AIBU for thinking offices that use flexitime only exist in alternate realities?

[HollyShort]

Because 8 - 4 is somehow less hours at work than 10 - 6?

I'm back working in an office that allegedly operates flexitime, I prefer to come in early and leave early. As a regular 4 leaver I always check and always stay if others want to go early - this means I stay till 5 on a Friday most weeks. But the 10 - 6ers are bitching as they obviously put it more hours than me every day! Of course they swan in every day at 10 (core hours we need to cover begin at 9) but never check that someone will be in to cover. So I'm frequently the only person covering that hour. But no I am being a very unreasonable slacker as they're in the office till 6 most nights.

So AIBU?

[catgirl1976]

We don't have any flexi time

Or TOIL

You could work and extra 25 hours in a week (unpaid) but still have to make up 10 minutes if you were late back from lunch

[jacks365]

My last place worked a rota for early starts and late finishes as the phones had to be manned 8-6 but core hours were 9.30-4.30. If you were on rota it was your responsibility to find a replacement if you couldn't do it. Give the moaning lot a few times of finding someone to cover their 8 starts and they'll soon shut up.

[Scholes34]

My previous boss ran an office where people signed in and out daily on a chart on the wall of the office, so everyone could see who was where and when and how many hours they'd clocked up. Definitely stops grumbles.

[SuperConfused]

I've never experienced this, but we don't have to 'cover' anything- I've never worked in a part of the organisations that would need to answer calls or anything. We have flexi working and remote working and nobody complains or takes the piss. We do have to record our hours every day, and in a previous job people actually checked in so maybe that provides a certain reassurance that someone's checking.

Definitely think you should get management involved over setting up a rota system if people definitely need to be there outside core hours.

[samuraispider]

You need to develop teflon shoulders.

I used to get the same (but started and finished late). I just used to ignore the comments. I swiped in and out and surprise surprise did more than enough hours each week.

As long as the boss is happy who cares?

[BigBoobiedBertha]

I had the opposite experience in the last proper office I worked in -I used to turn up at 9.30 (I'm not a morning person) and all the 8am starters were having little digs about how the had already done a mornings work. They forgot they used to bugger off at 4pm whilst I was there until 6.30 or later every night. As far as they were concerned nothing happened after they went home

Strangely it used to be the lower grades who moaned not the managers. I suppose they were as a group, more likely to be clock watchers and unfulfilled in their jobs.

[BarbarianMum]

Flexi time and flexi days and flexi just about anything is the norm where I work and its never been a problem. I don't keep a track of what hours my colleagues work and would be quite startled if anyone commented on mine.

We all know what everybody is paid too, so maybe it is an unusual place to work.

[onlytheonce]

Do people really have nothing better to moan about? Wherever I've worked I've always found that it is the people who moan the most who take the piss the most as well.

[MaBumble]

The cause of grumbles can depend on the nature of the work. For example,in my team we cover support for the uk and south america. which means if its going to get busy, it gets busy in the afternoon. when the early birds are packing up to go home.

We have a couple of people who prefer to come in early, some who want 9-5 and some who want 10-6.

I make sure the early birds have some particular role to fulfill (like attending regular morning meetings) and if the others then decide to bitch about them,I offer them the choice of coming in early (getting out of their warm bed too soon/rearranging child care) and attending the boring, but necessary, morning meetings. And if the early birds moan about the later ones, they get offered the late shift (getting home for tea late/re-arranging child care) and the afternoon help desk job.

They both tend to STFU :)

[gordyslovesheep]

We have a Rota to ensure we are covered 9-5 we have one duty worker (me today 9-1) and one office support person morning and after noon. Like you op I like doing 8-4 but Mondays I do duty till 5...my flexi time is healthy though

[Kerosene]

It's not flexitime that's the problem, it's your colleagues being prats. I've only worked in flexitime offices, no rotas, and it's always worked well enough. Only place I've seen it cause issues was when the manager of another team had a thing for presenteeism - they were the first ones in and the last ones out, but got sod all work done and were roiling with resentment.

