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AIBU?

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Original poster

would you leave "early" on your first day of a new job?

164 replies

happydutchmummy · 09/09/2013 21:48

We had a new colleague start today and I did her induction and new starter thing this morning. I wasn't the one who'd interviewed her, but I spoke to her on the phone when she accepted the job. Both times she asked what her set working hours would be and both times I explained that we operate a flexible working policy in our office, as long as she is there during core hours, she can choose to work around them as she wishes (e.g. come in early and leave early, or start at 9 but stay till later)

She approached me at ten to four to ask if it would be on for her to leave at 4:00 today as she had wanted to come in at 8:00 but was told she couldn't as I don't start til 8:30 and I was settling her in. So basically she wanted to leave half an hour early as she felt she could have started work earlier but was delayed by my start time! I told her she was free to leave whatever time she wanted, but she would have to make up the extra half hour of work later in the week as she'd not worked her full hours for today.

Aibu to find this a bit odd? During my first weeks in the office I was eager to be seen as keen and enthusiastic and I wouldn't have dreamt of leaving early, especially not on day 1! Or is her attitude totally acceptable as we do work flexible hours...

OP posts:
mercibucket · 10/09/2013 09:37

its about making a good impression if you care about the job. she doesnt care about the job. not a crime, but as an employer, perhaps there are other people out there who would care? if this is public sector, you are stuck with her until she finds something she likes more

ChardonnayMacandrew · 10/09/2013 09:37

Oh gosh it doesn't bode well does it. When I start a new job I'm usually there hours after I should be long gone as I know there'll be a learning curve involved and I like to be on top of things.

I'm not saying what I do is the correct thing to do but what your new starter does seem to have an attitude problem (already).

MCos · 10/09/2013 09:48

"She approached me at ten to four to ask if it would be on for her to leave at 4:00 today as she had wanted to come in at 8:00 but was told she couldn't as I don't start til 8:30 and I was settling her in."

I wouldn't have been impressed. It seems quite entitled, and she doesn't seem to be bothered about the impression this would leave.

If she needed to leave at 4pm, there were better approaches to making this request.

CuChullain · 10/09/2013 09:54

^Making a good impression cuts both ways.

There will come a time when there's a genuine crisis/urgency/deadline and you'll need this employee to do a bit more than she's contractually required to do. Provided you're paying her for her skills and knowledge and not to keep her seat warm with her bum between certain hours of the day.

I've had previous employers ask me to start at 7.00am instead of the usual 9.00am, repeatedly. I've had to stay late to finish stuff (sometimes as late as missing the last train home). I've been asked to work bank holidays. None of which was part of the initial deal I signed up for. I agreed to do them because I knew my bosses wouldn't make a fuss of my leaving 30 minutes early on slow days, or they'd let me work from home on occasion, and so on.^

PanickingIdiot

I actually agree with most of what you say. In my experience most employers are pretty cool when it comes to being flexible with work hours or allowing you to skip off early or turn up late for whatever reason so long as you work your hours for the week and complete everything that your job requires. IME it takes a bit of time for that level of trust between both parties to develop, once both are seen not to be taking the piss it can be lead to a very healthy working relationship with everyone happy. I have worked for many organisations and there is always seems to be a core of lazy folk who piss their pants when asked to do anything that infringes on their personal time yet have no bother abusing the companies time when it suits them. That said, I still think it is fairly piss poor to ask to leave early on your first day, it does not really look very good.

PanickingIdiot · 10/09/2013 10:18

it takes a bit of time for that level of trust between both parties to develop

I agree, but in this instance the employer did nothing to foster that trust. It is, indeed, the manager who comes across as a clockwatcher who cares more about the hours being worked than about the job being done. If it had been me, I'd already be a bit alienated and not all that inclined to go the extra mile for this company.

There's nothing to be gained for 30 minutes more "work" on your first day. My opinion would be very different had she swanned off early on a day when it was all hands to the pump. But there's a word of difference between a first day at work and a crisis day at work.

I have to also confess that at the age of 36 I care very little of what "looks good". I have skills I've worked hard to gain and if I'm hired, it's because I do an excellent job. I don't need to fake being busy on my first day to leave a good impression.

MyNameIsSuz · 10/09/2013 10:19

Oh god this is really worrying me now! I'm starting a new job soon with a similar arrangement and have agreed hours of 8-4 with my boss, so I can pick my son up at half 4. What if she's not in until later than 8 on my first day? Should I arrange for someone else to pick him up?

PanickingIdiot · 10/09/2013 10:21

(Sorry about my typing and the bits that don't make sense.)

WafflyVersatile · 10/09/2013 10:37

Actually IME quite often on first days the newbie (on flexi or otherwise) is told not to come in until x time on their first day because the person showing them round won't be in until then/ready for them until then and they are not expected to make this time up at all.

