'No reasons for being late are accepted': Workers discover their company punishes them the same way no matter how late they are, employees start missing hours of work

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Oct 9, 2024 5:00 PM EDT

How does your work handle latenesses? Each workplace treats them differently. At some jobs where you clock in, such as those in the retail sector, being even a minute or two late is grounds for a write-up. Those bosses expect you to be there at your start time on the dot: no exceptions! Even if traffic is bad or your kid is sick, they don't care. They just want you there on time, with zero exceptions. 

However, some office jobs are way more relaxed about this kind of thing. It's normal for some workers to breeze in the door a half hour after starting time, as well as leave well before 5 PM. It's one of the nice perks of working in a salaried position. But at this company, the new management decided to yank that privilege away from their workers. Not only is lateness now penalized, but the amount of time doesn't seem to matter to the bosses. Late by 2 minutes? You're in trouble. Late by 3 hours? You're still in trouble… the exact same amount of trouble, by the way. 

As you can imagine, the employees didn't take kindly to the new management's way of handling the situation, and decided to maliciously comply. 

Up next, read about this confused hotel guest who didn't understand why he couldn't "come in at 3 AM," and opted to try and nap in the parking lot instead. 

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    via Kateryna Hliznitsova on Unsplash+

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    Same punishment for being 5 minutes late as being 3 hours late? Sure, no problem! So I'm working for a low-level corporation, about 450 employees. I've been there for 5 years and have risen to the top of my department's productivity levels. I mention this as it does pertain to the story. Management had a policy that latecomers
    via u/ActualMis
  • 03
    would be penalized, but that lateness could be excused under some circumstances. I was good at my job, and I actually loved doing it, so I was more or less a dream employee. I always showed up to work 20-30 minutes early because I liked to sit in the lunchroom and prepare for my day. Management knew I was almost always early, so if I was late from time to time (and such instances were rare) they'd let it slide, as there was always a
    via u/ActualMis
  • 04
    valid reason. Now for some other employees this latitude wasn't applied. Chronically late employees would get written up and not have their constant lateness excused. They'd complain, of course, but management was firm. They ran an actual meritocracy, where more-productive employees would experience preferential treatment.
    via u/ActualMis
  • 05
    Then the business gets sold and we get new management. An international corp only interested in buying us up, stripping us down and selling off the company. Of course, they denied this constantly, but the fact that over the next 2 years they stripped us down and sold off the company proved they were lying.
    via u/ActualMis
  • 06
    New management comes in and has to make a bunch of idiotic changes. One of those changes is that no reasons for being late are accepted, regardless of validity. Anyone 5+ minutes late for work would be written up. So at the team meeting where this is explained, I asked, "So if someone is 5 minutes late, and someone else is 3 hours late, the punishment is the same?" And they said yes.
    via u/ActualMis
  • 07
    From that day on, I stopped coming in early. I'd still head to work at my usual time, but I sat in a local coffee shop instead of my work's lunchroom. This meant that my work missed out because in the past I would often help out by answering questions, even start work early if needed. Because I loved my job, and the old management were wonderful bosses.
    via u/ActualMis
  • 08
    No more of that under new management. In fact, if something happened (like unexpectedly bad traffic) and I was going to end up being a few minutes late, I'd just say " If being 3 hours late is the same punishment as 5 minutes late, I'd just decide to come in later. I'd call work to tell them I was delayed, then go out and have a leisurely meal in a restaurant, or run some personal errands, go shopping, even see a movie, etc.
    via u/ActualMis
  • 09
    Depending on my mood, and how the new management had been lately, what would have been, say, a 7-minute lateness on my part would end up seeing me roll in 3 hours late. Sure, it cost me a few bucks, but I made almost as much in bonuses than I did in hourly salary, so missing out on a few hours here and there didn't bother me too much.
    via u/ActualMis
  • 10
    I'd come in 3 or 4 hours late and my new bosses would be fuming. Nothing they could do though but write me up for the basic tardy, same as they would have if I was 5 minutes late.
    via u/ActualMis
  • 11
    Thelgow My buddy worked for customer service at a big ISP by us. If you were late, you would get written up, too many in a time frame would be penalties, less days, fired, etc. However, for reasons unknown, NO penalty if you call out same day.
    via u/Thelgow
  • 12
    So we would randomly get a call from him to hang out because if he got stuck in any traffic and risked being a minute late, he would call out and hang out. 1 less person all day vs a few minutes... The joys of manglement.
    via u/Thelgow
  • 13
    Lionsden413 I had a job where you could get 12 points in a years time before you got fired. Calling off without 24 hours notice was 1 point. Family emergency? Thats 1 point. No call no show was 1 point. So rather than a quick heads up that you won't be in the night before people just didn't show up, because whats the point of calling off?
    via u/Lionsden413
  • 14
    SlightlyWornShoe Yeah, a similar rule was implemented in my school, it did not matter if you were 5 minutes late or 2 hours, you still got a hour detention. So it got to the point where if I see I will be 2 minutes late, I slow down, go drink a coffee, go to the park and then come in 1-2 hours late.
    via u/SlightlyWornShoe
  • 15
    Scottysix Yup, worked in a factory for awhile. Being late was the same as not being there that day. (1 point, I forget how many you could get before a official write up). One time. was was literally going to be a minute late. (Was in the parking lot and everything). Just turned around and went home, as did anyone else who could afford to.
    via u/Scottysix
  • 16
    cero1399 I am so happy that in my current job i don't have fixed hours. No more having to call in for 3 minutes late because traffic gonna traffic.
    via u/cero1399
  • 17
    BethsMagickMo... I love the idea of a leisurely pace for a 7 minute delay! I worked at a place where it was better to take the day off instead of being tardy. Never understood why because it put the company in a bad position trying to find my replacement for the day rather that wait for me to come in 10 minutes later.
    via u/BethsMagickMoment

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boss workplace-stories jobs job malicious compliance bosses work coworkers malicious-compliance-reddit workplace late malicious compliance reddit
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