Anyone know about workplace time clocking?

You are absolutely right to be livid about this kind of nickel-and-dime attitude.

Bosses need to figure out that treating employees as if they were all irresponsible, dishonest, and stupid destroys all sense of loyalty and trust between staff and management. Nobody with any sense of personal pride in his work will tolerate that kind of senseless daily insult for long.

I like the way my work is. We swipe a card 5 minutes before your shift starts and you start getting paid then. We swipe out whenever we get to it. I have to walk from the front checkouts across the store and downstairs so it takes a few minutes after my shift is done to actually get down there. They really aren't picky about it.

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

You are absolutely right to be livid about this kind of nickel-and-dime attitude.

Bosses need to figure out that treating employees as if they were all irresponsible, dishonest, and stupid destroys all sense of loyalty and trust between staff and management. Nobody with any sense of personal pride in his work will tolerate that kind of senseless daily insult for long.

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Especially for a salaried employee. They would expect (at least where I work) to stay as long as you needed to to get the job done, and they wouldn't pay you more for it. We don't have a timeclock, but they expect all of us to work a regular 40 hr week plus 5 "casual hours"...

The positive side is that we are largely left to our own devices to come and go. Individual managers are more strict than others, but in general no one says anything as long as your work is getting done.

sounds like it's time to leave that place

The last place I worked at their time clock was fine, it was the HR person that kept messing things up. She assumed that since 4 of them were friends that they ALWAYS went to lunch together so if one worked through lunch and grabbed a quik bite or took 30 minutes instead of an hour and forgot to punch out...etc.

One thing that one of these 4 began doing was recording each and everything he clocked out. He used his cell phone and left himself a voicemail with a "Left for lunch at 12:01 pm" etc.

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

You are absolutely right to be livid about this kind of nickel-and-dime attitude.

Bosses need to figure out that treating employees as if they were all irresponsible, dishonest, and stupid destroys all sense of loyalty and trust between staff and management. Nobody with any sense of personal pride in his work will tolerate that kind of senseless daily insult for long.

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this is SO true Carol! At my previous office we had to send an e-mail to our bosses when we got to work, if we were more than 6 minutes late we had to wait to "start" work until the next 1/2 hour increment couldn't make up the time on our breaks or lunches. if we worked OT, then we had to send another a-mial when we left. We didn't have to clock out on our breaks or lunches or anything thank goodness. My current office doesn't keep track at all

Originally Posted by MargeCat

I work 8 hours total, but don't get paid for my 1-hour lunch. I'm not sure what you mean by the 6.5 hours and being lucky?? (I'm full-time.)

I'm not complaining about the number of hours I work; it's the unreasonable attitude of the management about the extra minutes with the clock thing. They expect us, with 3 different-timed clocks, to clock in EXACTLY 7 hours apart, with no variations, which is pretty darned hard when you have to use 3clocks, all with different times--yet the management complain about 1 minute differences.

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Oops - I meant 7.5 hours as I was assuming a 30 minute lunch. So, technically, you're getting paid for full time which is usually 8 hours per day but you work 7. You say your day is 9-5, which = 8 hours, but you have a 1 hour lunch, so 8 - 1 = 7. EVERY place I've ever worked, the work day was 9 hours minus a 1 hour lunch (or 8.5 hours minus a 30 minute lunch). You worked your morning hours, "clocked out" (whether or not there was really a clock is not relevant), took your unpaid lunch, then "clocked back" in for the rest of your 8 hour shift. The "clocked" hours had to be a total of 8, so that's what I mean - you work a 7 hour day but are paid for an 8 hour day from the sounds of it. I'd love to have that schedule. If an office around here does that, they are considered extremely generous and that's touted as an extra benefit. Maybe it's a westcoast vs. eastcoast difference.

MargeCat, I don't think the time clock is the major issue with you. I think its the lack of respect shown to you as a 20 year employee.

Giving a couple of minutes here and there are what what most employees endure. Waiting in line to use a manual timeclock takes a few minutes. I get paid until 4:30, but when I'm done at the end of the day (at 4:30) I put the phones on service. On my way to work I get the company mail.

