Non-uniform treatment of employees
AnitaJob
2 Posts
My boss is a stickler when it comes to employee breaks and lunches, and what time we come in each day. If you are just a few minutes late, he has a coniption. It feels like a police state. He says he is going to get a time clock.
However, he is not applying the same standards to our program managers. He said that because they work so many hours, he doesn't mind if they are a half-hour late and more to work, or take long breaks and lunches. The problem is, everyone else works just as hard, just as many hours, as is the nature of nonprofits.
All of us are exempt, salaried employees. We have an employee handbook which spells out the policies for employees, including lunches, etc. and there is nothing about excluding management. Any thoughts on legalities?
Comments
Anita -
I understand that you are frustrated about the situation. How many hours do the rest of the exempt salaried employees work compared to the program managers? Also, what is the company policy regarding morning tardiness and lunchtime tardiness? If there is a grace period (5 mins is considered late, etc), then the point should be made to the boss that you have a grace period, and you are not violating policy if you are less than 5 minutes late.
Like I said, I completely understand where you are coming from - I, too, have been told that I have a set time to show up for work while another employee comes in whenever she feels. But, that employee puts in a good ten hours more than me a week, and given that I enjoy my free time (that she loses out on by staying late and working the excessive hours), I see where I benefit from adhering to my schedule.
I am not saying that you are NOT being treated unfairly - in one aspect, you are. By the same token, though, the program managers are expected to work more hours, and at different time periods, than you. That can also be seen as unfair.
With one of my previous employers, management handled this by stating in the handbook that the arrival time and tardy policies would be determined for each department independent of the others. The number of violations before disciplinary action, however, stayed the same for all. This may be something your boss should consider to lessen the friction. I am sure that on the days where the program managers are working into the evening when everyone else is gone one employee finds the situation just as unfair.
How many program managers are there?
Are they distinct in any way from the other exempt employees other than in their job duties?
If they aren't distinct, and you don't work any fewer hours than the program managers, then there is a definite issue. But if you've addressed it with the boss and he does nothing, where else can you take your complaint?
Is the boss the owner of the company, or is there someone higher up you can send the issue to for resolution?
A time clock would be a great idea, but if everything is as you say your boss already may have his mind made up on who works the most, regardless of what the time clock will say.