Employee wants to quit her job after being reprimanded for arriving at work early: ‘The write-up stated that I arrived at work 5 minutes early instead of 10 minutes early every day for a week after being instructed to get to work earlier’

Author image for Olivia Arocena
Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Sep 4, 2026 1:45 PM EDT

I'm starting to believe some managers simply don't like us and will find any reason to make it our responsibility

It's really not that hard to believe; it's just like with teachers: it's not that you failed the exam because you didn't study and spent your afternoons playing Xbox; it's because they didn't like you! No, but seriously, how do you justify writing up somebody who arrives 5 minutes early every day?

This can change depending on the culture, but pretty much universally, being late is arriving AFTER the time you're supposed to start. This employee not only arrives on time, but she's also arriving early, so how can the manager keep a straight face while telling her what he told her? That's why I say he might be coming up with a random excuse just to push her to quit. Those things happen.

She posted this in the subreddit /AmIOverreacting. Do you think that's the case?

Advertisement

  • 'As far as I knew, my boss was pleased with this'

    Z
    via SaiKrishna Saketh Yellapragada

    The employee 5 minutes before her shift started

    Image for illustrative purposes

  • AIO for wanting to quit my job after being written up for being 5 minutes early?

    So I started this job about six months ago and I loved it at first. My coworkers were all great and I'd like to think I'm pretty good at my job. The thing is, I had a problem getting to work on time from the beginning.
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • I'm one of those people that's always late and I hate that about myself. My old apartment was also like a 35 minute drive from work so I was usually rolling in about 2-10 minutes after we opened. I
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • recently moved to a different apartment that's way closer and I started getting to work about 5-2 minutes before we opened. As far as I knew, my boss was pleased with this.
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • One day, I received an email from my boss' boss asking me to come to his office. He told me it was inexcusable that I was showing up to work late. I was confused because I had been showing up 5
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • minutes early for at least the last month. What really surprised me was how he continued by saying that I also needed to show initiative and that maybe I'm just not cut out for this job. Not to brag on myself but customers love me
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • and my boss has praised me since the beginning for showing initiative and always being willing to learn something new. I cried and it was super embarrassing but I went on with my day after that.
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • The next two days I showed up about 6 minutes early. I was so mad at myself. I left earlier than usual but I forgot to take into account that school was starting back that day and traffic was
    via FoundationWeird9629

  • Modern Time Management

    00000 200
    via Donald Wu

    What does 'being on time' mean?

    Licensed media provided as editorial context

  • crazy. The two days after that I called in sick because I had a stomach bug. My first day back after being sick I was admittedly only there about 2 minutes early. I have no excuse except to say that I still wasn't
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • feeling 100% but I didn't have any sick leave left. My boss' boss called me into his office to let me know that I received a write up. My heart sunk because I was told during my training that a write up basically meant that you
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • would never move up in the company. He continued to shame me saying that getting to work early is "the easiest thing you could possibly do" and saying that I might not be cut out for this job. The write up stated that I
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • arrived at work 5 minutes early instead of 10 minutes early every day for a week after being instructed to get to work earlier. I thought it wasn't fair to say every day for a week since I was sick for two of those days but whatever. It also
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • said I took "excessively long lunch breaks" (we get an hour for lunch and my lunch was an hour and 3 minutes). I didn't cry this time because I decided in that moment that I don't feel appreciated here and I don't have to stay where
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • I'm not wanted. I've been job searching. Since my write up I've been at least 15 minutes early to work, sometimes beating my boss' boss to work. I feel like it's important to mention that my
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • coworkers who have the same position and title as me arrive to work after me most days now and sometimes don't arrive until well after we've opened and none of them have been reprimanded. Also, I'm paid hourly so it's
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • not like I'm being paid for time I'm not there if that makes sense. There's lots of other little things about the work environment at this place that led to me wanting to leave but this is definitely
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • the driving force. It also doesn't help that my boss. told me she would "get this worked out" because she "doesn't want me going anywhere" but nothing has been done and it's been well over a month.
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • So yeah I know I'm probably overreacting but this is just really frustrating. because I worked hard to get there early and to hear
    via FoundationWeird9629
  • that that wasn't good enough and I needed to be there even earlier (even though others don't have to be) makes me pretty upset.
    via FoundationWeird9629

  • How early does one has to arrive to be on time?

    Cheezburger Image 10661143552
    via Elisa Ventur

    Is it personal?

    Recreated scenario included to enhance reader understanding.  



     

  • I guess taking two days off because she was sick didn’t help her case, and we don’t have to psychoanalyze the fact that she casually got sick only a few days after her talk with her boss; I understand that might have contributed to the general impression he had of her, but come on, right?

    If I lived in Wonderland, I would advise her to get a new job, but I know how hard it is to find one, so I would still advise her to look for a job, but to do so patiently. She already knows this company has bad vibes, so in the end, it’s not the place she wants to work.

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

workplace-stories toxic-workplace work workplace toxic-work-environment
Scroll Down For The Next Article