We are on an honor system at my job. People abuse it. I am the one who does payroll and it puts me in a bad position when I have to address a discrepency.

You can be sure that the reason for the implemation of this time clock is that someone was abusing the previous system. It wasn't you, but you are suffering the consequences along with everyone.

Your boss has probably heard a lot of complaints and was short with you because he is tired of adressing the problem - just to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The clocks all being set differently certianly adds to the problem. Is there a way you can get the clocks sincronized? With so many employees unhappy with this new system, your boss might see you as a problem solver rather than one of the complainers.

Well, today, our boss told us there had been an incident with an employee awhile back, who had way too many extra hours. My place of employment doesn't pay time and a half if you're salaried, and over 40 hours per week. You just get "comp" time (that amount of time off, with pay). There's no overtime, etc. However, by state laws, they are supposed pay time +1/2 over 40 hours. I suppose that person brought this to their attention!

When I think back, it may make sense; they could be telling us the truth (for once...). I seem to remember the clock thing being told to us after a few eligible full-timers left suddenly, plus soem other stuff I'd rather not post online, involving higher-ups, rumors, etc.

If they had only been honest with us about the clocking, we would have understood--and no need to name names, etc., just tell us about the incident, and tha tthey need to document hours, should this happen again. This would;'ve saved months of resentment against management, and the past weeks of anger and frustration among staff (they are NOT at all happy about this!). The management also were not totally honest about the swipe cards, saying they only were for security, to replace the keypad (then, they finally 'fessed up that the cards also keep track of you and your times).

And they wonder why morale is very low...

Originally Posted by Rockcat

MargeCat, I don't think the time clock is the major issue with you. I think its the lack of respect shown to you as a 20 year employee.

Giving a couple of minutes here and there are what what most employees endure. Waiting in line to use a manual timeclock takes a few minutes. I get paid until 4:30, but when I'm done at the end of the day (at 4:30) I put the phones on service. On my way to work I get the company mail.

We are on an honor system at my job. People abuse it. I am the one who does payroll and it puts me in a bad position when I have to address a discrepency.

You can be sure that the reason for the implemation of this time clock is that someone was abusing the previous system. It wasn't you, but you are suffering the consequences along with everyone.

Your boss has probably heard a lot of complaints and was short with you because he is tired of adressing the problem - just to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The clocks all being set differently certianly adds to the problem. Is there a way you can get the clocks sincronized? With so many employees unhappy with this new system, your boss might see you as a problem solver rather than one of the complainers.

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Thank you, thank you! You understand how I feel purr-fectly! I've been there since 1982, and this is exactly how I feel. I know what you're saying about taking it personally--I know it's not just me. It's really all of the weird changes in the past few years that have me fed up. I used to love working there. Now, I can barely tolerate it (though, I am thankful I have a decent job). As I like to say, I'm only there to pay the mortgage, and support the kitties!

Wow, I am lucky - I just sign a piece of paper that I am present. But we do have to have special things that let us in the door - they probably tell the computers that we are in the building.

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

You are absolutely right to be livid about this kind of nickel-and-dime attitude.

Bosses need to figure out that treating employees as if they were all irresponsible, dishonest, and stupid destroys all sense of loyalty and trust between staff and management. Nobody with any sense of personal pride in his work will tolerate that kind of senseless daily insult for long.

Click to expand...

Oh man, I SO want to print this out and put it on my boss's desk first thing Monday morning. Still.....she's probably too dense to figure it out....

Originally Posted by MargeCat

Well, today, our boss told us there had been an incident with an employee awhile back, who had way too many extra hours. My place of employment doesn't pay time and a half if you're salaried, and over 40 hours per week. You just get "comp" time (that amount of time off, with pay). There's no overtime, etc. However, by state laws, they are supposed pay time +1/2 over 40 hours. I suppose that person brought this to their attention!

When I think back, it may make sense; they could be telling us the truth (for once...). I seem to remember the clock thing being told to us after a few eligible full-timers left suddenly, plus soem other stuff I'd rather not post online, involving higher-ups, rumors, etc.

