15 Minutes expected before you begin

[ThatPearlkitty]

Inspired by another thread but a separate topic when eg the role is 9 to 5 paid hourly then why do some employers want people eg 15 mins before your actual start time why dont they pay for your time before then, yes i understand most roles is necessary eg coat, get ready for the day etc but then its free labour ?

You're right. It shouldn't be am arbitrary 15 mins but people shouldn't be walking through the door at 9 then taking 10-20 mins to start work, so you can understand their thinking. Whatever excess time it takes you to come in, get set up etc should be factored into your commute time so not paid. However if the company are mandating you to be there 15 mins early for shift as a blanket policy tbh id speak to my union.

Indeed as first post said @cshp common sense surely??

Because you should be ready to start work at your official time (including being logged in, coffee made if necessary, coat hung up etc). And some employers make the 15 minute rule because people take the piss so they have to do it.

As for it being ‘free time’ most people waste more than 15 mins per day chatting/coffee making/toilet breaks etc so it’s no big deal.

one should be ready to work at 9, but it doesn’t take most people 15 minutes to take their coat off.

No but by the time people have buggered about getting a drink, chatting to colleagues, logged in etc, it’s nearer that time.

The alternative is that they tell people to be ready to start at 9 without specifying the time and people take the piss

thats the thing i can understand the logic but because its still considered work time and puts many people under the limits for nmw on hourly pay then overall its a practice that should not happen because employers should pay for that time

Ok

No - you should be ready when your contracted hours begin.

If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine. Find a job that doesn’t require it.

But equally it doesn’t seem fair the employer paying while the staff piss about sorting themselves out, chatting about the weekend, getting changed (in some cases - particularly cyclists), make a drink, etc.

Like I said upthread, I can almost guarantee that most people waste that amount of the employer’s time during the day so it balances out

true

Waiting for an update from OPs union once reported @LiviaDrusillaAugusta i completely agree with you

We are paid to come in half an hour before clinic starts so we can get changed, set up the clinic, get our pcs set up with all the different apps, get a coffee and check the patient list. Id be annoyed if I had to come in early and didnt get paid for it.

from reading different sites if an employer wants employees before their contracted hours then its illegal if they are not paid for those hours or that time, thats the bottom line

thats how it should be

But as @LiviaDrusillaAugusta pointed out you need to be ready to start work on your allocated time.
Ready to work being the operative word. Not taking coat off, logging in etc

Yes and this was repeatedly explained on the other thread.

Not sure why the OP needed to start another one.

If I'm contracted at 9 and paid from 9, I start at 9. It shouldn't be an employer's concern what I do from leaving my house to clocking on. Being late is a different issue and employer should have a policy about that.
If my employer wants me in at 8.45 then I should be paid for it.
Same for finishing. If my finish time is 5, at 5 I get ready to go. If an employer expects me to wait on tidying up etc and I can't actually leave until 5.20 I should be paid for it.

Then don’t take a job requiring you to do this.

Working 9-5 means being ready to start at 9 and stopping at 5 THEN logging off etc.

But then I have never been an arse about flexibility so each to their own 🤷‍♀️

Yes off course.
But if you get in on the dot and are not taking coats off making drinks etc already to work then that's how it should be. My point is getting in at the exact time you are due to start working and doing the above then maybe that's correct.

but from what ive read those still count because your ment to be at work, and if you need to be there earlyer to get ready then the company should still pay for your time

or change the system to pay better rather than employees giving free time ?

exactly my points

i missed the other one besides theres always similar threads on different topics etc, this was a fresh debate

This is exactly what I'm saying. The worker clocks on ready to work at 9 and clocks off at 5, that's their contracted hours.
If an employee is late starting, that's a different issue.
If the employer is making additional time demands then this should be paid or allowed time in lieu.

Yes ready to start work at the time contracted/agreed upon with employer.
Not 10 minutes getting ready to start work after start/clocking on time.

Commuting and getting ready for work at agreed time is surely a part of work commitment??

What do you mean pay better?

Not everyone has the policy you are talking about so if you find it offensive or unfair, work somewhere else so there isn’t really a system to be changed, it’s down to individual employers.

I have always worked in jobs where they didn’t need to make us come in earlier because we could be trusted to not take the piss and we would work over slightly most nights.