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What would you do if you got this email?

Ignore it and be looking for other jobs, you're probably at the wrong company. Now if you have made this a habit then that's on you.
 
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Maybe been said, but nearly every "time clock" monitoring program goes by 15-minute (really 7-8 minute) increments—from 8:00 to 8:07, you clocked in at 8. From 8:08 to 8:22, you clocked in at 8:15 etc …

So, you get some extra, or you get some taken away.

If yours is "to the minute," then I would take a 3-minute shorter lunch and be done with it.

But I would also review my time, and if I had ANY minutes over, I would expect that overtime pay.
 
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Buy a massive clock for your desk with a big second hand. Show them how close you can watch the clock.
Better yet flavor flav it and hang a giant clock around your neck.
 
Respond and say you we're only making up for the last 5 days you stayed later than normal. On Monday, you left 20 seconds late, then 40 seconds late on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, you left 45 seconds late, Thursday, 15 deconds late. Then on Friday, you had left exactly 1 minute after you regular work hours. You were just making it up and didnt think it was pertinent enough to bother you with. Shall I report it to you whenever I stay a minute or 2 past? Anything more than 5 or 10 minutes, I would communicate it with you.

Its a bit petty bit so was that email. Take note of the late departure sure but once or twice, and only 3 minutes. Unless you've been leaving 3 minutes early frequently.

That or agree to stay late and just use the washroom for the last 3 minutes.
 
Has Sharon got nothing better to do other than spy and watch people all the time, she should leave early lol

Unironically, she probably doesn't. HR at my company's the same, our work could not be any less structured and they ride our asses all the time for not behaving like we're working on a production line.
 
Unironically, she probably doesn't. HR at my company's the same, our work could not be any less structured and they ride our asses all the time for not behaving like we're working on a production line.
I would looking to change jobs in that case, what a nightmare
 
I mean, she's not wrong. But it also sounds like there's probably more to this than the three minutes mentioned here. If there really isn't, then I only have bad advice to offer.
 
Being in the service industry as a lifer I've never had the whole HR experience. My brief experience in banking was miserable, but not because of HR.

Young me would've responded to this email in a passive aggressive sarcastic manner. Current me would just ignore it.
 
Just ignore it. Highlighter HR girlies thrive off of attention.

Stay still 5:03pm and make a noisy exit. Just announce that you're off to the gym or to see a film or something.
 
When I worked in an office I had a jacket that I'd leave on the back of my chair if I fancied leaving a bit early. People just assumed I was having a shit or in a meeting because the jacket was always there. Even if I was back late from lunch after a couple of pints it looked like I was already back and busy with something. Never got called out for it.
 
Id move companies, no way in hell would I work in place with a cunt like Sharon.. 3 fucking minutes, I assume this is an American company
 
I would respond back and tell her 3 minutes is a lot of time and that I will be staying 1 minute over Monday through Wednesday as to not significantly impact my personal life.
 
Unaware to me, the plant manager where I was working tried to chase me down through a manufacturing facility for leaving to lunch 5 min early. He didn't catch me but colleagues told me about it. I was summoned to his office later that night for a 'chat'. I quit about a month later to their major regret, leaving them high and dry for the skilled work I was doing. Fuck them.
 
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I've never understood things like this. It makes workers draw the exact lines of hours then. Nothing outside of them which can impact productivity. Guess it depends on the workplace.
 
does OP's job require clocking in and out? Just ignore the fucking email. If she bothers you again, file a complaint saying you feel distressed that she's spying on your every movement.
 
When I worked in an office I had a jacket that I'd leave on the back of my chair if I fancied leaving a bit early. People just assumed I was having a shit or in a meeting because the jacket was always there. Even if I was back late from lunch after a couple of pints it looked like I was already back and busy with something. Never got called out for it.
I had a job where if I wanted to leave on time on a Friday if the boss saw me leaving he would always want a "quick word" about something that could last an hour.

Problem was that to leave the office you needed to walk past his open office door. I mastered putting my jacket in my bag and holding my bag down by my side not over my shoulder so it looked like I was just going to the bathroom if he noticed me walking past.
 
If I were slipping out a few minutes every day for a prolonged time I'd be like:
Walter White GIF

and do my best to be more punctual. Even though I'm more of a time-fluid person and usually don't mind staying on until I get shit done ...or leaving a bit early of shit is already done.

