GRcade

I just spoke to my boss about the trains and stuff as my commute was 2hr45m. To get an earlier train I would generally be getting less sleep which is bad. So it was fine for me to show up about 10 minutes late, and eventually I moved to half an hour later, and just worked later. I had keys anyway. In every job I've ever done I've routinely worked at least 30 min extra or sometimes an hour or more, several days a week.

Generally I'm always late but I am busy and I have good excuses, I always give people the time of day, sometimes 2hr+ consultations with no charge. If someone can't assess the character of me and the value I bring, that's there loss.

Now I work sometime between 12 and 2am and pull all-nighters so whatever.

I don't see it as a problem as long as you make up for it. Punctuality isn't the same as commitment.

That and because of the way my brain works under pointless time constraints I often work worse and get sick, so what's the point.

I'm a contractor that works in an office and it doesn't matter what time I come in within reason. I get it if your job requires you to be in a certain place at a certain time but if it doesn't who gives a gooseberry fool?

Some people simply aren't built to be timely. Sometimes their inability to be on time is diagnosable and the employer should just make some allowances.

Green Gecko wrote:Punctuality isn't the same as commitment.

That pretty much sums up my thought.

I remember at an old job I would always be in 30 minutes or even 1 hour early. Didn’t bother me as I had plenty to do and was happy to help out.

Then they announced they would start paying some overtime. Excellent I thought! I can carry on doing what I am doing and pick up some extra cash.

But no, overtime only counted if you stayed late, because “it wouldn’t look fair if you leave at 5 and other people are staying later”. I argued that it was the same thing, why is it fair that I had been doing extra work for free but others would now get paid? “how would those staying after 5 know that you were in early?” was the reply. I argued that how did I know they were actually staying late? “well overtime is only available after 5pm” was the answer.

I stopped doing anything at all extra after that, if I did happen to arrive early then I would literally sit in my car outside the office listening to the radio until it was time to go in.

That's mental. Companies work by man hour measurement. Not man hour measurement between, after or before specific times.

Imagine going to your investors and trying to convince them that hours done before 9 are different to hours done after 5. Hours are hours.

It was mental and certainly cost them when the early birds stopped doing anything extra.

Moggy wrote:

Green Gecko wrote:Punctuality isn't the same as commitment.

But no, overtime only counted if you stayed late, because “it wouldn’t look fair if you leave at 5 and other people are staying later”. I argued that it was the same thing, why is it fair that I had been doing extra work for free but others would now get paid? “how would those staying after 5 know that you were in early?” was the reply. I argued that how did I know they were actually staying late? “well overtime is only available after 5pm” was the answer.

I stopped doing anything at all extra after that, if I did happen to arrive early then I would literally sit in my car outside the office listening to the radio until it was time to go in.

Surely those staying late to do overtime would just just assume you were leaving at your normal time? They wouldn't even need to know you were being paid overtime would they?

strawberry float logic! This is the workplace.

sawyerpip wrote:

Moggy wrote:

Green Gecko wrote:Punctuality isn't the same as commitment.

But no, overtime only counted if you stayed late, because “it wouldn’t look fair if you leave at 5 and other people are staying later”. I argued that it was the same thing, why is it fair that I had been doing extra work for free but others would now get paid? “how would those staying after 5 know that you were in early?” was the reply. I argued that how did I know they were actually staying late? “well overtime is only available after 5pm” was the answer.

I stopped doing anything at all extra after that, if I did happen to arrive early then I would literally sit in my car outside the office listening to the radio until it was time to go in.

Surely those staying late to do overtime would just just assume you were leaving at your normal time? They wouldn't even need to know you were being paid overtime would they?

Nope. And I wouldn’t have needed to know that they were being paid overtime as I would have been gone before they started doing anything extra.

This was all a long time ago, but it still irritates me. Although I did use to enjoy sitting in the car listening to the radio while watching all the suckers going into the office.

I've recently started tracking time on emails again, as it was a upgrade to my CRM package. Up to 45 minutes on some emails, time thinking about the job, issue, including images, whatever. Really need to start automating.

