To leave work on time?!!

[skyblueeee]

I find working full time (9-5:30) quite hard, I feel tired and restricted, which is why I can't wait for the clock to strike 5:30 and I can walk out the office, drive home, eat dinner and relax....

But the problem is, no one ever leaves at 5:30 I look around and everyone is still working while I walk out the door, I even get a few judgemental looks from colleagues. I'm usually the first one out, if not I'm one of the first.

Does it look bad to leave work on time? Obviously if I had something urgent to do I would finish it, but I don't want to stay just to look good. I already get home about 6:20pm depending on traffic and not keen to have an even longer day....

I don't really see a big difference between giving staff a key card and having an internal system where they can request access.

Well one isn't a breach of fire health and safety regulations and one is. Although I'm guessing you're not in the UK and probably running some kind of illegal factory with sweatshop conditions based on your replies so far.

"Senior management don't have a working day" - oh my god this is getting more laughable by the minute

@BastardMs

The senior management of most companies don't have a 9-5 working day. We have to be more flexible.

"Senior management can justify pissing around on mumsnet when they could actually be getting on with something useful" you mean.

What with the constant mumsnet trolling and the hall patrols, it looks like you've lost track of what working actually entails. You sound incredibly unproductive.

@Calf. Are you going to be so rude and keep ignoring the question where do you work?

When I received the phone call at work to tell me my mother was dying I was two hours drive away. I was out of the door in less than ten minutes - employees in my company are treated like adults and not locked in like criminals.

+The senior management of most companies don't have a 9-5 working day. We have to be more flexible.*

What happens when you need to arrive and leave early, are you also locked in?

@calF123 you say you havecworked in recruitment and are in management, have you ever had any training whatsoever in human resources? you know just small stuff like how a democratic leadership style is more effective, the concept of devolved management structure...
I the case of a family emergency what on earth do you see going wrong if an employee left a message for management then upped and left? it's not like you work at a corner shop with only one member of staff! perhaps you're staff retention rate might be better if you tried actually trusting your employees or even more amazingly hire people that were trustworthy!

Wow I'm appreciating my company now! I work as a head of department but unless staff are on a facing role where time keeping is essential they allow us a lot of flexibility. I also work from home 2 days a week and sometimes leave an hour before finish time but make it up (and extra actually) over other days. The approach has always been if you are good at your job you are allowed a lot of freedom to get on with it.

Consequently we have great staff retention, a lovely team and I think most people go far beyond the contracted working week.

I’ve worked in HR depts and with independent companies on employee engagement and studies show time and time again they employees who feel engaged, supported and trusted to do their jobs by the higher ups will be more productive, take less sick days and be less likely to leave their job.

I don’t think people who are locked in their office and have to battle to prove their personal nightmare is urgent enough would be in that category..

I can't think of a single company in an industry in the UK who would lock employees in

Does anyone work for one?

If I had a family emergency, I wouldn’t be waiting for ‘management ‘ approval. If an exit door was locked, I would be leaving by the fire exit.

I am ‘management ‘ and have never treated my staff like that. If they need a break, they go out for some fresh air or a coffee- they don’t need permission. If they need to leave five minutes early to ensure they get to nursery on time to collect their DC’s, then they do. A good team doesn’t need big brother standing over them.

I can't think of a single company in an industry in the UK who would lock employees in

There isn't!

But as @Calf put nursery workers in that category, the posts are just nonsense.

I always leave on time, unless I’ve something urgent to finish. This happens rarely.

I have no desire to climb the corporate ladder. I want to do my job, go home @ 530, then forget about it until 9am the next day. Maybe if I was trying to get promoted it might be different.

A good employer would expect you to leave at the time specified on your contracted hours of work. If they don't, they are exploiting you. It's up to you if you want to be exploited.
If everyone valued themselves they wouldn't feel bad leaving when they are supposed to.

So CalF are the —inmates— employees at this —fictitious— hell hole allowed to have lunch? You know, legally they are allowed a break...so are they allowed outside during this time or do you have a special ‘exercise’ yard where they can all walk laps behind the chain link fence before you dish up the gruel??

I actually worked late today, which is rare for me, but entirely my choice as I've just started condensing my hours and this, combined with a couple of things which mean I've essentially lost two working days in the last eight, meant I needed to do a couple of things before leaving.

But in doing so I've provided excellent client care to one of my clients, progressing his claim for him after receiving paperwork from him today, and I've cleared a good few emails from my in box, so they don't need doing when I'm in next week. All things which would've waited until next week, but I preferred to get them done today. There was no expectation that I'd stay late at all, which is how it should be!

I'd hate to work at CalF's company. Being treated like a naughty child isn't the way to get the best out of me!

@FluffingtonPost

The office is unlocked between 12 and 12.30 to allow staff to leave the office for lunch if they choose.

We also have a staff canteen on site which staff are encouraged to use.

Wow...how generous.

I’m impressed by your selective replying by the way...we’ll done on being so incredibly obtuse!

I would imagine at Cal’s workplace toilet breaks and having a chat with your colleagues over a cup of coffee are banned!

I think that’s fine. My former colleagues used to give me the stink-eye because I left on time and when someone asked me why I always left on time I said (rather loudly) “I am able to organise my work load so that I can complete it within my contracted hours”. No point in staying for the sake of being seen.

@Parker231

We don't 'ban' toilet breaks, but we do ask that staff let us know using our computer system when they go. This is just so we know what staff are available at any one time, and also stops people taking the piss(pardon the pun).

I’m guessing that Cal works at Amazon or Sports Direct - both have well documented bad working practices with regards to HR and employment breaches.

I am struggling to believe that a company that only lets staff out at 5.01 if they have met all the targets, allows the entire company to lunch at the same time.

Come on, every company has some kind of lunch rota, whether formal or informal.