Computing desk
< March 17	<< Feb \| March \| Apr >>	March 19 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Computing Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

March 18[edit]

Employees and punching in at scheduled time[edit]

I am told that I have to punch within 7 minutes prior to my scheduled time, and punching out must occur within 7 minutes before or after my scheduled time, unless permitted otherwise by the supervisor. I always arrive several minutes before my scheduled time, so I always punch in at :53. But I have seen my co-worker who always punches in at :47, even though her schedule usually starts at the same time I do (I see her work hours on the schedule sheet). How does the time clock work? It seems that she's the only person who punches in at :47. Other people also punch in at :53, unless they are on lunch break. I know my co-worker doesn't have lunch break, because she's part-time. 50.4.236.254 (talk) 22:41, 18 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]

This is a guess. It may go back the days of punch cards. Think if you punch in not more than 15 minutes before and not a second later than your start time, it will be OK. 7 minutes is about ½ way. Your supervisor may just repeating what they have been told without knowing why. If you belong to a Union ask them. If not, ask the Human Resources department (but they may not even know). In the days before computer technology, hundreds of punch-cards had to be processed and it may have removed the mental arithmetic to see if an employee punched-out and then back in again quickly afterward so as to game-the-system.--Aspro (talk) 00:02, 19 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]

It likely has something do to with how your employer tracks the number of hours you work and get paid for. This page [1] gives an example of if you work less than 7 minutes extra you don't get paid for that 15-minute increment. The exact rules will depend on the laws for your jurisdiction. RudolfRed (talk) 00:21, 19 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]

There's always a chance that there's some special arrangement for your coworker. Nyttend (talk) 04:30, 19 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]