DoorZone/Shutterstock, u/Alternative_Hunter32
February 8, 2022, 8:58 am
Redditor Alternative_Hunter34 is blowing up on the popular subreddit r/AntiWork for telling the tale of their company’s hubris. Basically, their employer has been wanting to stop people from being late or absent by a few minutes or more than two days, so they instituted some punitive policies to discourage both habits. And they’ve backfired magnificently.
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“My company’s late and sick policies are biting them, and now they’re crying about it,” the OP titled the post.
First, there’s the late policy:
We have to clock in at a machine, and in the past, the rule was that if you were late, you’d lose money in 15-minute blocks until you clocked in.
Management started crying because suddenly no one who was late was late by less than 10 minutes (generally stopping to grab a drink or have a cigarette on the way in, because they’ve already lost the pay right?) And decided to take action!
Now you lose an hours pay the moment you’re late… I don’t know anyone who has been late by less than 55 minutes since the rule came out.
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The OP says there was a focus group about the problem and people told the company that their heavy-handed policies meant they were expecting people to work for no pay, which of course they weren’t going to do. So naturally, when people know they’re already late, they take their time.
Then there’s their absence policy:
Absence was a fairly big issue a few years ago, and they didn’t like it. Action time!
On top of a 2 day no sick pay rule, they now have a no excuses disciplinary policy. 2 days off, and you get a disciplinary. Standard chain of disciplinaries that leads up to you getting sacked…
The problem is… Now, if I get sick, and I’m off for 2 days, I might as well make the most of it.
I’m in no more trouble for being off longer; there’s no maximum time. Whether it’s 3 days or 18 months, I come back and get a stage 1 disciplinary. So I’ve done my 2 days unpaid. I’m now getting my sick pay; it’s been a while since the last holiday, and there’s a long slog to the next one… How much time can I afford to have off?
Once again, the strong arm measures didn’t accomplish what the company wanted at all and in fact had the opposite effect.
The OP concluded, “If you’re going to beat us for minor infractions, which sometimes can’t be helped, we’re going to make our infraction worth the punishment. Overall, the company noticed a trend of 10-15 minute lateness and 2-4 day absences which they didn’t like. After having brought in new policies to combat this, the company now has a trend of 45-55 minute lateness and 1-2 week absences.”
They said the company is considering further policy changes and they’re looking forward to how it can go further south.
Don’t we all?
*First Published: February 8, 2022, 8:58 am
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