'Your working hours are 9 to 6': Employee signs out of important meeting right at 6pm after being chastised for leaving a few minutes early days earlier despite having worked hours of overtime

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    iere Pro but I "Apologies, have to stop you right there. It's 6pm here. My day is over.' Markers Graphics View Window Help 00:00:03:19 3 m 3 Program Title 10 00:00:03:19 0000 ww 03 ME Andrew Easy 00:00:04,00 10 Por CRONORONHO D CC 00000000
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    Posted by u/aineslis 3 years ago "Your working hours are 9 am to 6 pm" LOC Edit: First and foremost, thank you for the upvotes and awards. Greatly appreciated, I love all the discussions below. There is some food for thought here. To clarify a few things: this took place in Europe. I was a salaried employee (40hr/week). I left that job about 10 months after the "event" took place. I didn't get into trouble and nobody tried to fire me (my probation period was over and we have employment laws rega
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    About four years back, I started a new banking job. All was well, just that the management was pretty strict with timekeeping, which was weird as we were back office (my experience was in a similar field at another bank, and we had flexible schedules and received time in lieu). But rules are rules, so I followed them. I learnt my tasks and got to know the wider team. Anyway, about four months in, I started to realise my senior manager didn't like me. I'm pretty assertive as a person, and I do kn
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    The week everything went south, I was working overtime, which was (obviously) unpaid. On Thursday, I did nearly two hours of overtime. On Friday, I thought I'll leave a few minutes early as I was done for the week. My manager was off. I left 10 minutes early. On Monday, I come to work, and I got called into a meeting straight away. There were three of us in the room: myself, my manager, and my senior manager. Our conversation went as follows:
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    My manager (MM): I heard you left work early on Friday Me: I did. I left 10 minutes early. MM: did you ask for permission to leave early? Me: it was 10 minutes. You know I did about 4 hours of overtime last week. Why are we having this conversation? Senior Manager (SM): because you left early without asking for permission. As a senior, you should be setting an example for the rest of the team. Me: Is this a joke?
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    SM: Your working hours are 9 am to 6 pm, not 9 am to 5:50 pm. You shouldn't leave early without asking for your manager or my permission first. Is that clear? Me: Got it. It's perfectly clear.
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    I listened and started coming into the office at 9 am and leaving at 6 pm on the dot. At first, they didn't realise what was happening, but the week after the meeting was the last week of the month. And let's say the last week of the month was... intense. Especially the final day. The reports had to be completed, signed off, and submitted before the month's end. We covered multiple jurisdictions and would deal with Southeast Asia in the morning and the Americas in the evening. Our team was "expe
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    Here comes Friday, the last day of the month. Showtime! I'm at my desk at 9 am sharp. Most of the team have already been at the office for at least an hour. I, of course, have a cup of coffee from the cafeteria because I was a bit early. My manager looks at me and raises his eyebrow, but he doesn't say anything. Work work work. Break time (we had two 20 minute paid breaks and 1-hour unpaid lunch). I'm the only person to go on my break.
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    Lunchtime. Everyone was eating at their desks, while I go to meet my friends for lunch. On the second break, I once again leave my workplace and go for a short stroll around. Back to work. About a quarter to 6 pm, I get a call from one of the senior managers in the US. She needs the report amended. There were 4 of us on that call. I'm doing the amendments as we speak and closely monitoring the time. I see it's two minutes to 6 pm... One minute... 6 pm.
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    SM2: *rambling about the report Me: apologies, but I have to stop you right here SM2: yes? Me: It's 6 pm here. My day is over. SM2: Huh? Me: As per my management, my working hours are 9 am to 6 pm, so I must leave now. Have a great weekend, and we'll catch up on Monday!
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    I logged off, got my coat, wished everyone a great weekend, and left. It was 6:04 pm. Both my manager and my senior manager were dumbfounded by what has happened. Looking pale, and stare at me in disbelief. It was a glorious sight. I wanted to apologise to my senior manager that I wasn't able to leave at 6 pm on the dot, but I thought that would have been way too passive- aggressive, so I just left.
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    I relaxed the rule a bit after a few months. Yet, I never did more than 30 minutes of overtime. Ironically, once my stakeholders understood that I will not be available for 10+ hours, they started collaborating earlier in the month. I would have most of my reports done and submitted by the last day of the month.
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    majesticjules This a malicious compliance I can get behind. You are entitled to take your breaks and if they aren't going to pay overtime you shouldn't have to work it. Management knows this, that's why all they could do is raise their eyebrows. Reply Share 9.8k aineslis OP Yep. That's why he was quiet. I think that morning he started realising what am I up to lol. 44.1k Reply Share
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    GoodAtExplaining "Are you sure" is worker speak for "This is going to bite you in the you know?" I always like following up clearly idiot requests with an e-mail "Per our conversation today (insert summary). Please confirm." This is delicious malicious compliance. 1.2k I Reply Share
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    HOA aineslis OP Didn't even need to confirm it. I just read through my contract when I got home, I even highlighted it for times I had to refer back to it. It was a stressful yet satisfying experience. Reply Share 538 ●●●
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    The OGCrysLady The fact that you doing this made your collaborations better is everything to me. My current work is talking about expanding hours and doing all sorts of things, and I'm over here like, "Since when are boundaries a bad thing?" You let people know what the rules will consistently be and they will adjust accordingly. 1.6k Reply Share
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    ZoiSarah The fact that this made everyone earlier in the monthly chain work better to meet a normal timeline and not a crunched 11th hour timeline makes my managerial senses tingle. 142 aineslis OP Reply Share Yes. Plus I had a much better working relationship with my stakeholders. There were less finger pointing if something went south too. Of course I had bad days too, but it was an exception, not a rule. 462 Reply Share
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    MurderDoneRight I don't understand people working unpaid overtime. Don't they realize they are essentially taking a voluntary pay cut? 189 Reply Share Wadsworth_McStumpy There can be a tradeoff. I'm salaried, and I'll work overtime when I need to. I'll also come in late, leave early, or take half a day off when I need to. I'll make sure my work gets done, and everybody's happy. If they insisted that I be there from 9-6, though, I'd be there from 9-6, and not a minute more. 214 Reply Share ...

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