Hours of *work* - what's your view (slightly lighthearted debate)

Hootie19

We had a "heated debate" in the office today, and so I thought I'd ask here and canvass others' opinions.

If, for example, your contracted hours are 9.00am to 5.00pm, what time would you expect to be seated at your desk (or place of work) and what time would you expect to leave?

I seem to be in the minority in thinking that I should be sat at my desk, ready to begin work at 9am and that I should start to pack up and clear away at 5pm. My colleagues believe that as long as they are in the building at 9am, that's acceptable, and that they should start to pack up their desks at about 4.45pm, ready to be out of the building at 5pm.

My argument is that my contracted *hours of work* are 9 to 5, not my contracted hours of *being in the building* are 9 to 5.

So - whose side of the argument do *you* come down on?

seafarers_wife

ive always worked it that im logged on ready to work at 9 and logging off at 5 same as yourself. my boss used to take a very dim view of those that werent ready and it showed at appraisal time.

bluenoseam

I generally came into work at 8.30ish ready to be on the floor for doors opening at 9, on closing it depends, most times i had been sorting the place out since 4.45 to finish at 5.30 but that's just retail for you.

In an office i'd be at my desk for 9am and finish at 5 though, unless i had something to finish but generally speaking i'd start tying up the loose ends of the day around 4.30.

heretolearn_2

We like people to be at their desk ready at 9am, but I'm not so bothered if they want to spend the first couple of minutes making a cup of tea or something, as long as they are here by 9 and not messing about too much before they start. I like a cuppa to get me going too! Also we know sometimes traffic is a pain etc, so if people are a few minutes late, well sometimes it happens. That's different to planning on being late every day, as your colleagues seem to be doing. We did have one chap who decided he was going to sit and read the Bible for 10 minutes at 9am, and we had to tell him this was something he needed to do in his own time, not ours.

However as an employer I take a very dim view of those who start to pack up early as there isn't any need for it. Office work is like painting the forth bridge (or it is for us) there isn't any point ever at which you are 'finished' so there's no need to start 'wrapping things up' early. Spend 15 minutes going to the loo, washing up your cup, faffing about putting your papers and calculator in your drawer and any other rubbish and you'll get me on your case. If you do that for 15 minutes a day that's 1 hour 15 minutes a week when you are essentially just messing about instead of working, which is 65 hours a year, which is 8 or 9 working days say. so not ok at all by me. I agree with you that if you stop work at 5pm, you actually work till 5pm.

Tygermoth

Our office makes it easy.

They actually shut the building at 1700... so you have to spend the last 15 min clearing away or the reception staff shout at you because they want to lock up.

However we are expected to be ready at my desk at nine to start. Tea already made and system booted. Which is fair and right.

SarEl

It depends on the employers view! In the end, if someone is not working at 4.45 and the employer takes exception - well that is their lookout! Personally speaking, my 9 - 5 staff are often required to be more flexible than that (client papers don't file themselves in a rush!) so they understand that (a) they are expected to work their hours and (b) the office must be open and staffed between 9 and 5 - and I then leave it up to them to sort out the details of how that happens. But then, someone who was supposed to be working at 9 and wasn't, or at 4.55 and wasn't wouldn't last long in our offices - and it probably wouldn't come to a disciplinary either. Our largely self-managing staff would have the situation sorted out very quickly, and probably before one of the partners noticed! They appreciate their liberty, and don't appreciate anyone taking "liberties".

dseventy

If the employees are client/customer facing, they need to be ready to accept customers at 9am, and right up 5pm.

Our customers expect us there at 9am, until 5pm, so thats when we work.

D70

J_i_m

I view the employee as selling their time to the employer, time includes the work. Therefore you should be present and available to start work the second your shift starts, this means arriving before it starts. Equally you shouldn't leave before it ends, unless you have permission, i.e illness, lack of work, other emergency, time owing etc.

Time wasting I guess can be annoying.. however, you also need to recognise that breaks or a change of task are needed from a health point of view. After-all a tired and bored employee is not going to be working at their peak efficiency and hence isn't any good to anybody.

somethingcorporate

I worked with a business that was so sick of employees not starting at the correct time that they made start time 8am and made them all breakfast so that by 9am everyone was fed, watered and ready to work. Seemed like a novel idea to me!

Personally, I am all for the flexibility and am lucky enough to work from home so as long as I am online by 9:15 ish and log off around until 5 (ish) work doesn't sweat the difference. I tend to not take a long lunch to ensure I do the full "hours". The timing, since I am not customer facing, is not as important.

zagfles

We once had a boss who was particularly anal about timekeeping. But it didn't last very long - people who got a b*ll*cking for arriving 10 mins late then refused to ever stay late to deal with urgent problems!

DCFC79

Well my thoughts are your paid 9 - 5 so at 9 am you should be at your desk ready to work and not be doing your hair at 9 05 and when 5 comes you then go but whether you start to pack away stuff that needs to packed away at say 4 45. My last job they did get quite strict on it although it took them a while to tighten up on it. Third job i had were also strict on it but they were from the start, you clocked in at start of your shift and you werent meant to hang around the clocking machine at 5 minutes to waiting for the machine to get to 6 so you could clock out.