If they had only been honest with us about the clocking, we would have understood--and no need to name names, etc., just tell us about the incident, and tha tthey need to document hours, should this happen again. This would;'ve saved months of resentment against management, and the past weeks of anger and frustration among staff (they are NOT at all happy about this!). The management also were not totally honest about the swipe cards, saying they only were for security, to replace the keypad (then, they finally 'fessed up that the cards also keep track of you and your times).

And they wonder why morale is very low...

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Often times though things will change without them telling you. Yes its nice if you are informed, however say that was your friend that was getting all the extra hours. Even if they don't say the name, for confidentiality reasons managers will wait a while before informing employees just in the event of lawsuits for slandering. Going back to "say this is your friend": if that person abusing the system was your friend and you heard management tell EVERYONE about it, with or without a name, and you told your friend who was previously employed, then they could come back and slap a lawsuit on the company for slander.

Believe me too...I've sat near the top and you don't want management to be honest with every little change. You begin to question the morals of the company at that point.

I would check with your local laws in regards to that. In Michigan if you were an exempt employee (salaried) then you were exempt from receiving overtime pay. You only received time and a half after 40 hours (average for the pay period too mind you - meaning if you are paid every 2 weeks and one week you worked 45 hours, but the next week you only work 35, then you are not paid any time an a half since the average works out to be 40 hours per week) if you were non-exempt or hourly.

My last job converted to the web clock too. I was a manager and I heard from HR if the emp weren't clocking in correctly. The clock wall was different than our cells and the net and the pc. It was frustrating all around. Eventually HR showed the managers how to adjust the times and we just gave up and clocked out emp out/in for them.

Originally Posted by MargeCat

However, by state laws, they are supposed pay time +1/2 over 40 hours. I suppose that person brought this to their attention!

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I am 99.9% sure that when you are salary the employer does not have to pay overtime by state laws.

Originally Posted by Crazyforinfo

My last job converted to the web clock too. I was a manager and I heard from HR if the emp weren't clocking in correctly. The clock wall was different than our cells and the net and the pc. It was frustrating all around. Eventually HR showed the managers how to adjust the times and we just gave up and clocked out emp out/in for them.

I am 99.9% sure that when you are salary the employer does not have to pay overtime by state laws.

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Actually, our employee manual states that there are exempt and non-exempt salaried employees (I'm non-exempt). It says by state law, they are eligible for time and a half. However, the county government, whom I work for, gets around this law somehow (I forget the particulars). I lokoed at this yesterday, and it was news to me--after 26 years. I didn't know about the time-and-a-half. (Also, the bosses now are saying we have to be careful not to time in too early, as we could get into trouble for not providing time + 1/2 over 40 hours a week for non-exempts.

I was a manager at various points in my career, and I always came in with the attitude that people working for me were adults and could understand they were getting paid for working their full-time hours, and that it was important that everyone be available (onsite or telecommuting) at certain times - but after that, people could manage their own time.

Hah!

Some people cannot manage their own time. Some people see this you're-an-adult thing as an opportunity to slack off...in short, some people have no work ethic to speak of.

But here is the problem - at least, in the USA - you cannot discipline one member of a work team without copious amounts of documentation. You also have to prove that you are treating everyone on the work team the same way. The reason is that you (and the company you manage for) can be sued if you single out anyone without ample, and I mean molecular-level thorough, documentation. Because the kind of person who will slack off also tends to be the kind of person who loves nothing better than that free money from a lawsuit.

And most managers, I'm sorry to report, don't realize that this kind of documentation and consistency is part of their job. They can't be bothered with all that paperwork - or the chance they might screw it up somehow. Instead, they just become little Hitlers with everyone. Or else wait for the next - what do they call it nowadays - "rightsizing"? - to get rid of the problem employee (who sits there being a problem and causing problems right up to the bitter end).

For people with a good work ethic, like you, Margecat, it all seems ridiculous. Your manager doesn't sound very good, either. I'm not sure you're going to find any place much different - it's modern (what I call) corp-rat behavior....unfortunately.