AIBU to get to not get up an hour early for the sake of 5 minutes?

[Makemeaname]

Starting a new job next week, reliant on public transport for now. My hours are 9-5, have found a reasonable route which I would have to go out at half 7 and would get there at 8.48.

Just had an email through requesting me to be there at 8.45 for my first day, for a 9am start. There will be others starting the same day. WIBU to still get the bus I was aiming for, rather than having to leave the house at half 6 and hang around like a lemon for 55 minutes?

To an extent, it depends on the job.If being a bit late is going to inconvenience or distress someone (a patient, for instance, if you are a HCP, or the colleague who has to hand over to you) then yeah, you should make an effort to be on time if not maybe a few minutes early. If it's not going to make any difference as long as you complete your work tasks, don't let your employer get into the habit of expecting unpaid overtime from you (because that's what getting in early actually is). And if they expect you in earlier than your official start time and piss and moan if you leave at the dot of 5pm (or whenever your official finish time is), look for another job, because they have no respect for you.

I suppose it depends what the job is but it doesn't sound like many of you have heard of flexible working.

It's old fashioned and outdated to sweat so much over a few minutes that can be made up at the end of the day or lunchtime.

I really don't see the issue over discussing this by email with the employer.

Sounds like school has done a good job of making sure expectations are suitably lowered then and that your 15 yr old is already programmed to tow the line. Got to do that free overtime to get ahead.

@Notthemessiah I have to be at my desk ready to answer the phone for 8am. I can't physically log on to systems any quicker than 10 mins and I need to be logged in to answer the phone. So yes, I'm always early. If I get in 15/20 mins before my shift it also means I can make a brew and do my admin/read emails which I often don't get chance to do between phone calls

“hopefully my dad will give me a lift when he's back from his holiday and then im aiming to buy a cheap car in a couple of months.”

Why should your father get up earlier to facilitate the job for which you are being paid when you find the early start difficult and onerous yourself?

@BananaCatto you are a miserable old meanie! Saying that! Plus saying ‘I bet you won’t last long at this job’ !!

Clearly OP finished her GCSEs, then her A Levels and then her degree!

In all honestly she’s probably far too educated for a job on an industrial estate that she has to get a bus for a twenty mile trip for!! So if she ‘doesn’t last’ as you so positively said then maybe bigger things will be on the horizon for her!

Op- do you know anyone who gets these buses? Could you do a test run? So you know if they are reliable? Hard to give advice because I don’t know whereabouts you are (eg London is easy peasy and London/Essex border not so much)

Good luck and keep looking elsewhere

@Tuktuktaker

As far as I'm concerned, anybody that starts work at 9am should be there at least 10-15 minutes early every day in order to get situated and in the right frame of mind, ready to actually begin work by 9am. Shouldn't be turning up at 9 or 5 to and then ending up starting late every day.
By the same token, then, presumably anyone whose hours start at 9.00am and finish at 5.00pm should start packing up at 4.45pm to be in the right frame of mind to end work at 5.00pm? Thought not

Love this

"Bending over backwards and meekly caving in to the demands and expectations of the companies"

What, by turning up to work on time?

I get to work 10 minutes early, not because I'm a particularly amazing employee, but because it gives me leeway if the train is late or my shoe manages to break or I witness an abandoned kitten I have to attend to. I don't start work until my hours start but I don't want to be rushing about and getting stressed that I might be late.

But she will be on time as her bus gets there 8 minutes before she’s due to start.

I agree. The times given are starting times not "arrive at" times.
You need to be at your desk or whatever ready to go at 8.45 or 9 not just walking in the door.

This amuses me; our new recruit arrives at the office right on time and then spends half an hour putting makeup on at her desk.
Manager hasn't got the balls to say anything as she's quite competent.

