Saying "I start at 9.30"?

[cjt110]

I changed my work hours recently to accommodate my son now going to school. I start at 9.30, have half an hours lunch and finish at 5.30. I also have reduced my days from 5 to 4.

Since I changed my hours, I regularly get into the office at approx 9.15-9.20. Also regularly, I get my boss, and other departmental bosses, ringing/speaking to me as soon as I get in.

This morning, I walked in the door at 9.15, hadn't even put my bags down to my boss saying "I've emailed you X and we need to do Y" followed by a conversation about X and Y. I politely said "Ok, fine. Just let me get in the door first"

No sooner had my boss walked away, another boss came up saying "I know you don't til 9.30 but could you check....."

This is becoming a regular nonoccurence. The odd conversation here or there fine but this is happening almost daily now.

How do I address this? I don't want to be rude but I also want to say "Hang on, it's not 9.30 yet - go away!"

I agree you’re showing a huge lack of flexibility and ungratefulness in return for the flexibility they’ve granted YOU.

Managing flexible working can be tough. If something that is your responsibility has been urgent since everyone else got in at 9am, then they’ve had 15 mins already waiting for you to deal with it. They’re already in work mode, asking you to do something straight away is understandable, and is a disadvantage (for you) of your flexible working, unfortunately.

I agree you should have a chance to take your coat off and log on though

Can you set up an auto response/out of office on you email?

Just so it lists
"I am currently out of office, my usual working hours are 9.30 -5.30 (insert days you work like Mon to thurs).

If support or advice is needed outside of this time please contact xxx team on xxx xxx

I will endeavour to respond to your emails promptly on my return "

And a verbal bright and breezy response of "yes, I'll get to it once my computer has fired up/I've got myself organised/made a cup of tea etc"

To be hobest I agree with the PP who said that if I were your manager, I would take a pretty dim view of this attitude over 10 minutes. And I would probably be inclined to take an equally inflexible view if you were to ask for any leeway in the future.

Glint and that is all the op wants

Some of the comments on here are harsh and unnecessary. I work part-time on similar hours so I can drop DC off and also experience the same. It's not only about working when you haven't officially started but setting realistic expectations once you arrive into work. If you're working full-time and start at say 8.30am each day, you probably have time to speak to colleagues, have a cuppa and sit down to look through emails and make a plan for the day. This is my experience of working full-time at least. It is not a manic rush as soon as you arrive into the office. In my case (and OP's it seems), now that I am part-time and flexi, as soon as I get in my boss and co-workers assume I have already read all emails in my inbox, am somehow up to date with everything going on and ready to start tasks immediately. This would only be possible if I read all emails & spoken to colleagues at the weekend in my own hours. Therefore, if boss is saying, "I've emailed you X and we need to do Y" - it shows poor management. What's the point of flexi contracts if managers treat you as if you're working full-time? I also manage people and would not act in the same way - ie. asking them about work as soon as they walk through the door. Full-time staff or those that come in early are not treated in this way because it's obvious they need time to read emails/settle in! Tbh, it also creates a stressful working environment.

I agree that The OP's main in concern is probably just the poor manners of people launching into full blown work related conversations before saying hello or letting her get through the door and unpacked - she is probably more sensitive to this because she is being laid from 9.30 and aware her day is a bit different to that of most. This is easily rectified with a cheery 'let me get my coat off and get sorted out and I'll be able to speak to you'

However, within it all, there is also a sense of wanting to work quite rigidly - I understand in certain jobs, people don't want to do any more than their contracted hours and that is the expectation, so starting and. Leaving on time is entirely normal.....but even within such jobs, a little flexibility does help both sides and creates seem goodwill which makes such a difference in the workplace. So rigidly refusing to talk about work (which isn't what Op is insisting on doing, but others suggest she does) until 9.30 or being out if the door instantly at 5.30 every day without fail and without any flexibility in response to individual circumstances, might sometimes make things a little difficult for others, where the odd couple of minutes flexibility would make all the difference...and with such inflexibility, the manager or other workers may respond equally inflexibly...and you do have to remember that there will be times when you might be late due to traffic or need a favour from someone, so building up some goodwill is never a bad idea.

