'He's contradicted himself... his face went bright red': Retail employee begins clocking in four minutes late every day to protest boss's time-clock policy

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Oct 26, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

How bold of this company to take a few minutes of every employee's day for free! U/afazihdob had a great workplace tale to share from their time working in retail. The OP laments that although they worked at numerous retail chains in their career, their bosses at one store were notoriously strict about latenesses. 

If I were ever a manager at a retail or food place, I wouldn't be able to take clocking in seriously at all. I just don't think it's the end of the world if an employee is two minutes late, like the OP of this story was. Every employee should get at least five minutes of a grace period, ideally, if not more. 

Unfortunately, for retail jobs, these minutes do matter, because what if someone leaves at 3pm and their replacement doesn't show up until 3:15pm? Those few minutes mean that managers have to fill in the gaps, instead of lounging in a back room playing on their phones. They have to be militant about their time clocks so that they can keep up with managerial busy work instead of having to ring up customers or sweep the floors. Check out this employees' story below, then read about how these people got back at their next door neighbors. 

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  • 01
    Motor vehicle - T 'I counted...330 minutes within a three month span that I was not getting paid for'
    via Viktor Bystrov on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - "We don't pay you to be 2 minutes late, over the course of a year, it's hundreds of dollars." Then I find out an interesting detail. LOC I've worked at many retail chains... have had MANY terrible bosses... here's one story I think I can give up without any repercussions.
    via u/afazihdob
  • 03
    Font - At a small specific retail store, 5-6 years ago at this point, I was confronted by my old boss on a specific event that I was late by two minutes. Previous day, he had asked me to come in on my day off - and at an earlier time than I normally do. I agreed to come in on my day off and work a shift I am not normally used to -but it's retail, it cannot be that difficult.
    via u/afazihdob
  • 04
    Font - My old boss asked me to work 7AM to 4PM, and I showed up at 7:02AM. Which, in my state, there is a 5 minute window for everyone, and this was 100% not a habit of mine at all. I am normally one to show up 5 minutes early everyday and wait aside the time clock. I clocked on, and walked to my department with a drink I had already purchased the previous day.
    via u/afazihdob
  • 05
    Font - As I walked into the department, the manager greeted me then said, "When I schedule you at 7AM, I expect you to be IN department by 7AM. Not a minute later. We can't pay you to clock on, buy something, and then start working.. over the course of a year that adds up to hundreds of dollars of lost labor for one individual." I told my old boss that my drink was from the previous day, and that I just clocked on 2 minutes late. My old boss replied with, "That's not my problem, you need to plan
    via u/afazihdob
  • 06
    Font - Which is not true. I spoke regularly with a payroll employee - and she explained to me quite some time prior, that the company does not pay you 3 minutes before or after your scheduled time. So if you clock on at 7AM, you are not getting paid until 7:03AM. If you clock on at 6:57AM, you are not getting paid until 7AM. Same for when you return from lunch. However, if you clock on at 7:04, after that 3 minute window - you begin getting paid immediately that minute. My boss was right, I NEED
    via u/afazihdob
  • 07
    Font - I asked for a print out of my time stamps going back as far as they had record of... and I tallied up EACH day that I had arrived 3 minutes early - and did not get paid for it. I counted well over 330 minutes within a three month span that I was not getting paid for - which ended up being a little over $110.
    via u/afazihdob
  • 08
    Font - I gave my old boss a copy and said, "You can pay me for these dates where I was in department, on the dot, without getting paid for it." My old boss then replied, "That's not how our company policy works." He then went into detail, to explain to me, exactly what I had already known - and gave him a copy of... yet my old boss is now recognizing that he's contradicted himself and willingly lied to me.
    via u/afazihdob
  • 09
    Font - When everything clicked in his head that he's contradicted himself - it was far too obvious because his face went bright red and he started smiling... imo, like he had been caught. My old boss: Well you know the policy, we can't pay you for that. :)
    via u/afazihdob
  • 10
    Font - Me: Then I will begin my shift when I am getting paid, not the minute you schedule me. It's not like you're losing labor if you're not even paying the employees that window of time. Schedule me at 7, if you like but I will not be clocking on until 4 minutes after the scheduled time, as you will not be losing any cost of labor for it, and I will not be losing pay over your personal policy.
    via u/afazihdob
  • 11
