It’s important to be punctual when you’re on company time, but one employee took a stand after his boss asked him to work five extra minutes each day. A Reddit user who goes by the handle u/heyyslat posted to the r/Jobs subreddit to share an odd text exchange between himself and his boss. In a post titled, “Punching in when the shift starts but the manager says I’m late,” the Redditor explained that he would punch in promptly at 7:30 every morning but the manager constantly told him he was late. The Reddit user revealed that he worked at a warehouse and the manager was “never there” in person to set an example for his workers.
The Redditor shared screenshots of texts that his manager sent him, along with his response. In the texts, his manager jabbed at his employee for being “late” for work and nudged him to improve his work ethic. “This message is to advise you about punching in late. Make sure you punch in on time every single day. I know you can do it!” said the texts.
The Redditor was perplexed by the texts he had received from his boss, as he had never been late for his shift. To get clarity on the situation, he responded to his boss via text message. “Hey, I’m honestly just a bit confused because the shifts start at 7:30 and I’ve been punching in at 7:30 every day lately,” he wrote.” He then stressed how he’s never been more than five minutes late, adding that it seemed reasonable given his track record on the job. “Some days at the absolute worst it’s 7:35 because of traffic, and no one seems to have an issue with it since it takes a couple of minutes for everyone to get sent to their trucks regardless,” he said.
His manager didn’t offer insight into his query and instead encouraged him to punch in early to work every day. “Try punching in at 7:25 tomorrow, that’s all I ask,” wrote the boss. The quick-thinking Redditor then responded by asking his boss if the additional five minutes of work time would be paid. The manager did not offer a response to his employee. As expected, the post generated a lot of comments from other Reddit users. Many called the boss’ management style into question, with one user writing, “You want to grow in a company that micromanages like this?” Another Redditor shared a similar sentiment, saying, “Oldest routine… ‘get ready for work by clocking in early’…yeah like so many others I dread work the moment I get in my car to go to work.”
Several Reddit users noted how silent the boss became once the subject of compensation came into play. “He shut up real quick when you asked him that,” wrote one user. Another Reddit poster mentioned how the manager’s silence spoke volumes, writing, “No response kinda says it all lol. He’s trying to get an extra 5 minutes of labor from you regularly (which adds up to a lot in as quickly as a month).” The Reddit thread sparked a discussion about poor management techniques and how some bosses take advantage of their employees.