I just wonder how many people's lives are consumed by emails. ROI kind of plummets when you look at things like this, and I don't just mean financial investment.

Starting a little late is OK as long as people do their full contractual hours. Obviously if you provide some kind of service that covers a 9am start you need to be in on time or at least have a rota that guarantees there will be sufficient cover from 9am.

im so in agreement with Moggy - all these working stiffs angry because someone else has realised their office life is a charade but doesnt have the guts to eat toast on work time

What do all these 9-5 sticklers do if they arrive at work and there isn't something to do immediately, or if you get to 4:30 in the afternoon and there is no sensible task to start that can be wrapped up or suitably parked in the last 30 minutes?

In many cases clock watching and mandating that everyone be at their desk or place of work for a very specific time period just results in people marking time and actually being less efficient overall.

<]:^D wrote:im so in agreement with Moggy - all these working stiffs angry because someone else has realised their office life is a charade but doesnt have the guts to eat toast on work time

You say that but I was in at 08.59:58 and the person near me was in at 09.00.03. Those 5 seconds make all the difference, I made it in on time, why can’t they? It’s ruined my whole day.

Jenuall wrote:What do all these 9-5 sticklers do if they arrive at work and there isn't something to do immediately, or if you get to 4:30 in the afternoon and there is no sensible task to start that can be wrapped up or suitably parked in the last 30 minutes?

In many cases clock watching and mandating that everyone be at their desk or place of work for a very specific time period just results in people marking time and actually being less efficient overall.

isnt it obvious? they post on grcade

Jenuall wrote:What do all these 9-5 sticklers do if they arrive at work and there isn't something to do immediately, or if you get to 4:30 in the afternoon and there is no sensible task to start that can be wrapped up or suitably parked in the last 30 minutes?

In many cases clock watching and mandating that everyone be at their desk or place of work for a very specific time period just results in people marking time and actually being less efficient overall.

Time for a reorganization.

I have an interview in a few weeks 60 minutes! Argh I wonder what they'll talk to me about....anyways, I have to do a 10 minute presentation in there so that'll kill a few. I've been very lucky, its for a job I've already done and a lot of the people out doing the job know me. I'm quietly confident that I'll get it. In fact over the next year there will be 3 jobs going, and they are currently interviewing 3 people. Fingers crossed.

How many slides would you recommend for a 10 minute presentation? 8 ?

Curls wrote:I have an interview in a few weeks 60 minutes! Argh I wonder what they'll talk to me about....anyways, I have to do a 10 minute presentation in there so that'll kill a few. I've been very lucky, its for a job I've already done and a lot of the people out doing the job know me. I'm quietly confident that I'll get it. In fact over the next year there will be 3 jobs going, and they are currently interviewing 3 people. Fingers crossed.

How many slides would you recommend for a 10 minute presentation? 8 ?

Quality, not quantity. Are you just going to rattle through the slides or talk a bit about each? That will determine how many you need.

Curls wrote:How many slides would you recommend for a 10 minute presentation?

Somewhere between 1 and 0

Moggy wrote:

sawyerpip wrote:Hypothetical for you. You get the bus to work. The timings of the bus mean you can get to the office at either 8:35 or 9:05. Your contracted hours are 9-5 and cannot be changed. Would anyone actually argue you should get into work 25 minutes early to make sure you're on time?

It all depends on the job.

Bunny for instance is a nurse and needs to do a handover and so she’d need to be there on time, which would mean being early.

That and many other folk suffer the same trouble. So it wouldn’t be just me, they’d have to allow the other three people to be late too which means the nightshift can’t leave on time. Though I do understand the difference in my role to that of other jobs.

Saying that I should be able to turn up five minute late if I can see and treat 5 patients while the other person spends 20 mins talking about hairdressers and menopause, and only treats one person.

Also if you have to get to work early you can still make use of that time before actually starting work. I usually do my make up in the office or if I’m really lazy, just shower when I get to work and change in time for handover.