    Font - For about three weeks, I clocked on 4 minutes late everyday, no matter how early I arrived. I eventually got a warning from the building's HR that it's riding the line and very close to getting a write-up, and down the discipline road. I explained to her the entire story, as she seemingly did not like this manager of mine either, she laughed pretty hard at the whole thing and offered me a department transfer, with a higher pay. She reminded me that my behavior was listed under a category
    via u/afazihdob
  • 12
    Font - The funniest part of all of this, years later I saw my old manager working at a new chain, in a similar position to what he was doing when I worked for him. He smiled, waved. I smiled, waved, continued on.
    via u/afazihdob
  • 13
    Font - As time went on, I also bumped into the old HR manager, who was working in an entirely different field... I asked her why my old boss left that company... she laughed and said, "He didn't leave, we fired him for time theft!" Apparently my old boss would take a lunch, leave the building, and never clock out for it.
    via u/afazihdob
  • 14
    Font - CatLady157 What a lying hypocrite you worked for! I am glad that you were able to show him up, and also that he was caught for doing way worse than what he accused you of doing. 3.7k afazihdob OP Reply Share No kidding! It felt like justice, but I hope he learned from it and is a better associate now.
    via u/CatLady157
  • 15
    Font - rockthrowing I knew someone with a job like that. They wanted you there fifteen minutes early for a debrief on shift change but didn't let you clock in until your scheduled time. Took a few years but eventually they had to give everyone back pay. It was absolutely ridiculous.
    via u/rockthrowing
  • 16
    Font - secondphase Now. I'm not going to write you up, but you are VERY close to it! You haven't violated the rules... But you ALMOST did. So you best toe the line. Or at least get close! 135 Reply Share afazihdob OP My guess is that the HR and department manager had already spoke, and she had a premeditated attempt to transfer me.
    via u/secondphase
  • 17
    Font - underwritress So if you clock on at 7AM, you are not getting paid until 7:03AM. This company owes a lot of people a h of a lot of money.
    via u/underwritress
  • 18
    Font - [deleted] Similar story just happened yesterday. I was late by 3 minutes, boss gives me the same "hundreds of dollars lost" spiel, and tells me they don't pay me to be 3 minutes late. Every wednesday, we have a pretty big meeting with the big bosses, whom none speak Spanish. My boss and his boss both speak very poor English, so it is part of my job to be at the meetings and generate a summary of it, and ask questions. Except, my shift starts at noon, and those meetings are at 10am. So i j
    via u/[deleted]
  • 19
    Font - get immediately called to the boss' boss office and get yelled at for being irresponsible and ignoring their calls. After about 10 minutes of them both yelling at me, while I stood in silence, boss' boss ask if I have anything to add. I reminded them my shift starts at noon. Boss' boss is confused, and my boss is draining color, for he knows what is about to happen. Boss' boss asks me to explain, and I simply state that yesterday I was late by 3 minutes, and sternly reminded that I'm not
    via u/[deleted]
  • 20
    Font - before my shift, and then clock my 8 hour shift on top of that, but strangely only get paid for the clocked hours. After a month, that is half a day worth worked for free, and it was against my best interests to continue to be working for no pay. My boss instantly tried to change focus on how me working an extra hour a week was no reason to be a few minutes late. Boss' boss ignored that, and asked me to tally all of my extra hours for him, and to remind him next week to add an extra hour
    via u/[deleted]
  • 21
    Font - [deleted] I worked in a factory for a few years. One day my manager asked to see me about some paperwork as I came in. It took about 20 min to get through, which caused me to start my shift 15 min late (didn't even get a chance to clock in because the machines were further in). Few weeks later I get called in again. Manager asks me why I was 15 min late that day, I remind him he called me in. He proceeds to berate me and tell me that's no excuse. I told him that if I hadn't listened to hi
    via u/[deleted]
  • 22
    Font - giving me s and told me any shift I started late (was late for my shift that time aswell because of him) would be written up and that that day was the second time in a month so I might already be in trouble. I worked a 0-hour contract so my response was "what do you mean? I'm not even working today". He was confused and looked at the schedule for that day, with my name on it. He said I was scheduled for that day. I just said "Oh, that's right. But I'm not working today. Or tomorrow. Or th
    via u/[deleted]
  • 23
    Font - and went home. Officially let HR know I quit and to take me off every schedule I was on, and why. The best thing is, when someone doesn't show up someone else has to cover that shift. That day it would be my manager. He does that occasionally but he was a lazy b who enjoyed sitting in the office pretending to be busy more.
    via u/[deleted]

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boss time workplace-stories day off jobs job malicious compliance bosses work coworkers malicious-compliance-reddit workplace early late bad bosses clock retail retail worker
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