would you be pissed off/ fed up with this at work?

[totallyfedup2015]

So today I got 'ticked off' by my manager for being late several times recently. Not quite a formal disciplinary but a clear 'you must be in at 9am without fail' conversation

My nominal hours are 9-5. I've been in after 9 a few times recently, though none later than 09.15.

I work lunch almost every day, because I can have up to 6 hours of meetings a day which inevitably straddle lunchtime. I also stay after 5 at least once a week or more. And do monthly trips to other offices which involve me setting off before 6am, either being away overnight and getting home at 7pm next day, or coming back the same day and getting home at 10pm. I don't object to any of that but I thought there might be a little give and take...apparently not.

I'm also not a junior, I've got 20 years professional qualifications (more than anyone in my office including my manager) and feel rather resentful at getting the same level of chat I used to give office juniors who were in at 0905 and out the door at 1655!

AIBU or would this piss you off too?

My working hours aren't 9-5. They are until the job is done, be that 5.10, 7.45, or whatever.

I'm not coming in late every day, nor even most days. Public transport isn't reliable, most people know that, more so if you're using more than one form of transport, and are not in central London.

I didn't really mind working late, doing the extra travel, but I expected recognition of that, and that as I do work many extra UNPAID hours, a couple of instances of being a few minutes late wouldn't be an issue.

This happened to me in my last job, my manager and I were both pulled up for time-keeping by his manager. (It was a tiny company - only 12 or so office-based employees.) We both independently implemented our own work-to-rule things and I will never forget his face (nor probably he mine) when we both arrived at 8.55 to find everyone else eating cereal and reading newspapers/Facebook at their fucking desks. They were present but they certainly weren't working. Silly us, we'd been having breakfast at home.

tldr - lol! what happened after that?

what time were you meant to be in and working - I guess if it was 9, from 8.55 you can transition quickly from cereal & Facebook to actual work though.

The way the firm see it if you are paid 9-5 that's when they expect you to be there ..

You don't have to work before or after.. if they want you to they have to ask you to and recompense you for it . If you are doing it without recompense .. then that's your call not the firms

they are paying you 9-5 and therefore you should be there at 9 irrespective

Yeah, it was allegedly 9-5 but same as OP, there were late nights and missed lunches and professional experience and blah blah blah, but apparently those first 4-6 minutes of each day were what counted most.

(But as an example of stupidity of company, like I said only 12 people in office and maybe 20 in entire company and I still had three layers of management above me.)

Anyway, it went to the wall shortly after and I have never been so pleased to see the back of a job. I still loathe them now, 8 years on!

My work is the same, the managers are petrified of not being seen to be in "control" of their team. It's ridiculous. A lot of people then stopped working past 5 and taking an hour for lunch. They soon relaxed the rules.

But even if your hours are until the job is done, that doesn't mean that you can decide the start time yourself, does it?

Why can't you leave the house earlier?

It would be a good idea if there could be some flexibility, although after 9 does sound late to me!

My husband can't start before 7 & must start before 10.

8 is the usual time.

I'm not suggesting I decide my own start time.

I'm not coming in at whatever time I please every day.

On a few occasions I've been in after 9, but before 9.15. Not every day.

I can't leave earlier because I am a single parent with family responsibilities. As all my colleagues who have children also have a spouse who is a SAHP, I know they have no understanding of my position, but whatever.

9, or 9.30 is a pretty standard start time in office work ime. My manager comes in early but doesn't stay after 5. Due to my circumstances I can't do that. Frankly I do well to work all the extra hours I do, but clearly that going the extra mile is entirely unappreciated.

YANBU
It is a very immature management style to nit pick over a few minutes and ignore the bigger picture

Could you try to negotiate a 9.15 start time - and then if you're early sometimes that's fine. The 15 mins knocked off in the morning could be offset against time worked after 5 or on days with long visits?

This would seem perfectly fair - and is effectively what you're doing now. The difference would be the formal change to your start time.

I think that's inflexible and ridiculous.

I know I get some looks in the office because I am regularly there after 9am and often leave early. What they don't all see is the back to back meetings from 3pm until 7pm nearly daily and then the emails where I'm still working past 10pm some days.

However I know my boss knows I do the hours so they can go swivel.

I agree that it's a narrow view & I hope that there is someone else that you can take it up with.

Generally though if hours are 9-5 I would have thought that that meant 9 or before & 5 or later!

I was going to ask if you get in and start working or get in and have a chat with receptionist, hang up coat, have breakfast etc.

In my office if anyone is going to be later than 9am they send a quick email/text from the bus/train so everyone knows what's what. Better than wondering if someone is off sick or not.

I do have a colleague who takes about 30 mins to get from 'arrival' to 'doing work' but she makes up for it in other ways so I have never raised it. It is annoying when she is eating breakfast and asking me about stuff which she would know if she read her emails/looked at calendar etc. I know a lot of things off the top of my head so people often ask me instead of checking for themself. I have now stopped answering any of her queries that are just her being a bit lazy. She is getting into a better habit.

In jobs where it doesn't matter when the work is done this kind of attitude sucks. In my role (computer programming) it generally doesn't matter when the work is done, as long as you produce the end result to a good standard. There are exceptions to this - e.g. meeting clients etc but generally the bums on seats management style would be counterproductive. The companies I have worked for have been sensible enough to realise this. When I interviewed for my current job I was told the hours were 9 to 5.30. I explained that that was massively inconvenient for me due to the train times, and could I work 8.30 to 5 instead? They agreed. As a matter of fact, I am in work at 8.15 so they get an extra quarter of an hour out of me, which I don't mind because they have shown themselves to be flexible. If a train is late I never get any hassle about not being at my desk in time.
In your case I would work to rule and look to leave. You are a professional not a school child.

From now on you should definitely have your lunch hour and definitely leave on time - and start keeping track of lieu when away.

Daimyou that's what bugged me. When I came in I sat down and logged in and was working for 0630. Others were seen to come in at 0615 and fannied about for 25 mins