ChardonnayMacandrew · 10/09/2013 10:40

MyNamemIsSuz - that is a completely different set of circumstances - and you know it.

mamij · 10/09/2013 12:37

Would be good if OP can give us an update for today.

SweetSeraphim · 10/09/2013 12:50

Can't believe how many people are saying that this is ok! She's not a 16 year old starting work for the first time!

SPBisResisting · 10/09/2013 13:35

"if this is public sector, you are stuck with her until she finds something she likes more"

Why? I work in the public sector and this ks not my experience

Neitheronethingortheother · 10/09/2013 13:41

If she has flexi then she is ok to choose the hours that suit her. She asked if it was ok an dyou said yes. She probably wasnt that busy on her first day. Most people might have stayed do they didnt look like they werent enthusiastic but that is kind of false. give me someone straight up any day that doesnt need to follow all the crappy social norms that dont mean you work harder or are any good. I hate the school of thought that has people sitting at their desks for fixed hours regardless of the work that needs to be done. Would much rather people going the extra mile when needed and allowing them flexibility the rest of the time.

LondonMother · 10/09/2013 13:48

We had a chap start once who in his first two weeks would wander in late, take a long lunch hour and leave at least 15 minutes early. The line manager was bracing herself to deal with this and had consulted HR for advice.

Monday of week 3, he rang in: 'I have a cold and I won't be in until Thursday'. Hmm

Thursday morning, chap went to see line manager first thing and said 'I am so sorry, this post isn't working out as I'd hoped, I think I need to leave'. Line manager was enormously relieved but also enormously disgusted as while chap was speaking an enormous trail of snot was appearing from his nose, which he then wiped on his sleeve.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 10/09/2013 13:48

I think it shows a lack of enthusiasm and I certainly wouldn't do it on my first day. However, she did complete her core hours and as long as she makes up the time later in the week I wouldn't hold it against her too much. I would simply keep an eye on her to make she is working as hard as you'd expect in future :)

WafflyVersatile · 10/09/2013 15:04

Of course it's ok! She hasn't done anything wrong.

VoiceOfRaisin · 10/09/2013 15:15

mynameisSuz I bet she had a similar issue. The OP says that the employee asked at both opportunities about what the core hours were before accepting the post. She was told 10-4 (or whatever) and accepted on that basis. If she was expected to stay til 4.30 on day 1 then someone should have told her in advance. She was being perfectly reasonable to have arranged her life to leave at 4pm. It is only "presenteeism" that would cause anyone to mind about that as long as she does her work and her hours every week.

I also agree that Day 1 is often a late start to fit around whoever is doing the induction and that does not involve the new employee having to work late to make up the hours.

OP when she said it was your late start that threw out her timing, I don;t think she meant it as a criticism so much as an explanation. I think you have taken it too personally. You should give her a fair chance.

MrsDoomsPatterson · 10/09/2013 15:29

You're a bit quick off the mark. How about giving the poor woman a chance. Bloody hell!

grumpyoldbat · 10/09/2013 16:25

If the employee had caring responsibilities then to create a good impression she should have said something at the beginning of her shift. Eg I need to collect dd (whatever applies) is it ok if I still leave at 4 and I'll make the hours up later. If she received a message ir something later in the day she should have said that she had received a message about an emergency and could she leave at 4.

aftermay · 10/09/2013 16:49

It's all very petty. I'm sure you'll get your pound of flesh and make her work hard. Whether she does or not remains to be seen.

Turniptwirl · 10/09/2013 17:06

Suz - make it clear from the beginning that you have to leave at a certain time for your son but are willing to make it up later in the week, have a shorter lunch etc

The whole thing is about a good impression, not 30 minutes work. If she had approached OP at 8.35 and said she had to leave at 4, for x reason, she had been planning to work 8-4 and would happily make up any time lost while shadowing OP once she was more useful then no problem.

We currently have temps in and it's a quiet few weeks, so we spend the afternoons finding them envelopes to stuff etc. the longer they've been here the more stuff they learn and the less dead time there is in the afternoons. It is boring when you start a job and can't do anything really useful yet, but you just have to suck it up and stick it out

WafflyVersatile · 10/09/2013 17:21

she doesn't need caring responsibilities to leave at 4pm. The company policy probably doesn't say you can leave at 4 BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE CARING RESPONSIBILITIES.

Maybe there wasn't anything else for her to usefully do for the last half hour so why not leave at 4.

LondonMother · 10/09/2013 17:42

The company policy is not that working hours are 10-4. Core hours are 10-4, which is different. Employees are expected to work x hours across a week, with some flexibility about when they start and finish from day to day, but they have to be there between 10 and 4. Simple common sense dictates that on day 1 a new employee should be trying to look keen, doesn't it?

WafflyVersatile · 10/09/2013 17:46

What makes you think she wasn't acting keen?

LondonMother · 10/09/2013 17:48

Leaving early on day 1 in a job is by definition not acting keen.