Factory worker starts 30 minutes later when "bean counter" says he isn't going to be paid for that time to save on costs, company loses money instead when the entire production line is forced to shut down because he's not there: 'I don't work for free'

Cost-saving initiatives that operate purely on numbers without considering all circumstances are incredibly short-sighted. The concept is pretty straightforward: save money now, show reduced costs to your bosses and shareholders, and get a bonus. And then do the same thing next quarter when those same bosses and shareholders expect exponentially increasing revenue forever after, even where it's not physically possible.

But eventually, cutting costs, necessary costs, from the wrong places will do nothing but hamstring your organization and leave the organization and workers without the proper resources to actually do the work that is required. Sure, those signs might not be readily apparent from the outset, especially if you simply ignore the people who are telling you that there are signs.

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  • "Start 30 minutes later to save company money? Ok."

    At one of the factories I worked at, we had a shift overlap. Each shift was there for 8.5 hours, with a half hour unpaid lunch. We had a half hour on shift change to tell the incoming shift what was going on with the machines. A bean counter figured out how much money could be saved with this 'unnecessary' half hour hand over time. being cut. This also cut our workday to 7.5 paid hours. They told the lead men to coordinate the shift handover, even though there was too much information for one pe
    via KJWeb8
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  • However, burying your head in the sand, like an ostrich, does not make for an effective form of management, and it will eventually catch up with the organization. Of course, you'll have probably used your "achievements" to keep climbing the ladder up, high enough where you can stay dry, for now, in the ship that is quickly taking on water. That or at this point you've left entirely. 

    In this case, this "bean counter" had the bright idea of getting rid of the 30-minute shift overlap that was causing "unnecessary" hours. The problem was that this overlap was what allowed the machines to continue running between shifts, and removing that overlap meant a loss of productivity. This, of course, cost the company far more than they were saving on the hours.

  • close-up-of-confident-young-bearded-factory-worker-in-yellow-hardhat-putting-safety-goggles-on-face-while-preparing-for-work
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Cue the malicious compliance. I strolled. onto the production floor at my new assigned start time. Machines were all down. Operators wait for me (a set up operator) and the lead man to discuss what needed to be done. Instead of machines running continuously, they were shut down for at least a half hour. My lead man furiously asked me why I didn't come in earlier. I told him I don't work for free.
    via KJWeb8
  • Naturally, my approach to the new way spread to the other shifts, and suddenly people who always came in early decided they didn't want to work for free either. The factory production levels dropped. Upper management asked why. Several fingers were pointed at me for starting the rebellion, but nothing could be done to make us work for free. A week later, our hours were changed. back.
    via KJWeb8
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  • Krono5_8666V8 Every company ever, at some point "We had this brilliant idea to save money by not paying or employees for part of their work!"
    via KJWeb8
  • dynamicdickpunch Similar situation at my work, except one person was assigned to cover an hour gap between the night shift and mornings by themselves. Unfortunately that hour requires some forklift driving, and as per our Operational Health and Safety, we cannot operate any machinery if only one of our personnel is on site. And since Truck Drivers don't count as our personnel, all it took was that one guy refusing to load/unload trucks for an hour for the rostering to change.
    via KJWeb8

  • "I strolled. onto the production floor at my new assigned start time. Machines were all down."

    I strolled. onto the production floor at my new assigned start time. Machines were all down.
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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  • CannaDave This reminds me of working in restaurants, where you were told the expectation for your 12pm start was to be in uniform and working by 1145am so you'd be "ready" for the lunch rush. After a couple of fridays where we all started right at noon, they turned into 1130am starts because no one likes working for free and even the penny pinchingest manager or owner will admit they were wrong after losing a few thousand dollars in sales and having a building full of grumpy customers who waited
    via KJWeb8
  • SlyFoxInACave While my job didn't ask me to work for free, they did try to cut my set up time in half because "on paper it's completely possible". It only took one shift with this new start time for them to understand I can't just do some of the set up and complete the rest while the entire operation is in full swing. They ended up giving me an extra half hour for "wiggle room" so there would never be a delay again. I guess they figured out it's better to have one person on the clock for a coupl
    via KJWeb8
  • Workers walking towards the camera as if to leave a shift
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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  • Unseenforce84 When I started at my job 10+ years there was a similar situation we're someone looked at the overtime pay and thought it was way too much. Our facility runs 24/7 and you work 12 hour shifts for 4 days then have 4 days off with an A team and a B team. Every week your work schedule shifts 1 day so some months you have to work weekends and get paid 1.5x on Saturday and 2x on Sunday. Our
    via KJWeb8
  • hourly rate is based off the fact we get this overtime and new upper management decided to try to put a stop to it. This meant everyone would be taking a huge pay cut making $6,000+ less a year. It was quickly shot down and the new CEO had to show up to calm things down.
    via KJWeb8
  • FurtiveFox88 Our shift handovers go something like this. Previous shift "The machines ran great! Never stopped." We turn them on, and they immediately crash and make the noise the Thwomps makes in Mario 64.
    via KJWeb8
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