Occasionally had comments, but they tend to decline my offer to join me at 7:45 and shut up afterwards.

[OnIlkelyMoorBahtat]

I've only ever worked in flexitime offices (16 years now) and have never experienced this kind of problem either - seriously, it's down to bad management, they need to be reinforcing to all staff that people who come in at 8 are entitled to leave at 4 (or whatever the shift pattern is). They also need to be reinforcing the message that they will be dealing with any pisstakers (and actually DO deal with them), so the times that people choose to work are not the concern of their colleagues.

I've also never worked anywhere which had a rota either, so I don't think one is necessary to ensure that flexitime works.

Your colleagues need to grow up and and your managers need to grow some spine - you probably know that though, OP

[KatyaRachmanova]

Yeah, the problem is your colleagues not flexi-time.

[PorkPieandPickle]

Opposite way round in our office, the 8-4 lot are always slagging off the 10-6 lot. we are a large team, and there is plenty of cover at both ends of the day, but because we choose start later we are constantly called lazy by our colleagues. Derisive comments when I come in at 10 are 'we've been her for hours, you should get up earlier' and worse 'you won't be able to sleep in when the babies born' (I'm 6m pregnant) I LOVE flexi time, the system is ace, hut i hate people's attitudes towards it, it makes me miserable :(

[TheFarSide]

The problem is not the flexitime but the childishness of your colleagues.

I have never experienced these problems in almost 20 years of flexible working in three different organisations.

Flexible working benefits all of us but especially women with childcare responsibilities.

[TidyDancer]

I have flexitime in my office. I am management level and have found that no one takes the piss. It's mainly because the office is core hours 10-4 but hours covered need to be 9-5. You are either on the rota to do an early shift (have to start at 9 but can leave at 4) or you do the late one (10-5). Most of my staff are in before 9 anyway (as they can clock from 8 onwards). If someone needs to pick up a child or have a personal appointment they can arrange that on the rota.

It works but only because of the rota. I think I'd have major problems if I didn't do it this way.

[HollyShort]

That's it Waffly. I think I might broach the rota idea and see if I can get it through their thick skulls.

Only been working in that dept for a month so I have no idea what went on before. Teams have been cut and there was probably more of a balance of people doing more varied hours so it quelled things a bit.

On a positive note it's encouraging me to get my business off the ground so I can leave and don't need to deal with this crap anymore!

[BackforGood]

Yes, YABU - they exist all over the place. Just because you have a couple of people in your office who like a moan, doesn't in anyway equate to "offices that use flexitime only exist{ing} in alternate realities"

There is a great deal of benefit to an office manager offering flexible worktime, as other have stated.

[WafflyVersatile]

just keep saying 'you can leave at 4 if you start at 8.' 'No? Didn't think so.'

[MsVestibule]

Very sloppy management. The manager of your team needs to ensure that there are enough people to cover 9-10, just just hope it happens.

TBH, I'm a bit by the attitude of the rest of your team. When they complain, have you asked them if they want to do 8-4 instead? WRT Fridays, how come you don't leave until 5? Does the rest of your team start at 8 so they can leave at 4 on that day?

[Mumoftwoyoungkids]

It works really well where I work. In my team I would do 9 - 6, someone else did 7 - 4 and someone else 10 - 7. I was happy cos it fitted in with nursery and I don't commute. The other 2 commuted so missed the traffic one way or the other.

There was once a rather amusing incident where a (very late starter) boss arrived at the same time as one of his (very early starter) team members. "oh hello X" he said " I thought you were having the morning off"
"I did!" said X.

[RobotHamster]

Yy, happy staff with flexible hours that they can fit around life are much more likely to be loyal to the company, work harder etc. Bit of give and take goes a very long way. Huge benefit to employers.