Worker refuses to arrive an hour early to shift despite coworkers' demands, insists on clocking in and out right on time: ‘They complain that I come in late’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Apr 14, 2026 1:00 PM EDT

If your shift starts at 8:00 AM, what time should you be at work, ready to clock in?

Any time before 7:45 AM is the wrong answer, especially if you're not getting paid for being there earlier. The concept of dividing employees into shifts exists for a reason, and each workplace knows what they're doing when they set a time to clock in and clock out of every shift. It's all part of a well-oiled machine that you should not mess with.

The coworkers in the story below, however, are currently messing with the shift system, and they are trying to drag the entire team along with them.

Their workplace has two shifts in place: from 6 PM to 6 AM, and from 6 AM to 6 PM. Employees should arrive at work 15 minutes before their shift starts to allow a proper handoff, and to let the employees who worked before log off on time. That worked well enough until a few employees started showing up to work at 5 AM, a whole hour before their shift was supposed to start.

According to these few employees, if everyone arrives at work an hour early to relieve the current shift before their shift ends, everyone can leave work earlier than intended, which makes everyone happy. 

Well, everyone except one employee, who doesn't want to go on board this new system. This employee doesn't want their shifts to change to 5 PM to 5 AM, and they don't think they should be obliged to come an hour early to shift just because their coworkers do.

So, while everyone else arrives at work an hour earlier, this employee sticks to the original schedule, which makes the coworkers mad…

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  • A woman standing behind two men in a workplace environment
    via A F

    A woman standing behind two men in a workplace environment.

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

  • AITAH for not showing up 60 min before my shift starts to relieve my coworker?

    Hi all, My coworkers are pretty divided on when people should show up for shift change/hand- off.
    via bipobe
  • Work shift is 6 PM - 6 AM and they ask you to show up 15 min early but you aren't considered late until after 6.
    via bipobe
  • The issue is that some coworkers have been showing up earlier and earlier and think that because of that we should also show up earlier so they can leave earlier too.
    via bipobe
  • Boss reiterates many times as long as we aren't walking in after 6 PM we're fine.
    via bipobe
  • A lot of us coworkers are on the same mindset of shift doesn't start til 6 and we come in 15 min early already to get report.
    via bipobe
  • Scenario: I show up at 5:30-5:40 for my 6:00 shift. The coworker relieving me shows up at 5 and is mad that I don't show up at 5 to relieve them early in return.
    via bipobe
  • We have told them it's fine if they want to show up then but it doesn't mean we're going to come in essentially 1 hr before our actual shift starts.
    via bipobe
  • One coworker just said "Yeah but here we come in early so you can leave early and then you can come in and get us out of here early" For me the difference between those 30 minutes in prime traffic time means I have to wake up roughly 1 hour earlier than I normally do just to have more time stuck in traffic (Houston traffic yay)...
    via bipobe
  • In response to us not coming in earlier they still show up at 5 but will wait til 5:30 to get a handoff report from us.
    via bipobe
  • These coworkers will then complain about you coming in "late" or that they come in early just to stay later.
    via bipobe
  • TLDR: Shift is officially 6P-6A and our employer asks you to show up 15 min early for handoff.
    via bipobe
  • Some people show up at 5P and expect you to show up at 5A in response to them coming in early so they can leave early too.
    via bipobe
  • A person pressing a button on a white wall
    via HUUM

    A person pressing a button on a white wall.

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

  • They get mad that we show up at 5:30-5:45 instead of 5 like they do. It's a 14 on and 14 off schedule with the same crew the 14 days on.
    via bipobe
  • Should we be showing up early because they are showing up early? I don't expect them to come in early if I end up coming in early one of the days unless it's something we discussed in advance.
    via bipobe
  • Edit to add: I tried responding to what I could but some important details | added in comments for anyone new: Employer uses timesheets and not a badge/clock-in system and everyone still writes 6-6 even if they came in at 5.
    via bipobe
  • 15 min is added automatically to each shift for them requesting the handoffs done 15 min prior.
    via bipobe
  • You hand off to the same person for the 14 days. It's split evenly between coworkers that want to just show up on time and the other half that want to show up at 5 and leave at 5.
    via bipobe
  • Another important thing is that they use the same computer and once they log into the systems for the sites you get logged out and the lead will tell you to go home because handoff is done.
    via bipobe
  • Staying until 6 is not allowed once the handoff is done. Have tried saying that I'll stay til handoff time but they ask and force handoff then.
    via bipobe
  • I try to be conscious of my actions and while some coworkers have the same view as me the others that were upset did make me question if I was thinking about this incorrectly.
    via bipobe

  • Do these coworkers have a point, or is it inconsiderate to the other employees to insist on changing the schedule?

    This employee is unsure what their next steps should be, as management doesn't seem to care about this sudden change. Scroll down to read what others had to say about the situation.

  • Thank you guys so much and I appreciate your responses!
    via bipobe
  • BulbasaurRanch You don't need to match their stupidity. NTA
    via BulbasaurRanch
  • bipobe Original Poster's Reply Best response haha. Some of the other coworkers that are of similar mindset have slowly given in to just showing up early which made me have a moment of "oh crp, am I actually just seeing this differently from the average person?" Phew!
    via bipobe
  • MyChoiceNotYours NTA your boss needs to deal with this ASAP.
    via MyChoiceNotYours
  • bipobe Original Poster's Reply They unfortunately know about it but most they have said is just as long as you guys don't show up after 6 you're not late. Plus emails confirming that shifts are from 6- 6... What a great help right?
    via bipobe
  • lizfour Yeah they're just bringing the shift forward an hour. What happens when 5am is the norm, people start expecting 4am?
    via lizfour
  • bipobe Original Poster's Reply We've brought that up too but then they're like "no it's different"... Trying to make them see that it's not is just a battle we'll never win /:
    via bipobe
  • Sea_Chocolate_3537 NTA it's ok if they want to show up at 5 it doesn't mean they have to release you they could chill in the break room for 45 minutes.
    via Sea_Chocolate_3537
  • bipobe Original Poster's Reply That's exactly what we've told them! Go watch an episode of something on your phone, take a nap in the car, get breakfast/dinner. But they're just silly and fight us saying they have to start early to get off early.
    via bipobe
  • jedi_dancing How long does hand-off take? Is it instantaneous? Because if it's not, and you are scheduled to start the minute the previous shift finishes, the company is basically mandating wage theft as part of their schedule.
    via jedi_dancing
  • bipobe Original Poster's Reply Like 1-2 minutes on average. 5 minutes if it's hit the ceiling. Multiple sites are monitored and we just relay any critical alarms info for those sites. Or if an operator needs to be followed up with we give the site and name of the operator. The majority of it is people just chatting with each other if it takes any longer than a few minutes. We get the 15 min automatically paid per shift to come in early for the handoff... Only 15 min. Which we're also wondering w
    via bipobe
  • Naval_AV8R Where is the shift manager during all of this?
    via Naval_AV8R
  • bipobe Original Poster's Reply We have leads during night shift and unfortunately a lot of them are on the same mindset of show up early and leave early. It is more the older employees that want to show up at 5 etc.
    via bipobe

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shift employee manager job work coworkers clock out morning workplace entitled coworker team clocking in
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