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 do a professional job in a professional workplace and if I worked full time, then the occasional extra hours here and there and a bit of quid pro quo is expected and that's fine, i've done that for may years with many employers. However, I take a pay cut of hundreds of pounds a month to work half an hour less every day so I'm not inclined to work an extra 15-20 minutes every day routinely. I come and go as much as I am able to accommodate things but I also feel it's okay to say no sometimes.

I feel your pain. I sit in the car playing on my phone until 5 minutes before I start or I just get mobbed

I can see both sides. If their day is in full swing early and you said you couldn't start til 9.30 and yet you hang around eating sandwiches from 9.15, it will wind them up! It's bound to.
I've also been that part timer who ended up doing many more hours on half pay! It is frustrating.
If it bothers you, arrive and leave on time. But remember 'work to rule' works both ways!

I know it won’t stop the questions whilst your stops taking your coat off but could you possibly put an auto response on your emails which says you are in the office from 9:30 so you will not be responding to any emails until after this time?

I get the impression OP doesn’t mind starting earlier, it’s being pounced on before she has even switched her computer on...

I don't understand this attitude at all. Are you really quibbling about 10 minutes? Presumably your bosses have been flexible about you starting at 9.30am even thought - if I am reading the sub-text correctly - they'd really prefer you were there with them earlier. I can't imagine ever having (or employing someone with) this approach to work.

Give and take. Next time you want to leave 15 mi utes early to get to parents evening they might be inclined to refuse.

John 10-15 minutes a day is 50 minutes to an hour an a quarter every week. Not much in the grand scheme of things and yes they have been flexible but they have also cut OPs pay in return.

If they are equally happy for her to go 10-15 minutes early every evening or leave an hour early at the end of the week then that's fine, give and take.

Surely you're taking your coat off and switching on your pc while they're talking? How long does it take to do those things? Once they've said what they need (so they can carry on with their work) you can then bugger off to make a cup of tea. It's just basic give and take.

Itsatravesty

What exactly is entitled and appalling about wanting to get your coat off/bag away before being accosted by colleagues? Genuine question

She's not being 'accosted' though! Her colleagues are approaching her as they clearly require urgent answers to queries that the OP can help with. They have probably been waiting for the OP to arrive, I don't blame them for not waiting for her to have her 'cuppa' FFS, some of you are so precious and clearly don't work to deadlines / have pressured jobs!

'Accosted'! So OTT.

Puss puss, no, I'm not my own boss. I realize that my being able to that is partially because in my workplace, most of us work independently of others.

I should add that if there is a question that is related to a specific patron, which I would be able to see as the patron would be standing at the desk as I walk in, I would definitely stop and answer.

I just did a test.

Walked from my front door to my desk, took my cardigan (fake coat) off and hung it on the door handle, plugged my laptop in (power and screen cables) and sat down.

If you give a bit, you'll get a bit back
In my experience, if they're the type that's rude enough to start pestering you before you've even got your coat off, you won't: 9.35, and you'll get a formal warning.

One of my last jobs in an actual workplace involved an almost 2 hour commute, so I made sure to be there 15 mins early every day to go loo before starting a workday that had no breaks until 2pm. Being accosted at the door would have involved me uncomfortably asking them to hold on while I nip to the loos. Thankfully they never did this, although at my after college job, after 30 mins wait for bus then 70 min journey after my college day, my boss would grab me every single damn time and start listing the items I need to stock, what needed cleaning or repricing, while I stood in my coat usually needing to nip loo! Completely without thinking its 15 mins before starting, maybe I want to put down my heavy book bag or anything. It's basic courtesy to allow a person to take even a minute to get into work mode. The amount of times I would listen to him, maybe take the items he just plonked on me, go and take coat off and lock my bag away then have to have it repeated. All for £3.10 an hour, but that's another story.

It's rarely about time. It's rarely about clockwatching, I'll work the second I'm paid. It's basic human courtesy.

I do not think they are being unreasonable. I have been in that situation and had no issue with it. They have been accommodating with you flexing your hours to suit do a bit of flexibility back to answer an urgent request when you are already in the office should not be an issue. I get pounded on nearly every day before I am in the door with my coat off, this is just part of work.

Pounced not pounded - pounded may be an actual issue!!

Once you’re in work, you’re at work. Just say, no problem - just let me grab a brew/switch my computer on or whatever.

I get asked questions the minute I walk into the office and as far as I am concerned if I’m in the office I’m available. However if it’s gpong to take more than a few seconds I’ll usually say “can you give me 2 secs to switch my pc on and grab a tea, do you want one?” I’m part of the management team but I have no issue with any of my staff giving me the same response.

I feel your pain OP. I work in transport and we are open 5am to 11pm so I work either and early shift (love it) or a late shift (hate it). Drivers are beginning to come back when I arrive for a late shift and I was bombarded with question, problems, complaints before I had even got out of my car. Just keep saying "Give me a minute to take my coat off" or "I'll be with you in a minute when I've put my lunch away" they do get the message eventually. I am now followed until I have clocked in and logged on. Sometimes a driver with a problem has even made my a cuppa 😁 (don't get this on an early shift, it's great)

Don’t walk in the door until 9:30. However remember that most of the office will already be in work mode by the time you get in so you will have to accommodate them to a certain extent

Personally I'm in the "give a little, take a little" camp. There's no obligation at all to work before 9.30, but given work have already changed the days/hours to suit, I wouldn't want to risk them playing it absolutely by the book if childcare flexibility's needed

There's also the point of being on MN pretty consistently for 25 minutes, which in theory may not matter at all - after all, you apparently work during lunch. But isn't it the sort of thing that could be commented on if they feel encouraged to?

Seems to me a lot of this could be avoided if you just didn’t wear a coat

Wow. Well, it’s depressing to see how many ill-mannered people there are out there.

I think you need a phrase which might lead to the others learning to be courteous without upsetting them. I'm not great at this but something like "please give me a minute to log on and get a brew, do you want one?".

Your thread title is misleading, if I understand right, it's more about being bombarded before you've got to your desk and than about them not considering your working hours. A mixture of arriving closer to 9:30 and some polite come-backs should make a difference over time.