116
Should I tell him I'll quit or just do it without giving an
explanation?
Don't bother.
Threatening to quit is extremely unlikely to cause the company to abandon the fingerprint scanner. And you were thinking of quitting anyway. Finally, you indicated that you don't want to get into a discussion about the issue anyway.
Just find a new job, give your notice, ...
103
For your case, don't bother. Better to leave on good terms and get a reference. It sounds like it's not a good place to work, and you're better off finding a better job.
As an aside:
Nighfillers at a retail store I worked took exception to a finger print scanner.
They tried all sorts of ways to get it removed, including complaining that it was sticky and ...
77
I currently work in a company that has a workaholic culture.
I'm only asking if it's unrealistic to try to have a work-life balance with a workaholic team once you're already in the door. And if it's unrealistic, to what extent?
No, it is not unrealistic. For the most part I am able to restrict work time to 40 hours per week, give or take a few hours. On ...
72
From the 8-hour working days, I work on a software app (my actual job) between 6.5-7.5 hours, with good productivity and quality as attested by my supervisor. The rest goes for meetings, having issues (technical and otherwise), rest room visits, stretching and short walks near my desk ... etc.
An 8-hour working day should include whatever your employer ...
40
The problem with working 50-60 hour weeks is that it is ineffective. Not just inefficient, but so inefficient (because you get tired, make mistakes etc. ) that you achieve less than in a 40 hour week, at least in the medium or long term.
If you have nerves of steel, then you can start in a "workaholic" environment, stand your ground not staying in ...
24
I will assume you are hired to work 8 hours a day.
That means you should "work" 8 hours a day, where "work" is basically whatever you boss says. If that's program the app, then you program the app. If it's a meeting, then you go to the meeting.
In most civilized countries, normal routine of living applies to jobs, too: you can take ...
23
I very much disagree with the general tone of the top answers here which essentially amount to "give up and look for a new job".
While I agree with this being the right approach if the company is adamant about its position and so are you about yours; I would still suggest first talking to them. Not to threaten resigning over this, or to coerce them ...
15
Understand why the employee is working long hours (and their answer might not be sufficient);
Remind them of the official policy;
Evaluate if and how you can support them;
Measure the impact of their actions;
I had an employee that prefers to work long hours when they are going through some heavy stuff in their personal life. At first, I tried to discourage ...
15
Is there any possibility that your manager might make accommodation for you? Just say that you're not comfortable using the machine and you would prefer to track your hours in a different fashion. He might agree. I understand that some areas are more hostile to employees than other areas, but I've personally never worked with an employer who would not ...
13
You 100% should, nay, you need to, have that conversation with your supervisor.
IMO, you are actually asking the wrong question. The question is not "what counts as 'close to' 8 hours", the real question is "what counts as 'working on the app'?". Your meetings should count as "working on the app"; if those meetings don't ...
13
If this team turns out to be a workaholic team, would I be risking my
new job if I hold my ground and only work 40 hours a week instead of
50+?
Perhaps.
I haven't worked in many companies that had an "only work 40 hours" culture. In those companies where everyone worked extra, someone who chose to strictly work only 40 hours wouldn't fit in, and ...
12
Having worked in this industry for (koff, koff ...) decades, my position on such things is simple: "I'll give you my best efforts during ordinary working hours, but the rest of my life is mine."
I found this out the hard way. (Long story.) "Quantity," whether we're talking about working-hours or anything else, "is not Quality." ...
12
The problem that managers have is that they are constantly in meetings. As one ends, they have to go to the next one. They rarely have any time to do any real work (but if they desperately need to do real work, they invent fake meetings to add to their calendar).
You asked for a meeting. The only way your manager could fit it in was to schedule it one ...
11
You should ask your boss what the core hours policy is.
An issue with working different hours to others is that you're not available for up to half the time they are working. Say you have a colleague who needs some information from you at 2.35pm. They might be working for another 4 hours, but they have to wait until the following day. If it's a time-...
10
Yes, as he is available as agreed for that time.
If a store has no customers come in for two hours, the staff still get paid.
