To think that if you want employers to start work at a certain time, they should get paid for it?

[Refreshretry]

My work had recently implemented a new automated clock in system whereby we are paid to the minute. Previously we would have been paid from our start time of 9 but usually we were there a few minutes early to set up, etc. All fine. Start times would be adjusted and rounded up/down to the to reflect this.

The new system says we now have to clock In exactly at 9 and if we are in early we won't get paid for it. Aibu to think if you want people to come in early and start working straight away they should be paid for it? Essentially it's meant that people are either coming in later and not setting up in advance as they are not being paid for it or are losing a couple hours over the course of the week as the extra minutes are now not there. It's causing some tension now as work as people are not happy being essentially asked to work chunks of time for free.

You should be ready to work at 9 ( or whatever.)
Prep beforehand is your business. So you put your uniform on prior to start. Handover , however, should be included in work time . It all depends on the naturę of your job.

If they want you to start at 9am just start at 9am. So you have to spend a few minutes setting up/settling in after 9am, big deal. Work the hours you've been asked to work, it's not difficult.

@boptist you make a very good point. If people are adding an hour to every working day, of course Mgmt are going to have to do something about it. They allocate the hours they can afford and their employees are trying to force them into paying for more.

I find it hard to believe that if the shop opens at 9am, that's when you're paid from. At least one staff member will be getting paid to put the tills in and whatever else needs doing. If you're unhappy, why not look for a new job?

I hate all this minute counting. If you're salaried especially, what difference does it make in the grand scheme of things if you start at 855 or 905? 10 minutes is nothing. It should be about the quality of the work, not being sat there for the sake of it.

We lose minutes back to the half hour, if I had 7.45 hours I will be paid 7.5.
We are expected to be clocked in on time on our PC which takes about 5 minutes to warm up to work.
This doesn't apply to salary, though they don't get better rates for evenings night or weekend shifts.

If you're salaried especially, what difference does it make in the grand scheme of things if you start at 855 or 905? 10 minutes is nothing.

But the whole point is that OP isn’t salaried

imagine
It's like teachers. We are paid from 10nins before the students arrive but are in earlier.

I think some part of it is part of being salaried professionals but then places take the mick.

I quite liked the PP who's said that as an anesthestist they would start their first patient at 9am because that's when they were paid to work from (Vs coming in and starting on patients early).
I feel a similar way about my mornings. I get in early for my own prep so the day goes smoothly, but I'm not having students or commitments blocked in before my day other than ones allocated in the school diary.

When I worked for HMRC the computer system was so antiquated you ‘had’ to be at your desk for 8.45 in order to turn your computer on and open up all the programs (one at a time else it would crash). We weren’t paid for that, but it was expected so that it was already to go for 9. But then we were monitored every second of the day, even our toilet breaks were timed 🙄

Its not work though is it? If your spending 10 minutes setting up your computer etc then for those 10 minutes your not actually doing anything.

Interesting.

So to you, setting up your work station is some of leisure activity? Do you go home and start up your computer without any task in mind?

There's all sorts of "non work" work tasks that don't get anything done, but that have to be done so that work can happen.

Use to piss me off as a TA being sent emails at night, many hours after I had finished work, and expected to both read them (whilst not being given a laptop or any other work device) and action them.
I’m not joking either.
Did you get my email I sent you at 9.45pm?
Err no!
Wasn’t aware I was paid to be on stand by.

@LolaSmiles

I agree. The problem is when employers push too far. Like in my example first patient arrives at 9am. Now my employer could say I’m not expected to start work before 9am but then by the time I’m ready to call them in to be seen that’s going to be 9.30am and I now have an annoyed patient.

Plus I then run behind all day and end up having to work through my 30 min lunch. Bearing in mind I already run behind all day and mostly work through my (unpaid) lunch as 15 minute appointments are just not long enough for antenatals so if I start late I work through my lunch and I’m STILL running late.

Then I finish late because of this. Last patient is booked in at 16.45 and the clinic locks their doors and closes at 5pm. If I’m running late at the end of the day I either have to refuse to see the last patient and rebook their appointment for something that is no fault of their own. Or I work late unpaid and force the other staff to stay late unpaid to lock up after me. So now I’ve worked around 60 minutes unpaid and had both patients and colleagues angry at me all day. Every single day!

Working the unpaid 30 mins before clinic means I’m still working 60 mins unpaid each day but at least the patients are seen on time and my colleagues and I leave on time.

It does make me angry when I consider that the unpaid hour I work each day, for 5 days a week means I lose out on over £200 a month. Especially when on the single occasion I left half an hour early (there were no patients booked in) I had 30 minutes of pay deducted from me! That’s the NHS for you though!

Bloody hell Imagine that's terrible.
Reminds me of the time I asked for 3 days off unpaid.
I was already owed 1.5 days off.
I had also been on a residential which meant in effect working 24 hours a day for 5 days.
Baring in mind I was only paid for 5.5 hours a day.
My request was refused!