To think my colleague shouldn't set the communal clock 5 mins fast just because he can't be on time?

[pleasechange]

There is a clock on the wall in the department where I work. This is the closest clock for 12 people. One individual keeps setting the clock 5 mins fast because he finds it hard to be on time for meetings. On various occasions, other colleagues have reset the clock to the correct time.

On Monday morning, another colleague put the clock back an hour and 5 mins, to the correct time. Colleague 1 has now just reset the clock to be 5 mins fast again

AIBU to think this is just plain ridiculous, and that 11 people shouldn't be inconvenienced by his inability to time-keep? Also surely he can set his watch fast if need be instead!

DH does this with our kitchen clock. I just don't get it - they know it's fast - how can it possibly help?

Bit much in a communal office I agree.
Can you all gang up on him?

I do this with my watch and the car clock . I wouldn't do it with a communal clock unless everyone agreed though!

Yes, it's the fact that he just takes it upon himself to change it (and because he's the tallest person in the department, it's hard for anyone else to change it!). He is a terribly arrogant type, so not really out of character

Keep putting it back till he gets the message

Change it back to the correct time and then sabotage the clock so it cannot be changed any more (this will backfire in 6 months when the times change again but hey ho)

Never understood the point of setting a clock fast. Unless you have instantaneous acute memory loss a second after you have changed the time, you know the bloody clock is fast, don't you?

Your colleague is an arse.

getorfmoiland

Persuade the office to get one of those radio-controlled clocks that are ALWAYS right - that way if he changes it, it will soon go back to the correct time.

yanbu its not his clock to change, and is annoying. cant he change the clock on his work pc only?

YANBU - but I think the "silent putting it back" is a very stereotypically English way of dealing with it. You/someone needs to actually speak to this person and point out that it is not his clock, and that the function of a clock is to tell the correct time. Is there a manager who could do this? Or do you have a departmental meeting occasionally?

Otherwise it's just the most stubborn person who "wins", not those who are actually right.

I'd set it to be five minutes slow, just to piss him off.

YANBU, but YABU not to collectively mention it to him. I would not be bothered at all to send him an email stating 'I've spoken to everyone else in the office, and we find it very confusing and inconvenient when the clock is fast. I know you find it helpful but for the future we have decided that it will be kept at the correct time. Thank you'
What can he do? He can hardly get pissed off with you, and if he does, speak to your manager.

how would he cope if someone set it right and he didn't know?

would he then end up late for his meetings because he thought it was fast?
surely he must know that it's fast by looking at some other timepiece.

what an idiot!

Go home 5 minutes early. Result!

amuminscotland/kat2907 - good suggestions

biteofcock - I'm very tempted by your idea!

Get him his own clock.

DPs alarm clock is 20 mins fast. I think he does it in case he oversleeps