If a factory breaks down for two hours, the staff still get paid.
If an office fire alarm goes off and it takes two hours to clear the building, the workers still get paid.
9
You could ask your boss if they would be able to gives more than a days notice for meetings - which would be good etiquette from them anyway, especially if they're as long as you say.
If meetings are scheduled in through a calendar, just block out your time you're planning on not being at work as unavailable
If these meetings are setup verbally, just say ...
9
He told me I caught him at a bad time and to come in an hour early to
discuss it
While this can be a bit strange, arranging a time and place for a meeting is perfectly normal. Is it fair? Depends on what you call fair, a lot of reasons can lead to the manager's answer, being busy, not having something particular to say.
Isn't it the job of management to ...
8
Disclaimer: I don't know much about Indian culture/societal expectations, so please take this with a grain of salt.
If you weren't given explicit instructions about this when you started, I would say just do what you feel comfortable with, until and unless your boss asks you to do something different. Maybe one person started doing this of their own ...
8
I suggest you create a set time when you meet with your boss on a recurring schedule (e.g. Thursdays at 10am). You'd only have to negotiate the scheduling once, rather than each time that you are to meet. Knowing what time you need to keep free well in advance means you don't have the hassle of trying to find time or move things around to accommodate each ...
8
Low Risk, But Low Upside
Generally, you won't be at risk of being fired if you hold yourself to 40 hours, as long as you are meeting the job expectations within those hours. As has been noted elsewhere, working more than 40 has drastically diminished returns, so if you are unable to meet the basic work requirements in 40 hours, you probably could not meet ...
7
From what you have said, it sounds like you have a good and well-established relationship with your boss. In this case, you should respond to their invitations to meet outside your schedule simply by saying something like
I don't plan on being at work at that time. Would 1:30 work instead?
If your relationship with your boss weren't as great, I would ...
7
You should check the legal position. If it's not legal then you can simply refuse to use it and they can't fire you for it. There is also the Health and Safety aspect to consider, if it's not safe (especially with coronavirus) there could be an issue there.
If it is legal then it is probably best to just look for another job. It's rarely worth trying to &...
6
Yes, it's possible. For about two years I worked three days a week as a developer, paid pro-rata, to pay my bills, while trying (and failing) to become a professional author in the rest of my week.
You just need to find an employer who will agree to such an arrangement - not all will. In my case, I arranged it with my existing employer, who decided they ...
6
Seen it in 4 out of 4 jobs
It could be bad management (not necessarily your manager in particular though) or just an uncertain client or an uncertain future for your organization in general. It could also be a general inability to make decisions in your company, so it takes a ton of time to get something done.
Humans are finicky and a chain of humans is very ...
6
Whatever you do, do not pull out a specific reference, Jane or John or whoever else. Mention about the problem, and ask for a solution. Re-word the email as:
Hi,
It is my understanding that shifts are given out based on seniority. Based on my understanding, by this time I should have completed 250 hours, however I only have 100. I could notice that this is ...
6
He told me not to worry about the manager
The CEO has already given you the right answer. Just keep doing what you're doing and don't let the managers rubbish impact on your morale.
6
If you're confident you have a saleable idea you commit or you just talk about it in the pub to impress your friends.
This means you find the time, you either learn about marketing or find funding. Leverage your professional network if you can, and keep working away until you make a breakthrough and get it sold.
If you don't commit, then you're wasting your ...
5
The problem is that's not the first time this is happening to me. My
impression is most employers are like this.
Perhaps it's true in your locale and some other locales, but in my part of the world most employers are not like this.
Clearly, you need to reconsider what kinds of questions you ask during the interview process.
In addition to talking to my ...
5
Ertai87's answer comes closest to touching on this, but I think the core problem here is a severe disconnect between your manager's understanding of your job and reality.
Programming is what I call 'creative labor', which means it's next to impossible to make a binary yes/no distinction of what counts as 'working'.
When you're operating a forklift or a piece ...
5
I assume you are not essential for the company in one way or another.
The better strategy is to involve your coleagues. A lot of them.
Failing that, you can get nothing by opposing a management decision some levels up.
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