Boss berates stellar employee for leaving at 4:55, says 'optics matter': 'I've never missed a deadline'

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jun 28, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

Should it matter if you leave work 5 minutes early?

When you have a salaried job, it might mean that your working hours are somewhat flexible. They don't own you hourly, but they probably have expectations of when you're going to be working and available, especially if you work in an office. This is a pretty normal thing to expect, especially if it's from 9-5. Those are tried and true working hours, and many folks have had decades of learning how to deal with this time structure. Unfortunately, that means that much of the working world is running on the same schedule. That makes commute times go up, lunch places get crowded, and everything a little more competitive. If you can fudge your hours just a hair in either direction, it might make your life that much more frictionless. But employers don't always like that. This one in a story posted to the career guidance subreddit sure didn't. They wanted their employees to all be on the same page, no matter what. The employee in question, though, didn't quite think that was fair. The way they saw it, they were arriving at work early, getting things done, and leaving just before everyone else did. The way their employer saw it, they were sending a bad message to the rest of their colleagues. But the employee in this story didn't see how that was her problem. After all, she wasn't the one falling behind. Her coworker was. 

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  • Cheezburger Image 10642557184
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    An employee walks out of work and hails a taxi

  • My manager told me "optics matter" because I leave five minutes early?

    i work at a marketing agency and my hours are 9 to 5. i usually get in around 8:50 and leave at 4:55. five minutes. that's the whole issue.
    via OkAdvertising6557
  • my work is always done on time. i've never missed a deadline. i'm usually ahead of schedule on most of my projects and honestly the last hour of most days i'm just sitting there with nothing to do refreshing my email waiting for the clock.
    via OkAdvertising6557
  • there's a coworker who's been at the company way longer than me and she struggles to finish her work in a full day because she won't learn any of the updated tools. she gets in early and stays late and still falls behind. she went to our manager and complained that i leave before everyone else and that it's not fair.
    via OkAdvertising6557
  • my manager talked to me and said he got a complaint and that even if my work is done i need to be at my desk until 5 because optics matter. i asked if there was a problem with my output and he said no. asked if i was missing anything and he said no. just said it doesn't look good.
    via OkAdvertising6557
  • i'm basically being asked to pretend to work for five extra minutes a day because someone who can't keep up is bothered that i can.
    via OkAdvertising6557
  • i have a follow up meeting with him tomorrow and i want to handle this the right way without burning bridges. i'm salaried and i don't get paid overtime and i genuinely don't understand what i'm being corrected for. how do i approach this conversation without sounding entitled but also without just rolling over?
    via OkAdvertising6557

  • Commenters couldn't quite decide who was in the wrong here. Some sided with the manager, wondering why it was so important that she leave 5 minutes early. Others empathize with the feeling. Generally, though, we all surrender so much of ourselves for our jobs. We're allowed to draw the line in the sand every now and again and take back some of our time. Or are we? It ultimately depends on how important the job is to you and what kind of impression you want to make on your manager. Keep scrolling for the full story and let us know what you think.

  • A worker in a red hat sits at a desk while others move around her
    via Unsplash+ (Andrej Lišakov)

    A worker sits at a desk while employees walk around her

  • Commenters gave their varied opinions and takes.

    Frisky_Froth I don't know man. Personally, I wouldn't want to start a whole fight with management over 5 minutes.
    via Frisky_Froth
  • SportTawk Simple solution, leave de d on 5pm
    via SportTawk
  • Whatveldone2dsrvthis Come in at 9:00, not 8:50, and leave at 5:00. That's your solution.
    via Whatveldone2dsrvthis
  • JustMyThoughts2525 Optics do matter. If all your coworkers and management see you leaving 5-10 minutes early compared to everyone else, then yes you'll look bad. It doesn't matter if you come in 5-10 min early and nobody notices. It's not fair, but it's reality.
    via JustMyThoughts2525
  • Far-Bodybuilder-6783 Sure sure, but then again if you are paid to be at work from 9:00 to 17:00, be at work from 9:00 to 17:00. Some companies have flexible working hours, some don't.
    via Far-Bodybuilder-6783
  • Indiebr It's stupid but this kind of stupidity does happen in the workplace. Hence the expression 'optics matter' Sometimes the boss needs their high performer to be squeaky clean to able to start PIP with a lower performer. And no you're
    via Indiebr
  • not being punished for their incompetence, just being asked to play by the rules, however petty they are. Why give them the satisfaction of having something on you when you can just stay another 5 minutes? If there's some
    via Indiebr
  • good reason you really need to leave all of 5 minutes early like catching a train then try to negotiate a different schedule eg. 8:30- 4:30. But if they're really stuck on 9-5 then just do it. You know how they operate now and can adjust your effort and morale accordingly. Lots of jobs offer some time flexibility, others are rigid. Leverage your experience here for something better in the future.
    via Indiebr
  • enotonom If I were you I would just give up that 5 minutes. Watch the clock and stand up the moment it hits 5 pm sharp. Not worth my energy if I am already doing nothing for the last hour anyway
    via enotonom
  • Just_a_Rat I guess my question is, why is it important to you to leave five minutes early? The path of least resistance here is to leave at 5, since you acknowledge your hours are 9 to 5. Why is leaving 5 minutes early a hill you want to di on?
    via Just_a_Rat
  • Because if is that you are typically bored for the last hour of your time, and you feel like 5 minutes is "close enough" then you have been told by your manager that it is not close enough. Adjust your thinking, or find a different situation that
    via Just_a_Rat
  • matches it. If it is something like leaving before 5 saves you significant commute time or something, then tell your manager that and see if they would be amenable to a different solution, like shifting your work day to be from 8:30-4:30 or something. And then stay until 4:30.
    via Just_a_Rat
  • heliodrome Just come in at 8:55am? Problem solved. You obviously pointed in your post that you come in early to justify leaving early and that you are willingly donating 5 minutes to the company anyway, so just shift that 5 minutes to the end of the day.
    via heliodrome
  • Klutzy_Demand_2744 Typical office. They don't care about productivity. They "own" you from 9 to 5. Sad times, and very common.
    via Klutzy_Demand_2744

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antiwork toxic-workplace job work coworkers lateness working toxic-boss workplace bad bosses Reddit
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