If you start work at 9am, should you arrive at 8.50am?

[pontipinemum]

I watched a video recently where people were complaining that if they started work at 9am, 3pm what ever it might be that they will turn up on the dot if their boss expects them to be there earlier they need to pay them more.

I do agree, as apparently some places ask you to arrive 15mins early for a seamless cross over. Which could actually work out at nearly 60 unpaid hours over the year.

I have been bang on time arriving to work and would not consider myself late but I had 1 boss who would consider that late and she made sure I knew.

But if you want to get in, get a cuppa tea, say hi to people you aren't arriving 10 mins early to actually start work. I have worked with people who come in at 9am on the dot, then go to the kitchen for 20 mins before even turning on the computer.

I wfh now so I do tend to start a bit earlier then my official start time

Absolutely…I noticed this with colleagues but when they are friends with the boss and have a social together what can you do or say

If I had to fire anyone I'd follow the proper procedure for doing so. And I wouldn't fire them for starting work on time.

I'm contracted to work 37 hours a week. As long as I work those hours and get my work done nobody cares if I start at 8.55 or 9.05 or even 10.15.
I have in the past had jobs where I had to start at a particular time because that's what the service demanded: eg shop: customers are waiting to come in at 9; groom in riding school; horses need to be fed at 8 because first lesson is 9.30 etc etc

This was the rule with me when I worked for the NHS too. Late a few minutes, so docked 15 minutes. I got in trouble, but I was not going to work for free.

I turn my computer on at the start time. Any login process and firewall passwords and setting up are done in the company time. There are at least five sets of passwords and codes for the various bits of software access. This can easily take 10 minutes, even more if your password isn’t recognised and your MFA code doesn’t come through.

Realistically, they will fire the one they can pay the least redundancy money to.

Don't conflate being a hard worker with being present at work for longer hours. The hardest worker in my team won't start early nor stay late, but he's autistic so does no timewasting small talk and gossip. I've worked alongside people who start early, finish late, and spend the first and last half-an-hour of each day gabbing. I noticed this because I'm also autistic and the extra noise was severe enough to cause sensory problems for me.

💯

Fuck "unspoken rules". They are disablist.

If your boss is expecting you to be there outside of your contracted hours, they are doing it to avoid hiring and paying the correct number of staff. This is why we should refuse to do it. Do not submit to the exploitation that is unpaid overtime.

I used to get to work fairly early but I was starting work then like 15minutes early each day as people were coming into the office.

Got fed up in the end as others were always late. I then got in just enough time to turn the computer on and start working dead on 9am.

Exactly

Depends on seniority and whether you're salaried or paid by the hour.

I'm salaried, so if I have to talk to an overseas vendor at 10pm then that's my job and I'm paid enough to put up with it. I reclaim the time from my office hours though because there's still a contractual expectation that I will spend an average of 37 hours per week working and I'm not going over that average.

Depends where you work and what you do. If it’s public facing / service provision clearly you need to be there ready to start on time.

For knowledge based roles, you get the best people by being flexible to their needs rather than imposing strict rules on when they work. As long as they are delivering and attend meetings, it doesn’t matter what time they arrive or where they choose to work. If they want to take a two hour lunch break or disappear for an hour to have a nap and then come back reinvigorated with new ideas, that’s great.

I don't agree computer needs to be turned on at 9, because then there is about 10minutes a day, almost an hour a week that the company are getting for free. Sod that. I believe you should be at your desk, and computer turned on to log on at 9. Because if you left 15minutes early every day and expected to be paid, you would be disciplined/ let go. So I don't agree with companies having that time from you for free.

My OH and I have both done a stink on a proddution line when we were yong, just married - the foreman or supersior as they were later called would by on your case A-sap and you'd get a damn good bolloxing😂

To be fair, I think I'd be rather displeased too if I discovered that you'd done a stink on my lovely production line - you could contaminate a whole day's output

I once temped for a Japanese-owned company - thankfully only for a few weeks. They insisted that everybody had to wear company-provided trainers 'for safety', that could not be worn outside of the building - even those like me who were in the office - so you had to arrive in your normal shoes, change into their trainers and then clock in.

They docked 15 minutes' pay if you were a minute later than your start time - which was very rich considering you'd already spent a few minutes going to the changing room and changing into their stupid precious trainers.

It's interesting how companies that do this somehow don't seem able to pay you an extra 15 minutes for staying a few more minutes at the end of the day, even if they've asked you to stay on. That tells you with shining clarity exactly how they view you.

Why don't you be ready at your desk for 9, then switch your computer on. You aren't being paid for those 10 minutes to load up the programmes.

I WFH in a flexible job so log on at my start time. Nowadays I claim back any overtime in flexi too. I imagine in nursing or teaching you have to work some
hours for free in order to be ready to go at your start time. I also imagine that employers rely on people being happy doing this. I don’t personally think that’s right, they rely on a culture of everyone feeling worried about looking bad for only working the hours they are paid. I spent many years feeling like that but now think sod that.

I remember a boss who expected us to come in early at times for meetings / breakfast clubs but who got really annoyed when a colleague asked if she could leave early one day.

The boss expected us to be flexible in our working day but did not offer it back. And that breeds resentment.

Luckily I am in a more flexible job now.

Wow what a load of clock watchers!

If you start at 9 then in my opinion you should be at your desk starting work not arriving in the building, hanging up your coat, saying good morning to colleagues, making a drink or even breakfast etc. 5 minutes ahead definitely, 10 if you are an eat breakfast at work person

I agree in principle, that your start time is your start time, but in all but minimum wage jobs, I don't think you're helping yourself to have that attitude, if you've any desire to progress, although obviously your choice.

I can't imagine being so petty that I'd wait to turn my computer on through fear that the company gets 5 minutes of my time for free. I turn on my computer at around 9, whenever I get to my desk. I don't sprint out of the office at 5, I finish what I'm doing first.

It’s a very dated way of working, doesn’t achieve anything.

if I have worked in hospitality then time is allocated for setting up before opening & you arrive on time and get on with setting up, closing down paid until finished

if you’re working 7 hours a day - as long as you’re covering those seven hours, why does it have to be 9am till 5 ? With an hour for lunch. Why not 8.50 until 4.20 with 30 minutes lunch break?