'I'm telling you to manage your time better': Managers ask employees to either clock out or not report time spent completing closing tasks after business hours are over and the front doors are locked, as told by employees in several social media posts

Closed doesn't mean ready to open

Closed, as anyone who has actually worked frontline retail or service will tell you, does not mean "ready to open." And yet, a lot of organizations, or at least top-level managers, really fail to grasp this basic fact. I think it has something to do with the idea that the word "closed" has this sense of finality to it that paints a picture in our minds that we associate with final, done, or over.

So, managers, sitting in their proverbial ivory towers, peer down at those grunting out the hard yards. They decree that once the doors of the store or restaurant close and lock, the work is done. They expect staff to clock out and head home right when the doors shut and lock for the final time that day.

Forecasting and budgeting pressure

So, shifts are usually scheduled right up until the time the store closes, not a moment earlier or later. And they budgeted the cost of labor around that time too, no more, no less. The reality isn't so clean or simple. Oh, but don't we love clean and simple when it comes to forecasting and spreadsheets? 

Besides, if you mess up your labor costage 

So, if this idea or pressure isn't coming from regional or other operations managers further up the chain, who are worried about their own performance reviews and bonuses. Then there's a good chance the pressure is coming from someone with other financial interests: owners, CFOs, and the like. 

The pressure works its way down the chain of operations. At every level, the managers follow the path of least resistance by pushing the pressure downwards. By the time the idea that "closing = clock out" has filtered down to front-line staff, it's so well and truly baked into the company consciousness that 2+2 may as well = 5. The confusing directive demands that staff clock out before closing tasks are done, but still somehow get those tasks done in preparation for the next day.

My Experience

I've seen this a couple of times.

Back in my days working in the service industry, it was pretty common to have closing tasks that couldn't be completed until the doors were locked. You can't simply pack up all the food and sanitize all the food prep surfaces when you are still expecting to sell food. But the ovens could be cooled in preparation for being cleaned, despite the fact that customers wanting hot food are going to be disappointed.

In retail, there aren't ovens that need to be cooled, but there are plenty of other challenges. Getting customers out of the store so that you can lock up and call the day finished is one of the major ones.

Notably, in every case, there's still always going to be the cash-up. That is the counting of the cash register and closure of POS systems for the day, usually with some final tally of sales, both electronic and cash, being recorded. That's something that can't be done until the last customers leave the store. For several obvious reasons, including that you can't be certain when the last transaction will happen as long as there are still people milling about and, well, safety.

In the case of the below account, the employee was asked to remain after closing hours to wait for a repairman to come and fix the lock on the front door. Fair enough, given you can't really leave the buidling totally unlocked and unattended should some wise-guy decide to try the door handle while walking past. But, this is very clearly a work requirement and should be paid as such.

Keep reading to see this account as it was shared on social media this week, then we'll look at some other accounts shared by employees and look at key responses and talk more about the issue. 

The First Story

My manager made me stay after closing for a repair guy, then deleted the time from my timecard because I “wasn't actually working”

Story / u/No-Wealth6457

We had an issue with the front door lock at work and my manager asked me to stay after everyone left because a locksmith was supposed to come. I’m hourly.

Guy ended up taking almost 2 hours to get there. I sat at the front desk, let him in, waited while he fixed it, then locked everything up and left.

Checked my timecard yesterday and those hours were gone.

Asked my manager and he straight up said he removed them because I “wasn't actually doing work” while waiting. I told him the only reason I was sitting there was because he told me I had to stay and let the locksmith in. His response was that I could have “found something productive to do.”

The logic is insane to me. If I'm required to physically stay at work for you, how is that suddenly my free time?

I'm going to payroll about it. Mostly posting because I still can't believe he actually said that out loud.

Who doesn't love the unpredictable turmoil that is dealing with a new manager who hasn't learned the ins and outs of the business's idiosyncrasies, yet still sees fit to give conflicting, nonsensical directives?

In this alleged account, the employee shared how they got a new store manager who complained that labor hours were too high. Probably because they were going to affect his bonus. His brilliant solution to the problem “labor hours = too high” was that employees should clock out at their scheduled time and THEN proceed to finish the closing tasks. 

I mean, this is a great idea, just as long as you live in a magical fairy tale world where the tools and even the furniture are sentient and sing cheerful tunes while they clean and complete the tasks themselves. But in the real world, we call that work, and you have to pay people to do it. 

Predicatbly, this went over like a very non-sentient lead balloon with the staff, some of whom were too worried to speak up, convincing the manager that he had won one over on the staff who were just trying to milk their hours.

My manager wants us to clock out before doing the closing checklist

Story / u/Remarkable_Mall_793

We got a new store manager a few weeks ago and he told everyone that labor hours are too high.

His solution is that at closing we clock out at our scheduled time, then finish the closing checklist. Counting the register, wiping everything down, taking trash out, locking storage, all of it. Usually takes another 15 to 25 minutes.

I asked if he was seriously telling us to work after clocking out and he said, "I'm telling you to manage your time better."

A couple [of] coworkers really need the hours and don't want to push back.

Today he printed the clock out times and taped them next to the closing checklist like that somehow makes this more normal.

I took a picture of it before he realizes what he just documented.

But this unpaid “after-hours” overtime makes its way into other workplaces, like corporate environments. Here managers attitudes basically force salaried employees to remain locked to their desks until the manager themself decides it's time to leave, despite there being no more work to do and no work being done as everyone does the Wordle at their desks.

Managers asking employees to stay late to help with additional workloads is nothing new, but when it comes down to optics, politics, perceptions, and other things that just end up being a waste of everyone's time, you have to wonder what the purpose is. 

You know how this office scene goes. A silent standoff like in the graveyard scene of “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly," everyone waiting in the proverbial graveyard of “office culture” for the boss to make the first move. No one dares to move an inch that might be seen as them gathering their things to go, not wanting to be seen packing it in for the day before the boss. They just know it could end up as comments about how they “aren't dedicated enough” on their next performance review despite being the most productive member of the team.  

Once the manager leaves, everyone pours out after them, but not a moment sooner. So, is your boss one of those stalwarts that stays firmly rooted to their seat until 5:30 PM every day? Well, that's 2.5 hours of overtime where you're not getting paid to be at the office. Hey, at least it gave you a chance to get the Wordle done before your at-home responsibilities came calling. 

In this, older thread, this employee shared how they bucked the trend and simply clocked out and went home at 5 PM every day. No exceptions. This did wonders for helping their self-reported productivity and also helped curb their growing burnout. 

After years of unpaid overtime, I started logging out exactly at 5 PM. My productivity improved, and I finally have a life

Story / Unknown Employee

For years, I believed that staying late and putting in extra hours would lead to recognition and career progress. Instead, it led to burnout and resentment. Three months ago, I made a commitment to log out exactly at 5 PM, no exceptions. 

Surprisingly, not only did my productivity during work hours improve but I also regained my personal life. Now, I can spend more time with family, picked up old hobbies and feel more rested/energised. Do you know the best part? It's the fact that my employer hasn't noticed a drop in performance. This was an eye opener as it made me realize that overworking was a trap I set for myself