Employee starts 8 hour finance shift at 7 AM, boss reprimands him for his 'schedule and visibility': 'Most people come in around nine and leave around six'

Is it right to allow an employee to make their own work hours?

There are plenty of people in the workforce who, for one reason or another, believe that flexibility is essential when it comes to their satisfaction at work. They want to know that their job will be manageable alongside their other responsibilities, or they simply want to feel like they are in control of when they do or don't work. It is an understandable desire to have.

Not all companies are going to offer the kind of positions that provide this, which means it can be a godsend to manage to secure a job at a place that does. However, this can sometimes come with strings attached. Just like employers who claim to offer 'unlimited' PTO, those who allow their employees to make their own hours can sometimes take issue with those workers who actually go ahead and do that.

In theory, this arrangement shouldn't be an issue if the work that a person is assigned gets done in the time that it needs to be done. Still, some bosses can be suspicious if their schedule deviates too far from the norm. They assume that something nefarious is going on.

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A financial analyst had developed the routine of going to work from 7 AM to 3:30 PM, taking a half-hour break for lunch, which meant he worked the eight hours expected of him. This was at odds with many of his colleagues, who didn't tend to start until 9 and who took hour-long lunches.
One of these coworkers, who had been struggling with work and staying late, emailed their boss about his early finishes. She claimed not to understand why he was allowed to do this. The manager responded by setting a meeting with him, and he wanted advice on how to navigate it.
My boss wants to meet tomorrow about me leaving "too early" and I'm not sure how to handle it without sounding defensive

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