Some managers get so fixated on timekeeping that it eventually works against them.

What would you do if your manager called you out for arriving three minutes late after you had already been giving them extra time most days?

Would you keep being flexible?

Or would you start following the rules exactly as written?

In the following story, one school office employee finds herself in this exact predicament and opts for the latter.

Here’s what happened.

Three minutes late.

I work in a school as support staff and am not a teacher.

I generally arrive at work at 8:15. The start time is 8:30.

Upon arrival, I go to the staff room, make a coffee, and take it to my workstation.

My manager doesn’t bother with small talk.

She’s straight into discussing work, asking me questions, etc.

Often, before I even put my handbag away or fire up my laptop.

I get a 45-minute unpaid lunch break, which is a bit long.

I’m usually back at my desk within 30-35 minutes.

It all started over three minutes.

A couple of months ago, I arrived at my workstation at 8:33 with my coffee.

My manager made a big production of lifting her arm up and reading her watch (which she can’t read without glasses on anyway, and she wasn’t wearing them, so it was for theatrical purposes) and remarked about me making my coffee after my start time.

I made up the three minutes at lunchtime by coming back sooner than my 45-minute break.

I take my lunch during the students’ lunch. Their lunch is 1-1:40.

The manager doesn’t seem to understand some things.

The following day I arrive back from lunch at 1:45 and manager is hopping from foot to foot because we were needing to start class.

I said my lunch is 45 minutes.

Maybe I should take lunch before 1 to ensure I’m here at 1:40.

She looks at the timetable and says that doesn’t work, we have classes that go until 1, so you can’t take lunch until 1.

I firmly stated my lunch is 45 minutes, so that means I come back five minutes into lessons.

She then stated that it doesn’t work and that she’ll get the school to pay me for those ten minutes.

Her break is 45 minutes and will stay that way.

I’m the union representative for my workplace.

I said they can’t, my 45-minute break is in the award. (And in actual fact if we don’t get our breaks, those minutes are paid at overtime rates).

I now take my entire 45-minute break.

Even though I’m done with eating and *******, I’ll fill in the 15 minutes checking Instagram.

I also still generally arrive at 8:15, and I now have my pre-work coffee in the staff room and don’t ever arrive at my desk until 8:28.

Yikes! She’s lucky she knew the laws so well.

Let’s see what the folks over at Reddit think about it.

This person loves the story.

Here’s an excellent way to look at it.

Of course, they backed out.

They really should pay more attention.

Talk about a petty boss.

Three minutes is such a minor reason to be upset.

Like anything else in life, you should always choose your battles wisely.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.