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....

@Atthebottomofthesea

We find it easier to just shut down completely for half an hour, than be running at reduced capacity all afternoon and be looking around for people.

We don't 'ban' toilet breaks, but we do ask that staff let us know using our computer system when they go

Riiiiiiight

Having one single lunch break also allows us to make sure staff are back on time and stops senior management having to open and unlock the door multiple times.

@Calf I’m intrigued to understand the culture.
Is it a manufacturing plant or factory? Are most workers not from the UK?

@Jesuisleloup

Nope, it's a standard office with just over 100 staff. It's about 50:50 in terms of UK and foreign staff.

We don't 'ban' toilet breaks, but we do ask that staff let us know using our computer system when they go

Sounds like the department I worked for. Office environment,complete silence and grown women were putting their hands up to ask to go to the toilet.

Apparently I found out later after a wave of redundancies that the supervisor nearly had a heart attack when I got up to go to the toilet without asking.

I was asked about leaving early (on time) once.

Told them I had to leave at that time so I could get to my next job.

but we do ask that staff let us know using our computer system when they go

You've got those minute by minute trackers that staff have to justify every second of their day don't you? I used to work for an absolute wanker who used those things and micro managed staff. We spent more time filling in the daily diary second by second than we did doing work. I will never forget his wife walking round the desks just before 5.30 every night saying "oh it's going to be a late one tonight." Um, no, it's not were always my thoughts. Both her and her lunatic husband used to enter the office at night, sign in at 12.30 and out at 2.30am. We'd then get to our desks in the morning and find any personal items we had in our desks tipped onto our desks. What a pair of weirdos.

Oddly enough, most of the staff now work for our Company under MUCH better conditions. As soon as DH and I had our business up and running we offered them jobs ☺️

We don't 'ban' toilet breaks, but we do ask that staff let us know using our computer system when they go

I think you need to up your game. Surely all staff should have catheters fitted so that they don’t need to be so wasteful of the company’s time.

There’s surely no way this is real...anyway, I thought the door we started the story with the door being locked at 9 and not opened until 5.01, before being dropped all these emergency unlocking procedures, and now there’s also a lunch break...I honestly can’t be arsed to read through all the other bullshit to check.

Bloody autocorrect 🤦🏻‍♀️

I love the way that Cal keeps referring to "Senior Managers". What about your ordinary managers? Aren't they good enough to be the gatekeepers of the door?

I find it baffling and a bit unlikely that genuine senior managers would be involved in this kind of micro-management. The senior managers that I know and work with, are too busy doing what they are paid to do - which is work on strategy, organic and inorganic organisational growth and board level objectives. The actual day-to-day BAU running of the operation is done by the department managers and their team leaders.

In my case, I don't have time to sit and cross check who is at their desk, who has left early, who is off sick, who is on holiday etc. That's why I employ team leaders; it's their job to do the people management of their teams and it's their responsibility to manage resource. If Cal's firm is so precious about staff presence and timekeeping that they literally have to lock the doors and police toilet breaks, then they are employing the wrong people - including in the management team.

I worked for a company that encouraged you to stay onsite - and they did this with half hour lunch break and an onsite canteen (free), and it wasn't in the UK

BUT

even they didn't lock the doors. I mean - that's bloody close to kidnapping isn't it? Especially if the fire exits are alarmed... Christ, it's not normal, it really isn't, and I would never consider working there.

I think you need to up your game. Surely all staff should have catheters fitted so that they don’t need to be so wasteful of the company’s time.

Replace the chairs with commodes!

@DailyMailClickbait

The way the structure of our company works means we don't really have non-senior managers. We have a team of six directors, including myself, but we don't have a lot of senior personnel beyond that apart from one 'office supervisor' role. That role basically covers monitoring attendance, punctuality and work of staff.

Thus is why I love my office. We are all out the door at 5pm on the dot. And yes all our work gets done- I hate presenteeism (so?!)

At 5pm the office door is banging behind me. I work in higher ed professional services and most of us finish on time. I'm always in early to bags a spot in the carpark so I guess they get it out of me at the beginning of the day instead.

I hope to God Cal is making this stuff up. We all know there are some dodgy employers but locking staff in must surely breech all sorts of health and safety legislation let alone the moral issues of treating staff like slaves.

As I said earlier if be leaving through the fire exit if I wanted a break for fresh air or when I was ready to go home!

cal, you do realise that corporate law DOESN'T, AND I REPEAT DOES NOT override employment law?

BTW, my family comes first, not your stupid petty (possibly illegal) rules & regs.

Calf have you ever thought about investing in nappies for your staff to eliminate wasted time for toilet breaks? You don’t want to lose those precious few minutes, they all add up!

Also perhaps you could save money on the canteen by giving each employee a bowl of gruel at midday on the dot, to have at their desks and then be removed by 12.05? An initial upfront cost yes, but I’m sure you’ll agree will pay off in the long run.

I leave dead on 4.30 everyday to catch train to get to after school club. I get in before 8 hence why I leave earlier than everyone else. I work really hard and feel very valued by colleagues. With out such flexibility working would be difficult. My role is quite junior but I took a big step down in terms of pay and responsibilities to get this flexibility as working in my previous job was too demanding. We are a great supportive team so I don’t have to feel guilty leaving on time.

Oi cal, Ever thought of paying your "workers" using The Truck System ?

I hate the culture of presenteeism. I'm on mat leave with 7 month old DS, who is lovely but like most babies is hard work. DH leaves for work at 6am and tonight is getting the 8:40pm train home. This has been standard for the past while. On a good day he gets home at 6pm but always leaves at 6am.

He works in finance and his contracted hours are 9-5. He doesn't get paid for overtime. I get pretty much zero time to myself and I'm done in. I'm sad to say that I'm quite looking forward to going back to work because I could not live like this permanently. I wish I could have a wee bit of time to myself as I'm sure I'd enjoy DS more

@CalF123 do you really think anyone is going to wait half an hour to be authorised to leave in a real emergency?

When my Mum was dying I was out of the office in less than 10 minutes after taking the phone call. If the doors had been locked I would have used the fire escape and good luck trying to stop me, I'd have seen you at a tribunal.

@CalF123 - have you ever thought about charging your employees for the honour at working at your company?