Buuut if it were a one time thing, I'd get a new job asap. Fuck having some self important retard monitoring my every move.
 
When I was teaching in Japan I had a medical appointment (an ultrasound scan for my lower regions) booked for 4:30pm and my finish time was 4:15pm meaning I would have to sprint like mad to make it on time to the clinic.

I made the foolish mistake of asking the Vice principal if I could leave 5 mins early so I could make it on time. I had no classes and was just going to be sitting in the staff room finishing off admin tasks and thought it would be totally fine, like it would be in the UK for any medical appointment. This was also about 1.5 years into the job so I had built up a great reputation of being punctual, dilligent, working overtime and my relationship with him and the other staff was excellent.

Well I was wrong and none of of that mattered in that instant and my request to him resulted in a 10min lecture at his desk about the importance of rules and timekeeping in Japan, asking me to repeat my working hours etc and thus my request was denied. So I then had to leave at 4:15pm on the dot and then sprint through the summer heat and got to my appointment sweating buckets and out of breath.

It was a good reminder to never ask for small things like that in their working culture and to just do it instead as 95% of the time they would never raise it. Also a reminder just how robotic reasonable people become in that extremely rules based country. Initially I was pissed for a while but eventually I felt sorry for him and others who work 6/7 days a week well into the evening everyday with no freedom even when it comes to their own health.
 
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There's too much missing context to give an answer.

If Sharon's the line manager and pulling you up for 3 minutes but ignoring all the other accumulated minutes that get done, then she's cutting off her nose to spite her face by making sure there is never a single minute of over time after that. It's inviting malicious compliance with working hours by taking away give and take.

For context it also needs to be established if this is a one off or a regular occurrence. That makes a huge difference.
 
Realistically - work the extra 3 minutes, silently seethe, passive aggressively deliberately waste more than 3 minutes a day, start looking for another job.
 
Well you are paid to to that schedule, i would just do the 4 or 5 minutes today and start looking for another job.
 
Take a week off sick. Workplace stress. Do this every year but ensure you vary the week and stay under triggers.

We had trackers installed in work years ago and minute minding became 90% of managers jobs. I stopped rushing tasks, didn't give them a second (I used to give hours extra) and found myself earning £10k extra a year in overtime. No more "going the extra mile".

Lots of the guys did the same. To save money the firm lowered new entrant wages and cut back training. Failure rates hit 30%, sick 20%.

They had to increase wages a bit and stopped being such bullies, sadly for them the goodwill never returned and they still have the high failures. Turns out shitting on great staff for a few minutes here and there doesnt pay.

Lots of lost business, but for the workers there are now lots of competitors paying similar money we can jump between whereas when these idiots started it was a defacto monopoly.

HR got outsourced and the last of the twat managers got let go last week.
 
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This goes without saying but only do this if you are okay looking for a new job and want to antagonize them (very much not recommended but also it sucks to get an email like this)!

Beyond that take Heisenbergs advice, they are correct.

Point to a day within the pay period (assuming you are hourly) where you stayed over.

Tell them you wanted to ensure you were not you putting undue pressure on other members of the staff by staying late and were trying to do the responsible thing without involving hr in the matter.

Assure them you will clock in and out on time from now and will try to remain as consistent as you can for the good of the team. Do this via email.

Then tell them that you really appreciate them following up on this and it makes you appreciate that leadership is treating everyone, regardless of their position, consistently and you will support leadership in the future when colleagues complain or grumble about things during lunch.

But only do this if you can maintain consistent time management on your end and can sound sincere.

As a bonus keep a small notebook in your pocket and take it out when you see people clocking in or out and scribble personal affirmations in it "I will do my best today even though I had a rough nite at home" shit like that.

Do this enough and eventually they will ask you about it and you might get lucky and get accused of employee tracking.

Whip out the notebook and tell them you are just trying to do your best.

Make sure you record the conversation.
 
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I would be literally shaking if I was confronted with this text. After taking some time off to decompress, I would probably call HR, report Sharon for bossing me around and explain to them that her micro-aggressions towards myself are making me feel unsafe and not welcome. I would demand her to be removed from her position.
 
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"Hi Sharon,

This is odd, I don't recall receiving an email from you about fairness when I had to stay up until 7 PM last Tuesday.

I won't blame you for fogetting to send it though, it happens.

Wishing you a pleasant day !"
 
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