to rock up to work late a couple of times a week

[Beansprout30]

Like my colleague does and gets away with. Bet if I did it once id get pulled up on it yet some people get away with murder argghhhh

HungryHorace

Probably a reason I'd stay with my current firm. We can often stay and work from home. I actually get more work done.

I have the opposite experience from you. Early birds tended to be those who want to "look good". Often people who climb the corporate ladder by checking boxes and don't challenge consensus. Night owls were the ones who were prepared to get the work done.

Most entrepreneurs in the tech sector are night owls...

Even when you deal with customers abroad, if they expect you to be online/answer the phone/ready for business at 9.00am GMT and you are not because you are late, it causes a bad impression at least and lost business at worst. What if they ring the next nearest competitor instead who answers?

Can I please just ask - why it is so important for people what time they are in for work???? Or how long they stay at work?

I'm a nurse, I can't be late.

LesMissAbs

Not all people answer phone calls from clients abroad or are client-facing. They have to ring around for quite a bit before getting to me. That's only if client services really can't sort it out. Happens like a few times a year... and that's never in the mornings, and mostly done by email.

In one department that we find to be severely inefficient, the one amazingly efficient woman was kept on despite her moving to another continent thousands of miles away. And allowed to work from home.

SnowBells, I'm an early bird and I work bloody hard. I sometimes 'treat myself' to a loo trip! I also work from home in the evening.

I can't 'look good' first thing as no other bugger is there really. People who want to look good stay late as more people do it.

But everyone has different experiences, which is fine!

Oh - and my I add... that one woman is the team leader as well.

My boss does this he is always skiving off. No I don't cover his work but it does affect me because of the constant interruptions. Where's Mr X, whas happening about this? where is this kept? etc etc
I often know the answers, but its not my job to tell people.
Yes it sounds petty but all of these interruptions stop me from doing my work so I end up staying late.

HungryHorace

Obviously different experiences... the people at my work place who come in at 7.00am don't do much for 2 hours. I did come that early, too, once upon a time... but found it futile as I'd be waiting for other people/departments to arrive at 9.00am

So how does the op know that he gets away with it. He may have disciplinary warnings on his file or has his salary docked or.something else. Which are between him, the manager and HR. No one else

Depends where you work and who is taking the burden.

My workplace has to open for clients by 9am. Our manager isnt on site, and there are three of us there. We have an unspoken agreement that it is OK to be late now and then (by 10-20 mins), but we text each other in the morning to say if its the case. Only once have all three of us been late on the same day (by 5 mins).

We all have kids and drve through heavy traffic every morning, so its imevitable that sometimes someine will be late. Its not a biggie. But if iits one person taking the piss all the time, its a different matter. Have a word.

People who want to look good stay late as more people do it

No... not here. No.

SnowBells, sounds like your office is the polar opposite of mine! :-)

I love getting in early. No printer queues or people wanting to chat to you / ask for your advice on how to do something!

I can do about 2-3 times more work in the hour or so that there's barely anyone there than when the office is full. I use that time to do the intricate or time consuming (difficult drafting / issuing proceedings) as it's just so much easier then.

I guess it depends what type of work you do.

I work a lot with US colleagues. So working late IS the norm. My US colleagues are still in bed at 9am UK time...

I also wait a lot for other colleagues, e.g. if I send something for review, I never get feedback until COB... when I then have to stay late to finish the work...

If I got that, I'd go home and eat then carry on working after dinner.

And definitely nobody in the US I have to consider!

I'm late most days. a combination of
trains and children.

some of my colleagues complain.. However I told them at my interview that I could not guarantee my times and that I would get in when I could. I got the job.

but. . nobody fills in for me. I am solely responsible for what I do so I'm not relying on others to do my job. I am also the last one out off the office most evenings but ,of course, everyone else left an hour ago or more , so they don't see that.

Have to agree that it's not about how long you work or how hard you appear to work. But how smart you work and how much you actually produce.

Agree with you AfricanExport.

One day the world will go 'mobile' anyway. I could theoretically work wherever I want to work. Technology allows that. Most people relying on my work are not in my office anyway - they are in other offices… so we communicate by phone/email.

I guess there are certain jobs where having rigid shifts are necessary. I'm lucky not to be in one of those jobs.

HungryHorace I love working with the US . I like our offices there, and I get the benefit of going there on business trips which many people I know would love to do - but they all do UK-centric things… and I get on best with my US colleagues.

Although when I am in the US, I practically work two shifts - UK and the US!