'Before 9 and after 5 don't matter': Employee stops coming in early and working unpaid overtime after being admonished for a long lunch

Focusing intently on petty mistakes and slights is a surefire way to make sure you miss the big picture. As a leader, this is a fantastic way to make your workers feel like they're being micromanaged and have no agency, potentially derailing the entire organization along with the workers' sinking morale. Sure, if someone isn't pulling their weight it makes sense to step in, but when your team member is late back from lunch one time after coming in sometimes hours early, you'd do well to cut them some slack.

This worker worked for a large brokerage, consistently performing to a high standard and undertaking their tasks with a minimal amount of supervision. They'd frequently come in early to get a head start on their day, totaling a large amount of unaccounted time that went unregarded by their managers. One day, after returning ten minutes late from lunch, they were verbally reprimanded for an hour by a manager. When the worker asked the manager if they realized how early they were starting work and how late they were sometimes leading, the manager declared, "It doesn't matter how early you get in or how late you stay, only what happens between nine and five that counts." 

So, the worker took that message to heart, no longer coming in early and always leaving right at five when their workday was supposed to end. That ten minutes that the manager had made an issue out of cost the company hours of productivity, eventually leading to the worker's departure. The worker shared that they had heard that it took the organization three workers to cover the work they had been doing alone. 

See their story below, along with the reactions from the popular online community where they originally shared it.