'They had to hire three people to do my job': Malevolent new supervisor writes dude up for being late, so he leaves on time every day and quits

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Oct 21, 2023 9:00 AM EDT

Flexibility begets flexibility—treat workers with the understanding, trust, and respect they deserve and get the same in return. Particularly in a line of work where being a few minutes late means nothing, but the worker's willingness to stay late or work unexpected hours means everything, you'd do well to accept that them walking in the door a few minutes late isn't that big of a deal. That is unless you, their new supervisor, have a bone to pick with them over the fact that their self-determination is an affront to your ego and a reminder that you don't have the absolute control that you would like to have over their life.

This worker found themself facing the wrath of their recently-promoted coworker-now-boss whom they had never gotten along with. The recently-promoted coworker-now-boss wanted to string them up for consistently being a few minutes late to their desk, but failed to consider all of the other times that they stayed late to help out—you know, this old song and dance. They would quit sometime soon after, and the company would have to hire three people to replace them.

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  • 01
    Font - Posted by u/jones_ro 12 hours ago Written up for being chronically late... but wait! S OC This happened back in the 1980s before, you know, computers on every desk. My employer was a small company, only 10 or so employees. I was totally committed to the job and gave it my all, not leaving till all the day's work was done, sometimes staying hours after work to do so. I had been there more than 5 years at the time
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  • 02
    Font - and was a key employee by then, the one people went to for help with complicated tasks. I did a prodigious amount of work and always had stellar performance reviews, yada yada. Occasionally, traffic or whatever would make me a few minutes late for work. I didn't worry about it, we didn't use time sheets or a time clock and everyone was salaried (erroneously, but that's a different story).
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  • 03
    Font - Then one of the owner's favorites was promoted to VP and put in charge of HR. Before this, we were equals in the company. One of the first things she did was give me a written reprimand for 'insubordination' for being late one too many times. Eyes wide open now, I took the hit and began my campaign of MC.
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  • 04
    Font - From that date forward, I entered the office one minute early, got to my desk and was seen to be 'busy'. Waited for 30 mins to go pour myself some coffee. I stopped work and left the building every day at exactly the end of business hours, leaving unfinished work on my desk. I received a joyous commendation from the VP for "correcting my attitude." Left there within a few weeks, and they had to hire three people to do my job.
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  • 05
    Font - HouseNumb3rs. 4 hr. ago. edited 3 hr. ago We used to have discretionary 10% OT so we can work up to 4 hours OT as needed to keep things moving along especially with the always unforseen external delays. New boss, new rules. Now ALL OT must be "preapproved" and the insinuation that we were "milking" the OT teat. That is equivalent to "begging" for OT
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  • 06
    Font - every single instance big or small before you even know if you needed it until the delay event occur which is highly variable. The manager also went to get his pint at the pub right on the dot at closing time and does not answer calls (for OT approval). No problemo... instead of working 1/2 hours to finish the process? Shut it down and close up shop.
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  • 07
    Font - Reopen the next day to restart which would take 2-3 hours to complete. We'll don't really feel like begging so we'll be down at the pub too chugging a pint on company expense... BTW. We're out of town for projects so on expenses along with hotels and rental cars. Projects that could be done in 1 week or so with ~10% OT...? Takes 2-3 weeks with zero OT. No worries. Vote Reply Share ●●●
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  • 08
    Font - Equivalent-Salary357 3 hr. ago I'm with you on this. The unfortunate effect is that the company is less profitable as a result. A good friend worked for a company that went bankrupt because of stupid management when he was about ten years short of
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  • 09
    Font - retirement. Now he's making do on Social Security, which isn't much. Stupid management can hurt employees for longer that their employment. Vote Reply Share ●●●
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  • 10
    Font - 010 Turturrotezurro. 5 hr. ago At one of my previous jobs they sent an automated email to a co- worker form being late. This coworker had an agreement to recover the hours later on the day because he had tomleft kid at school some weeks They pisod him off enought that our director contacted HR to leave her team alone and yet this coworker started to follow exact schedules. Projects got out a little slower since then Vote Reply Share ●●●
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  • 11
    Font - cfgregory 2 hr. ago Yup, I am in IT. If you are strict about my clocking in and out at set hours, all server updates happen doing that hours. Not my problem the updates causes another department to not be able to work.
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  • 12
    Font - Server goes down at 6:12 pm on a Friday. Ok, see you Monday at 8:30 am. If you are flexible, I will make sure updates happen during off hours and answer my phone outside of business hours. Vote Reply Share ●●●
    via u/jones_ro
  • 13
    Font - Ugg225 5 hr. ago ● No push back? You work for 5 years, become indispensable, so you; 1. Don't go to the owner (only 10 employees, to find out what's going on. 2. Go to your peer, (now HR?). Say "I do hours of unpaid overtime. Are you sure you want to write up about this"?
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  • 14
    Font - 3. Quit, and owner does not find out why? Offer some compromise? I mean, you are essential to the business, one would think some kind of effort would be made to keep you. Vote Reply Share
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  • 15
    Font - Rhino 35 6 hr. ago What only three people?!, you are being too modest Vote Reply Share Any_Significance_729 · 3 hr. ago Sounds like when they fired you, they had to fire someone else too, to reach your level of productivity.. (I'll wait. Vote Reply Share
    via u/jones_ro

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