Boss reprimands employee for clocking in 5 minutes before their shift, calls it 'unauthorized overtime': 'What makes it even dumber is they constantly complain that we don’t show up early enough'

Your job starts when your job starts, but timing is not an exact science. You're human, and you're going to show up when you're going to show up. Maybe the bus was early. What, do they want you to do a lap around the neighborhood like some kind of nervous Nelly, eating up more of your already precious free time? No, you go in, and you get to work. Plus, they're squeezing some extra minutes out of you anyway, which they should be grateful for. But what about compensation? Should you get fairly compensated for the couple of extra minutes you put in, even if your employer didn't agree to it?

Those are the questions that came up in this story, where an employee was reprimanded for clocking in a couple of minutes early. The way the employee saw it, she was doing her regular job and even showing a little initiative. What was she supposed to do? Pretend like she didn't arrive when she did? The way her employer saw it, she was trying to squeeze some extra pennies out of her.

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This story sparked a discussion about nickel-and-diming from employees and employers, and how that makes everyone feel. You have to suffer so many indignities as an hourly worker; the least your employer can do is let some things slide here and there. Scroll on to read the full story and see what you think about it.
Is clocking in a few minutes early really that big of a deal?

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Other workers chimed in with their experiences.

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