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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
festered · 10/09/2013 17:58

I wouldn't do it. I was brought up with a good work ethic BUT it seems this sort of thing is common from what I see recently.

Hulababy · 10/09/2013 17:58

So, she did 30 minutes under her actual time she should be doing?
IMO, and IME, that's not on. On you first few days at least you must show enthusiasm and at the very least do the proper number of hours unless your employer actually tells you to leave early.

FWIW I have never been sent home early on my first day of work either. Last time I started a job I was in way earlier than I was supposed to be, for an induction session, and started way later too, in a meeting after classes finished with the rest of the year group making sure I knew what was happening, etc.

Silverfoxballs · 10/09/2013 18:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheLightPassenger · 10/09/2013 18:16

I would give her the benefit of the doubt, she doesn't seem to have handled the issue perfectly, but equally she doesn't seem to have had things made perfectly clear to her, that whilst training her hours would need to fit in with yours. btw when I have trained staff, they have never been restricted to my working hours, they could start earlier and finish later.

pensandpaperclips · 10/09/2013 18:26

Give her the benefit of the doubt!!

I'm contracted to work 8am until 4pm. I remember soon after I started my boss didn't seem to be aware of this and when I made to leave at 4.25pm, said snarkily "Leaving early, tonight, are we?", completely ignoring the fact that the night before I'd done until going on 6pm.

Bitch. Glad I have a new boss now who doesn't care what time I leave as long as I do my hours :D

LadyClariceCannockMonty · 10/09/2013 18:39

I'd imagine the OP is giving her the benefit of the doubt, but is also thanking her lucky stars that her company has a probation-period policy.

Or feeling rather nervous if they don't.

It's not about how many hours she did or whether she'd have been working right up to going home, per se, it's about attitude and seeming keen, or at least not entitled.

UseHerName · 10/09/2013 19:00

i started a new job recently with flexible working hrs.my first day i was there at 850 and left at 4:55 as i was told we could go whenevrr we wanted as long as we are in during core hrs.

the nxt day i was sat at my desk for 8:05 and every day since,leaving 455 or 5 depending on team requirements

in my first wk i clocked up an extra 4hrs...and ive learned the role really quickly....

just to give you an idea

plus im extremely commited to and grateful for my new job..

MadeOfStarDust · 10/09/2013 19:10

Started my new job today - turned up at 12, went home at 4 - as per my contracted hours.... learned my role really quickly too.... put goods on shelf in the right place, oldest to the front, labels facing front, nice and tidy.....

just saying....

not everyone NEEDS to stay late.... not every job warrants it, or pays enough for people to care....

Floggingmolly · 10/09/2013 19:32

Awful attitude. At the very least, she could have spoken to you about needing to do this this morning, not left it until ten minutes before she waltzed out the door. She also had a nerve implying your start time had inconvenienced her! Shock
Madam wants watching, I'd say.

Original poster
happydutchmummy · 10/09/2013 21:15

An update for you you all...

Went to work today, New colleague was there (sorry to those of you who predicted she would disappear after her first day) and seems to be settling in ok.

thanks for all your replies, I see that for some people this would be a massive red flag and others believe it's completely understandable for her to have asked. I'm somewhere I the middle, I just thought her attitude was a bit strange for someone on her first day. It's not the half hour I really care about, more the way she asked and put herself across that I found odd. Surely on your first day you'd want to make a good impression and she's honestly not going out of her way to do that. I just thought it was a strange thing to do (as I wouldn't have done it when starting a new job) hence the original post as I wanted to see if my normal meter was off.

OP posts:
slightlysoupstained · 10/09/2013 21:31

I remember someone being very Hmm about a new colleague who had done just this on her first day. He was extremely judgy and dubious about whether she'd last.

She turned out to be fantastic, tremendously committed and hard working.

intitgrand · 10/09/2013 21:41

But presumably she had thought that she could finish at 4 (maybe she had made arrangements)and didn't realise until ten to 4 that she was expected to stay later.

WafflyVersatile · 10/09/2013 21:44

I'd assume that she intends working 8-4 so she didn't leave early, she started late, at the company's behest. Who knows what her reasons are for wanting to leave at 4 sharp whenever possible. Maybe she has a secret lover on a tight schedule.

poppycock6 · 10/09/2013 21:56

This thread reminds me of a new employee a few years ago. It was Halloween and she turned up on her first day dressed as a witch with black gown, full green makeup, hairy mole and hat etc! I can picture her now sat at the computer while someone was showing her the software. It all seemed a bit surreal! Nice lady but needless to say she didn't last long.

fuckwittery · 10/09/2013 21:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

cuillereasoupe · 10/09/2013 22:09

what waffly said. I'm a bit Hmm at someone being thought not keen enough if they only^ work their contracted hours. Giving the company free overtime in the first week is a bit of a dangerous precedent to set IMO.

WafflyVersatile · 10/09/2013 22:18

She wasn't, I don't think. their hours are 8-4, 10-6, 9-5 or whatever inbetween. she wanted to come in at 8 but was told not to come in until 8.30 as the op wouldn't be there until then.

What time did she come in today, happy?

slightlysoupstained · 10/09/2013 22:21

cuillere Yeah, same here - and I am a certified workaholic but I still wouldn't judge someone for having a need to leave at the time they thought they'd be able to.

I ax

VisualCharades · 10/09/2013 22:24

maybe she had massive a periody flood, migraine, dying cat ... or she believes in staking out strict working boundaries and working full on within them, or as the poster upthread said only time will tell. my dh leaves the work door swinging at 5pm but he is in no way a shirker

slightlysoupstained · 10/09/2013 22:29

Think this is worth reading:
www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/why-working-more-than-40-hours-a-week-is-useless.html

QuintessentialOldDear · 10/09/2013 22:33

Do you know if she got in at 8, or at 8.22... ? Wink

notjustamummythankyou · 11/09/2013 11:05

Poppycock - that's hilarious! I worked with someone who came in on Comic Relief day dressed head to foot in orange. He then proceeded to tap dance on the Reception desk in front of a client. Not quite the image we needed to project at that point.

This colleague is now incredibly successful in a far more creative industry - and one that probably wouldn't mind if he was dressed in orange on any day of the week!

Sorry for the hijack, OP. As you were ...

UseHerName · 11/09/2013 20:47

any update op on the new girl's antics? Grin

marriedinwhiteisback · 11/09/2013 21:01

She is U but. Why did you tell her she was free to leave any time she wanted? I'd have asked for a reason and if there hadn't been one I'd have asked her to work her shift - all of it.

aftermay · 11/09/2013 22:29

On my first day in new job last year I had to phone in to say childcare arrangements looked precarious and I'd be late. The summer camp people were being late. In the event it was only by 10 minutes and I did make it on time to work. Bad first impression? They got their money's worth, don't worry. I never had another childcare crisis in the whole time working there. But you know, shit happens, even on the first day.