# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 129
### Author:  [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2561 "2026-08-06T01:23:44Z")
Makes sense. I suppose talking louder to her would have been counterproductive!
đ
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2562 "2026-08-06T01:50:47Z")
Are you late? It really depends on the job. If the person in the prior shift canât leave until you take over, youâre probably late if you donât get there by 8:55. If your job starts with your reading emails, and no one expects to interact with you until 9:30, getting there at 9:15 is probably fine.
It also depends whether you are being paid hourly or on salary. If you are hourly, you ought to work the same number of hours you are being paid for, and either more or less is problematic. But salaried jobs have squishier hours.
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2563 "2026-08-06T01:57:08Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> you light to with the Sammy number of hours you are being paid for
???
Autoincorrect, probably; but I canât figure out what for.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2564 "2026-08-06T02:24:29Z")
Edited to correct that horrendous swypo.
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### Author:  [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2565 "2026-08-06T09:08:36Z")
My office has flexible hours. 9-5 is the basic workday but you can work 8-4 or 10-6 or some other arrangement agreed with your line manager as long as you get the hours in and are present for the things youâre supposed to be present for.
I tend to get into work between 9:30 and 10 and then work to 6 or later, because thatâs what works for me. No one cares.
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### Author:  [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2566 "2026-08-06T11:19:02Z")
If youâre not 15 minutes early, youâre late.
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### Author:  [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2567 "2026-08-06T11:38:09Z")
> [@markn\_1](#):
>
> You press a button on the Roku box or TV or in the phone app, and the remote starts beeping. I was working for Roku when that feature was proposed and I thought it was one of the best ideas weâd ever come up with.
That _is_ cool.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2568 "2026-08-06T11:49:16Z")
My office also had flexible hours. I think people on the East coast were supposed to get in before 11, and not leave until 3, and work 8 hours, in a predictable enough way that their co-workers could find them. I showed up ~8:30 because it was easier to park at the computer rail parking lot if i got there on the early side. And since i ordinarily caught the same train, and stopped at the same coffee shop on the way in, i was pretty predictable, even if i didnât arrive at a âround timeâ.
> [@Thumper668](#):
>
> If youâre not 15 minutes early, youâre late.
If Iâm hourly and youâre paying me to be there at 9, i shouldnât have to arrive before 9. Granted, thereâs lots of employer wage abuse. But itâs wage abuse to make your employees show up before you start paying them.
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### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2569 "2026-08-06T11:56:18Z")
When I worked I always showed up at least 20 minutes early in order to prepare for my day. It wasnât mandatory - it was my choice - but I felt it necessary to do some prep work in order to get myself organized.
Also, for many years I was in a position where you could not leave until you signed off to your relief person. There were some employees who were chronically 20 minutes late on arrival and didnât give a shit that, in doing so, they were forcing others to work past their end-of-shift time.
mmm
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### Author:  [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2570 "2026-08-06T11:57:39Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> If Iâm hourly and youâre paying me to be there at 9,
I wasnât speaking from the employerâs perspective, but from the employeeâs perspective. That phrase was drilled into me in the Navy and it has become my philosophy for everything on my calendar - doctorâs appointments, work, dates, concerts, etc. If Iâm expected to start working at 9 am then I am going to be there and ready to start by 8:45. The only day I was ever late for work was 9/11.
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### Author:  [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2571 "2026-08-06T12:00:32Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#):
>
> There were some employees who were chronically 20 minutes late on arrival and didnât give a shit that, in doing so, they were forcing others to work past their end-of-shift time.
This is precisely why the above philosophy was routine in the Navy. I havenât been a shift worker too often since then, but the philosophy has served me well.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2572 "2026-08-06T12:08:55Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#):
>
> Also, for many years I was in a position where you could not leave until you signed off to your relief person. There were some employees who were chronically 20 minutes late on arrival and didnât give a shit that, in doing so, they were forcing others to work past their end-of-shift time.
Thatâs incredibly rude.
Also, Iâve never held that kind of job for pay. Iâve volunteered to a lifetime total of ⌠About half a dozen shifts that work like that, however.
Thatâs why i said it depends on the job.
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### Author:  [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2573 "2026-08-06T12:49:20Z")
Strictly speaking you are late if you arrive at 9:01, thatâs the definition of late.
I chose the 10:00 option nevertheless because there is late and _late_ and I assumed the poll asked for the second meaning.
However my answer depends on it being a rare occasion, if you, from time to time arrive at 10 AM I wouldnât consider it too bad,
If you consistently arrive at 10 AM⌠on the other handâŚ
Maybe I shouldâve chosen the 9:15 option.
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### Author:  [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2574 "2026-08-06T16:03:15Z")
When I worked in offices, I was _always_ early. I liked having a little wind-down time after the drive, get my coffee ready, etc. Most of my employers considered the âstart timeâ to be when one is sitting at oneâs desk and ready to work, which I feel is a reasonable expectation.
Iâve definitely had co-workers who felt that if their wheels hit the parking lot before 9:01, they were on time, and theyâd actually be at their desk 15 or 20 minutes later. These people were always problem employees in other ways as well.
My last hourly job had a time clock. It rounded to the nearest 15-minute increment, so if you clocked in up to 7.5 minutes late, youâd still get paid in full. Some of my co-workers were masters at exploiting this feature.
Currently, Iâm an independent contractor working all over the country. The team (all independent contractors as well) choose a time to meet in the hotel lobby, and we all ride to the job site together. People are generally respectful of each otherâs time, but nobody is watching the clock down to the minute. We report the number of hours we actually work; start and stop times are flexible.
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### Author:  [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2575 "2026-08-06T16:19:19Z")
> [@Thumper668](#):
>
> If youâre not 15 minutes early, youâre late.
My former boss said something similar, but only 5 minutes. Mainly for meetings, because if a meeting is scheduled for 9:00, it starts at 9:00.
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### Author:  [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2576 "2026-08-06T16:27:31Z")
I remember an argument I had at an old crappy job I had. Finding a desk, making sure the desk had all the necessary manuals and if not finding them from somewhere else, and logging in to all necessary systems could be up to 15 minutes. I refused to use the t-15 period do to it all, that was my time.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2577 "2026-08-06T16:30:19Z")
> [@Thumper668](#):
>
> If youâre not 15 minutes early, youâre late.
The Vince Lombardi School of Timekeeping. đ
(For that reason, the big clock on the exterior of Lambeau Field is intentionally set 15 minutes early.)
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2578 "2026-08-06T16:50:15Z")
> [@colinfred](#):
>
> I remember an argument I had at an old crappy job I had. Finding a desk, making sure the desk had all the necessary manuals and if not finding them from somewhere else, and logging in to all necessary systems could be up to 15 minutes. I refused to use the t-15 period do to it all, that was my time.
If youâre being paid hourly, i totally agree. And if the job is such that there needs to be a handoff, and it take N minutes, both employees should be paid for that N minutes. Anything else is wage theft.
(And yes, i know that wage theft is common. Itâs still wrong.)
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### Author:  [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2579 "2026-08-06T17:54:29Z")
Iâve spent _far_ too much time in my life getting edjimicated, so I rejected the scholarship. I chose the two schools because they offer degrees in my field (and I did happen to attend one of them).
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### Author:  [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2580 "2026-08-06T17:58:22Z")
I rejected the scholarship because
A) I have a family that depends on my salary.
B) Not much interested in formal education at this point of my life.
If forced I would take Oxford (Because: Tolkien, duh) and Paris.
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