This isn't to suggest Op should work lots of unpaid hours or be available well before her contracted time or be staying really late regularly or anything like this.....just that if she's there (and has been given a chance to get her coat off etc..) then if someone who has been working for an hour and really needs to speak to her before they can make good progress with their own work, asks a question, it would be helpful to answer it....which an think Op is saying she would do, but it's also good to do it without being grudging....and this thing about attitude and whether you are gruging or not in your dealings with colleagues makes a big difference to relationships and goodwill.

People usually understand that childcare can mean some people will rush into the office at the last minute and need to fly out at the end of their hours.....they get that and understand. They probably won't udbertsand so much if you are physically present during standard working hours (even if they aren't yours) but won't speak to them, or seem reluctant or grudging about it.

I think that this is a quid pro quo for flexible working
In any job I have ever had you start when you get in
This type of things puts employers off flexible working

It's give and take surely? You'll need the odd favour to leave early or come in late for some child related matter, you'll be back on here moaning when they say no won't you!

Your employers have been very accommodating with allowing you to change your hours around your son. I really wouldn't want to piss them off, with this bad attitude.

My standard response is a cheery, 'if you want me to remember anything that you say or think clearly, can you just give me a minute to grab a cuppa and sit down?' Cheery smile.

I'm shocked at how many clock-watchers there are on this thread. I'm retired now but I would have found it inconceivable to down tools on the dot of 5.30 or whenever if I hadn't completed something I was working on. I assume you are just working for the money and have zero interest in anything else - seems a bit sad to me.

But the people saying she should be allowed to take her coat off before being accosted arent clock watchers - just for the record :)

Wow. Jobsworth much. I can imagine your boss posting...

I have this team member who walks into work 10 minutes early every day but refuses to talk to anyone or start work until exactly the moment the clock ticks onto her work time. AIBU to think she's taking her "hours" a bit too seriously.

I used to have to leave dead on 5.30pm to get a particular train, and so many times my boss would collar me at 5.20pm for a chat, and end up making me late. He could have spoken to me earlier, or it could have waited until the next day. He was being a twat.

Any office I have worked in, everyone has arrived whenever they arrived and just started work. Some people go and get a coffee etc first but would never have occurred to me not to speak to someone about work when we're at our desks.

The OP is not being a jobsworth. She is coming in slightly early so that she is ready to start her job on time. There is literally nothing that can't wait ten minutes, though I am assuming the boss isn't performing an organ transplant and expecting the OP to hand him the new kidney. It's rude and self-important of the boss to grab her attention as soon as she gets through the door.

Why is wanting to have your coat off and your computer actually functioning seen as entitled?

Some people really seem to have missed the point the OP has made. She can’t do much at all without the tools of her trade, letting her sort that out will get their issues dealt with sooner.

I suspect a lot of the prissy fuckers on here are the botherer types who don’t understand that allowing somebody to remove their coat as they walk through a door is basic manners.

Well no, Op also wants to say “hang on, it’s not 9.30 yet- go away” as per her OP

I assume you are just working for the money and have zero interest in anything else - seems a bit sad to me.

It seems realistic to me. Not everyone can have wonderful, engaging jobs and most people wouldn't work if they didn't need the money.

Incy I feel like I'm reading a different thread to most on here.

Well no, Op also wants to say “hang on, it’s not 9.30 yet- go away” as per her OP

Only if you read the thread title only and not the OP and take things really literally.

Other nicer bosses I've had have realised I've just got in, said "go and make yourself a drink and then we can sit down." It's just displaying a bit of emotional intelligence and common decency on their part.

at all the people saying "I own a business or manage people, but can't extract basic information from a few short pieces of text."

Oh and, "I blame my staff for their bad attitudes, because of my failure to grasp basic information."

Erm...

alphasox If you posted ‘AIBU to bombard my colleague with queries before she’s even got her coat off, and no, she’s not late, in fact she’s 15 minutes early’ which would be a more honest version of events that what you wrote, I think you might get your arse handed to you. But never let the facts get in the way, eh?

Wow, OP, your attitude is appaling and you sound so entitled. Your place of work have been flexible allowing you to work around your child's needs and you have the audacity to moan about colleagues expecting you to work when you are in the office I can't abide clock watchers. You also clearly think it's ok for you to MN during the hours your should be working!