I recently started a new job and today is my second day post-training. On the first day of training, my manager shows me the time-clock and how to punch in and says “if you’re even one minute late, we will write you up.” I think this is bullshit but I just say “understood, I’m almost always on time anywhere I go.” Which is true.
Fast forward to today and I come in 10 minutes before time and go to clock in. The manager runs out of his office and goes “woah woah woah what are you doing?” And I reply “clocking in.” And he says “you’re too early. Wait until 7.” So I then say: “so I can’t clock in if I get here early, but if I get here even 60 seconds late, I get written up?” And he replies “that is our policy, yes.” So I take a deep breath and say “okay, then don’t ever expect me early, I also need you to realize I’m pulling myself out of bed very early in the morning, using $12 worth of gas to get here, and I have to navigate between the people’s convoy to get here, so if I get written up for being one minute late, that tells me that you don’t respect my time.”
All the other employees are lining up at the time clock at this point and the chit chat immediately goes silent. Manager pulls me aside and says “look, you can have a four minute window to clock in, okay?”
Okay, boss.
To make things worse, we clock in at 7 to have a meeting at 7:30 and don’t even start work until 8. What a fucking waste of time. The day I get written up for being a few minutes late for a meeting that hasn’t even started yet, is the day this company will be looking for another employee.
Advocate for yourself. State expectations early. Don’t let the bastards grind you down.