Is My Employer Right to Count Me Late Even After Applying Hourly Leave? How Does Your Company Handle This?

Hi! I am working in a company where the shift starts at 9:00 AM. We have a grace period of 30 minutes. We have a limited number of hourly permissions per month to address any lateness after 9:30 AM. Let's say I have a balance of 1 hour, and I came late by 2 hours at 11:00 AM. I do not have enough balance to cover my lateness. So, I applied my hourly leave from 9:30 AM (end of grace period) to 10:30 AM. My employer still considers the period from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM as 30 minutes late. Is that a standard? Because since I applied starting from the grace end (9:30 AM), shouldn't the company ignore the duration between 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM?

Kindly note that the reporting time of your company is 09:00 AM, and the company has been gracious in giving you a 30-minute grace period. This grace period translates to 780 minutes per month (30 minutes x 26 days), assuming your company has 6 working days per week. 780 minutes is equivalent to 13 hours, which exceeds 1.5 man-days (considering an 8-hour workday).

Furthermore, your company has been even more considerate by allowing hourly permissions. In my opinion, lateness is typically calculated from the reporting time if an employee arrives beyond the grace period.

I would advise you to cultivate the habit of punctuality in your attendance. In case your company offers flexible working hours, it is essential to ensure that you complete a minimum of 8 hours of work.

Regards,
MVK