, reading over the itinerary for the day, etc. I also use this time to set up some other stations around me for the greeter and such so that when they arrive things are ready for them. I personally thought this was a model employee sort of thing to do, and as they don't always give me as many hours as I would like, this is a good way for me to get a bit more money.
Most of the managers are pretty friendly with me and I have no qualms with them. One of the managers, we'll call her “M” is a jerk to we lowly worker bees. Unfortunately for me, “M” is a higher rank than most of the other managers.
As an example, when I first started working there, I asked if I could have a chair to sit in at the front desk because I was having a lot of foot and knee pain and the front desk is a stationary place where chairs make sense. M told me that chairs are “unprofessional” and that if I want one I will need a medical exemption. I don't have one and am too broke to get one so I just sucked it up and got used to it.
About a week ago, M saw me clocking on and was like “What are you doing? You're not shifted until [open o'clock.]!” I explained that I clock on a few minutes early to prepare for the day so that we can have a smooth open and be ready for the morning golfers. She tells me that I am only allowed to clock on in the timeframe between 5 minutes before my shift and 1 minute before my shift, because they don't want to be paying employees for too much time. A four minute clock-on window feels a little tight to me, and I will miss the extra 15m of money / preparation time a day, but whatever, I don't want to fight M because I know she can make my life a living hell if she wants to. I comply to her new ruling.
Today, rather than drive myself, I got a ride because my car needed to be in the mechanic shop. Today being a Friday and a holiday, we were pretty busy and we were also super shortstaffed. I was the only person at the front desk and whoever was supposed to replace me hadn't arrived yet. The end of my shift came and my ride texted me that he was here.
I didn't want to keep him waiting, but like the good employee I am, I also didn't want to clock off with the front desk unattended, so I radioed M and asked her to take over front desk until my replacement showed up so I could leave.
M told me that the end of the shift was only a possible end time and employees may be required to stay after their shifts end, and I told her my ride was already here, I needed to leave, and that if she didn't take the spot at the front desk it would be empty until my replacement clocked on. I clocked off and left with M fuming.
If I'm not allowed to clock on early, then don't try to demand I stay late, jerk.
TLDR: Jerk manager won't let me clock on 15 minutes early to have prep time, but later tries to demand I stay late when we are shortstaffed.