If you're not early, you're late.
I showed up to work about 5 minutes late yesterday and you would have though the world damn near collapsed. I walked in the office and no one was in the front room, everything was quiet and the phones were barely ringing (at 4 in the afternoon...wow.) I went and sat at my desk by the tv room, turned on my computer and phone, and zoned out for a while.
Soon the phones start ringing again like they normally do. Not really busy, but not too quiet like it had been when I got there. So anyway in the midst of all my calls, Diane, starts walking up to me. It's never a good thing when Diane comes to talk to you. Luckily my phone rings and a potential customer wants to run a credit check. As I'm running the check Diane is lingering over my shoulder and kind of itching to tell me something. She's obviously agitated that I'm on the phone. Finally she gets too impatient and goes home since it was the end of her shift.
Before I continue my story, let me explain Diane. Diane likes to believe that she holds some authority over everyone because she is friends with the owners of the company -when really, shes just a sales rep. like the rest of us. She can't really keep her nose out of other peoples business and seems to go out of her way to stir things up.
Anyway, after about an hour goes by, I ask Megan (coworker) if she knew what Diane wanted. She told me that Diane wanted to let me know that I was 10 minutes late, that I needed to call if I'm going to be late, and also to not let it happen again. Megan also told me that if I knew I wasn't going to be 5 minutes early, then I should call to tell them I would be late. WHAT?
It does say to show up 5 minutes before your shift starts on our time sheets, but I disagree with it. We dont get paid for an extra 5 minutes, so what's the point? I got so furious. What happened to coming to work on time? Basically it's like if you don't show up early, then your late -which is retarded. *cough*Mccarthyism*cough*
I think it shouldn't matter how or what you do before you get to work as long as you are there when your shift starts. I start my work day at 3:00pm most days so I arrive precisely at 3:00pm. No one says a word to me. But holy crap if I happen to run into a bit more traffic than usual and end up getting to work 5 minutes late then WATCH OUT.