Imagine working for a company where you have set hours and don’t get paid overtime. Would you ever consider working beyond the end of your shift to finish what you were working on, or would you bolt for the door the second your shift was over?

In today’s story, one employee used to finish what she was working on, but one day, her attitude about working beyond the end of her shift completely changed.

Let’s see what happened.

My manager has problems with ‘clock watchers’

In my last job when I started I would log in as soon as I got there and if I had anything to finish up I would do it before I left.

I didn’t mind as I’m a team player.

This resulted in me doing 20- 30 mins a day unpaid but I liked the company and liked a clear desk.

One time, she really needed to leave work a few minutes early.

Fast forward 2 years and my father in law was terminally ill.

We got a call from the hospital telling us we had to get there ASAP as he didn’t have long left.

I told my manager and left at 3.45 (core hours were 10-4)

The next month my pay was docked for half a day.

Time to play by their rules.

I had already made 2 hrs extra unpaid that week but they told me they couldn’t make exceptions and the extra I did was my own decision.

Allllrighty then!

I came in on the dot and left in the dot.

I did this for 5 years, I worked to the letter of my contracted hours.

She shared her reasoning with a new hire.

My manager was talking to a new starter and in my earshot she told him she hated ‘clockwatchers’ who left on the dot as this doesn’t show company loyalty.

I leaned over and replied loyalty works both ways and being docked half a days pay for attending the death bed of a beloved family member when I’d already done more than my weekly hours was cruel and unfeeling. So I show the company the same level of compassion they showed me. After all rules are rules and exceptions cannot be made.

The new starter started on the dot and left on the dot as did the whole staff.

I dread to think how many extra hours they lost over the whole department over the next few years.

If you’re not being paid for overtime, don’t work overtime. If companies don’t like clock watchers, pay overtime. It’s only fair.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

Yes, this seems to be the principle her manager lived by.

This person thinks her company’s policy was illegal.

Another person held out to be paid overtime.

Someone who ran a contracting firm weighs in.

This manager does things differently.

Docking an employee’s pay has consequences.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.