The Tyrrant Clock
Over months of observation, I’ve discovered that the wisest piece of advice at my current job is, “Draw not the dragon’s ire.” The CEO has a habit of manually fixing any problem that comes to his attention, a process that usually involves a great deal of yelling and poorly thought-out, on-the-fly business practices. It happened again this morning, and the issue today was getting to work on time.
Thankfully, I’m not part of the problem in this regard. I get to work on time pretty much every day. In fact, I show up half an hour earlier than everyone else in my department to make sure that certain daily changes are completed. Unfortunately, some of my coworkers don’t have the same good habits.
I understand both sides of the dilemma. People need to be in here on time to make sure the work gets done. However, why should strict adherence to an 8:30 clock-in time be considered important if employees are willing to stay late to make up time they’ve missed? After all, 40 hours a week is 40 hours a week no matter when it gets completed. And, if the work isn’t time-dependent, should it really matter?
I guess, from a managerial standpoint, keeping everyone on the same time ensures that everyone is available for projects when needed. Still, the CEO’s solution to the dilemma, like most of his personal involvement in company business, is downright militaristic. Three strikes and you’re out pretty much sums it up. Of course, that has some of my friends saying, “Wow, I’ll be out of work in three days.”
I’ve heard their counterarguments and I agree on at least one point. If you make someone come in on time every day without exception, you should allow them to leave in the same way. I very much doubt that will be the case, of course. The CEO’s attitude lately, as demonstrated by my supervisor’s new contract, makes me believe that he sees his workforce as little more than slaves. I stopped expecting the man to exhibit reasonable thought processes a long time ago.
Maybe I’m being pessimistic, but I don’t think this will end well. The CEO never budges from his harsh edicts, but enforcing it will get more than a few people fired. It will, of course, be their own fault, because everyone is capable of getting to work on time with regularity if they want. Don’t get me wrong; I think the CEO is overreacting. But it’s not unreasonable to expect people to be at work on time, even if it’s to the ticking of a Tyrrant clock.