Is It Fair to Blame Me for Arriving Early When the Office Isn't Open Yet?

Our office timings are 9:00 AM to 5:45 PM. We don't have security personnel to open the office, so keys are given to one of the employees. I stay at Mira Road due to transport problems. I reach the office by 8:30 AM and wait outside until somebody comes to open the office. Daily, it opens between 8:45 AM to 9:00 AM. I wanted to know if it is my mistake that I am coming before office hours. They blame me. Please advise.

You can take the responsibility of the key as you often arrive early. If you are truly a responsible person, the company will not hesitate to entrust the keys to you.

It's good to see and very appreciable discipline in your office log-in time. No need to take offense since this is the scenario with many small and young organizations. You can actually stop them from blaming you with the following ways.

Suggestions to Address the Issue

As you are reaching early every day, you can ask or request the concerned person to hand over the key to you. This makes more sense in terms of opening the office at least 30 minutes before for the comfort of other employees who arrive a little before the office. On the other hand, you can start coming in late to convey the importance of discipline towards log-in time, which would prompt them to review their own blaming tendencies.

Either case is fine, but you should ensure that you do not fall into their criteria of being in a blaming mode.

Regards

Office Key Responsibility

Is your office equipped with only one key? If so, you can take responsibility for it. I anticipate that everyone will depart from the office simultaneously at 5:45 PM. You too can leave the office promptly. If your office has multiple keys for the lock, they should be shared with you.

Yogita Mhapankar's situation is a little tricky. For his/her own reasons (due to transport problems), he/she reaches the office before time, but not as a matter of dedication to duty. So blaming others is not fair. The Admin may have their own reasons for not handing over the keys to him/her. With due respect to the queryist, it appears the Admin is not prepared to transfer the keys; maybe it's better also not to take additional responsibilities as holding the key is a very sensitive matter, and sometimes not having the keys averts unnecessary risks.

Regards,
Kumar S.

In our company, we have a security system, but some staff members start working early and stay late into the evening. Therefore, we keep extra keys with the admin department. Those who work late take keys from the admin department, and there is a file maintained by the admin department to track the keys. It is the individual's responsibility to keep the key without losing it. You can suggest this to your reporting officer. If other staff members in your company face this issue, they may also consider this solution. I am uncertain about individual cases, but you can still discuss this with your reporting officer to find a resolution.

Regards, Swapna

It is not advisable for the company to change its policy on starting time in this case. You get to the office early by choice because you want to save yourself some transportation problems. So, please do not complain. The company must have weighed its options before deciding on the opening time. Take it in your stride and try to occupy yourself doing something (e.g., reading).

In case you are in a service industry, opening the office half an hour early may eventually be troublesome as the clients/customers might start arriving, and you will be alone to manage. The problem can be overcome by taking a key to some side door (used only by staff). Otherwise, it's best to find a secure place nearby and do some reading to enhance your knowledge. Mind you, being alone in the office can be a security risk also!

Regards,
S.K. LIMAYE

Same issue as per our office; ours is also a start-up organization that started 2 years ago. Right from the beginning, I was the only one with the key. However, as staff joined, and on some days when I came late, they had to wait outside the office. Our office is in a complex with many other offices, so the facility of waiting space and restrooms is always available to staff whether the office is open or not.

As more people joined and their duties became more complex, we started issuing keys to those who needed them. Now, almost every staff member, a total of 8, has the office keys. Once they open the office, they can use the electronic access lock on the main door, allowing the next person to open the door using a fingerprint or card.

Another thing is that in any office, the housekeeping or cleaning staff comes half an hour before and cleans the office premises. This is a normal practice, so all offices open half an hour to 1 hour before the working times.

I can understand your problem of waiting half an hour until someone comes and opens the office. Just check; some solution will be there. We all know that when we come to the office after traveling a long distance, we need to refresh ourselves and relax for 5-10 minutes, which is not possible if the office is closed and no proper facilities are available.

This is a funny case. Your office starts at 9:00 AM, and the office is opened 5 minutes before. So, what is wrong with that? Nothing. You want to avoid rush hour traffic on the trains from Mira Road, so you arrive 30 minutes ahead of time. It appears you are blaming them for not opening the office at 8:30 AM instead of 8:55 AM. They are not blaming you for coming early. I don't think they care how early you come.

Please tell me, why do you think others (or someone) should come early simply because you want to avoid the rush on the trains? Or why should the office change its time to suit you? As has been suggested by others, read the newspaper for half an hour. Or walk slowly from the station to the office. Stop en route for a meal or a morning snack if there is no place to wait at your office.

Dear Yogita,

In big cities, it is a regular problem to attend the office on time. You would do well from your point of view to come earlier since there is a transport problem there. Coming to the office before time is not considered misconduct, but having to pass your time outside the office is really a problem for you. First, you should take a key from your Admin and another key for your other staff. Those who come earlier will sign the register at the beginning and end of the office hours. I think there is no other alternative to it.

Regards