For the first day I would be there at 8:45 but then speak to he/manager and explain about buses and whether they’ll want an 8:45 start every day or if 9 is ok. My old company had a few people leaving 15 minutes early to catch the train and they were fine with that because their morning train came in earlier x companies are usually understanding about public transport

5 minutes difference at my work means the difference between getting a desk with colleagues and having to schlep all over the building to find a desk god knows where. Not very way to meet people though.
Good luck in your new job. Find somewhere to have a coffee.

That should actually say, good way to meet new people

If I were your manager, I'd want you to tell me that situation especially as there would be a few minutes of getting organised. I'd want you to tell me that rather than you leave a whole hour earlier for the sake of three minutes.

If I were your manager I would expect you to turn up when asked.

Unless I was told by HR that on this particular day, they were satisfied (after talking with you) that you were going to be late.
If it were a badly timed hospital appointment or something similarly serious, I would speak to HR. If it's "I can't be arsed hanging about for 50 minutes ", I'd speak to HR and acknowledge to myself that I was being a bit of a drama llama.

Sod's law means things will probably run late anyway.

@yesqueen - Logging on to your machine is work. If it takes that machine 10 minutes to boot up and be ready, why should that be your time when it is a company device and therefore nothing to do with you?

By all means if you want to get there early to make a cup of tea or do your makeup then that should be your choice, but it takes me 30 seconds to take my coat off and sit down at my desk - why should I waste 14.5 minutes of my own time, unpaid, every day just because some manager wants me to work for free?

Blimey, the system really has done a number on some of you, turning you into good worker drones. Just remember, your employers will dump you without a moment's thought if it suits them.
Agreed. I get paid for every single minute that I work, and that's how my employer makes it - not some militant action on my part. None of this having to be in 10 or 5 minutes before I get paid. What bullshit is that?! Mine's just an office admin job. (And, no, I haven't RTFT.)

@Notthemessiah

Amen to that!

However Mumsnet seems to be a coven of certain people who need to be on speakers corner! You come for advice and 95% of the time you get ripped apart (5% is when you don’t as they’re on the daily mail app ripping those idiots apart)

*"Bending over backwards and meekly caving in to the demands and expectations of the companies"

What, by turning up to work on time?*

No, by being forced to turn up early. If you want to get there early every day then that should be up to you - not something forced on you by the company. It's your responsibility to be there on time - not to be there 15 minutes early.

No one is forcing the op to get to work early. The bus timetable doesn't run kindly for her for a slightly earlier start on her first day - we've all experienced similar with public transport or car parking, surely?
It's a PITA. I'd find a coffee shop to kill time. If there isn't one, I'd go for a walk.

why should I waste 14.5 minutes of my own time, unpaid, every day just because some manager wants me to work for free?

This really depends on how you are managed when you are at work. If you're never allowed, say, to get a cup of coffee or to have a quick chat with someone about what they're doing over the weekend or to go and get a cake when it's someone's birthday, or to check your phone when you're waiting for an important call/message - if you have to spend every second working then fair enough - absolutely work to rule in return.

If you are allowed to do those sorts of things, it's probable that you compensate for the 14 minutes during the day - which is a healthy balance.

@Notthemessiah but then if I don't get in early to log in, I'm not ready to take calls at 8am. Which then affects colleagues as you are relieving them so they can go home
If everyone logged in from 8am, nobody would be ready until 8.10/15
It's been expected in every job I've been in that you are there and ready at 8, not logging in at 8
My previous job was as a 999 dispatcher for a decade and no, you couldn't say "I'll log in on your time not mine"

What a load of shit Notthemessiah
Not at all! I fully agree.
And YesQueen, I understand that you need to be logged in and ready to take over but the ten minutes you take to login and check emails should be paid time. It's wrong.

@PenelopeFlintstone I guess I just see it as part of the job because I've never worked anywhere that's had a different rule? So when I've been in retail, I've been expected to be on the shop floor at 9

I do emails now before I start work as my phone is busy (130 calls or so in a shift) and I get stressed trying to type/answer emails while also answering the phone!

I would get there early for 1 day and if requested for you to get there earlier each day ask could someone possibly do a car share.