Right so 2-3 weeks ago I came into office late for the entire week - 5 1/2 days per week. Work hours are 8am to 5pm, Saturdays 8am to 12pm. So for that week, I checked into work by 5-10mins late, and it was just that week I came in later - due to bad weather.

So last week the HR girl came and find me. She was telling me "this is a verbal warning because last week you were late by 5-10mins. In the future if you are late again, it's grounds for you to get fired. Do you understand?" Something along that line. I of course apologised and said I won't do it anymore (or at least try not to) in the future.

And earlier this week, one of my colleagues got a warning letter for being late by 5mins...

I understand its not a good habit to always come in to work late. But really? Getting fired just over lateness? Isn't that a bit extreme? Is lateness in a non-FSC job taken in such a high regard? We're not a back or financial sector, and we don't face customers in person daily. We deliver our daily and weekly work earlier than usual. We've been consistently hitting targets regularly too. Is lateness any worst than say...stealing money from the company? Or breaking company property to say the least? Why are employers like this??????????????????????????????????

Edit: all right guys I've read the comments. I'd just like to clarify that although yes it's my fault for coming in late, I do hope that the company can be a bit more flexible sometimes. After all the job I am doing is not a customer-facing job nor a manufacturing job. I'm a content writer cum social media exec. My work hours do not necessarily abide by the regular 8am-5pm, 9am-6pm. Sometimes I may have to work weekends, like tidying up my work and whatever. However, if the management thinks that coming in to work by 5-10mins late is the biggest offence to have existed, then boy are they really....******.

Also, if I am late by 10mins, I don't mind working extra 10mins after work to replace those late minutes. It really isn't that hard. What I didn't like is how the HR and management are so stiff in what they do. Some days I clock in extra 30-60mins they don't bat an eye. I come in 10mins late, they threaten with me getting fired. It's pretty obv when they "sent a message" by giving a senior staff a warning letter for coming in 5mins late. Sometimes its about live and let live.

This post has been edited by Redshelf411: Dec 16 2020, 02:20 PM

Could be. Been here close to 6mths now and I've been seeing new staffs being asked to leave at end of probation period or before. Wouldn't be surprised if they want to let new staffs under 1 year leave too.

I get the memo during my 3mths probation here. The 3mths probation, after that lay off is already so clear of a message. A lot of times I just lower and hang my head so I will be less subjected to their line of fire. Compromise sikit lah what to do. I know I can fall back to my freelance job and rely on the income. but sometimes having a bit more money is good too.

Thats true. I guess anything can happen during this period. Best I lower my head and just be their yes-man saja

I've checked again. They never said shit about it. BUT in the employee handbook, they did list lateness as a serious offense. Sleeping in office also a serious offense.

Not forgetting to mention their "list of workplace offences, major and minor" spans 7-8 pages. Ridiculous though it's like they are scared of getting offended.

Yeah and over being late by 5-10mins? Albeit delivering results consistently (or relatively)? We aren't manufacturing/service based company. We aren't sales exec either. This is like a case of "
一点不能放开" situation.

And the "don't like it, then quit/give up" approach? Childish tbh. I don't mind joining a company that pays me shit for the cinapek amount of work they dump on me but hey look I'm still here! I c an leave but that means they'd go back to a china-like company with crap branding. Typical Malaysian mindset.

"Jaga pocket" lol just how much bonus will we get after 1 year of covid-charged business. Heard my seniors say this year the benefits clawback. But funnily enough still hiring new staffs. No idea where the common sense and logic went already.

If respecting thy rules over time management is important, the company would have released our salaries by 30th/31st of the month. Not wait until 7th of the following month before releasing the salary. Our salary is our time given to the company. Can't pay salary on time is also a form of lateness. Fight me.

Respect is a 2 way street. I can do whatever the company wishes me to do. But to pull the card "I'm boss"? Sure, most likely the kind of company won't last 10 years.

Yep. Its a full on chinaman company mindset now. Can't be helped.

Hmm fair point I guess

Exactly this. I mean sure I apologised for being 5mins late to work for that 1 week. But getting angry over 5mins late for the whole week is pretty telling of the management tbh. What more I have some colleagues who said "if I'm late for 5mins I won't even bother showing up to office". They have that kind of mindset. To be honest 5mins lost is just that 5mins. Staffs still have 7hrs 55mins to complete their work and target. Better 5mins late than never at all!

1 week as opposed to 52 weeks of work. 1 week late does not mean the other 51 weeks people will be late. You will rather have your staff come in by 5mins late but still have the remainder 7hrs 55mins to complete their daily/weekly tasks.

It's like people losing rm1 and then getting pissed over it. It's just rm1, not rm1,000,000,000. Not like we're earning much either we are even working 1/2 days Saturday.

Not everyone works in manufacturing line, or in customer service jobs. I'm sure a good lot of us a just your regular Joes, regular Janes working white collared jobs. Yes we do check in at 8am/9am Mondays to Saturdays (my company work 1/2 day Saturdays). Thing is I've elaborated in the other comment. You come in 5mins late, you still have 7hrs 55mins to get your daily, weekly, monthly tasks to complete. Would you rather have an employee coming in late by 5mins, but still get things done? Or would you rather have an employee who knows they are late by 5mins but choose not to come in to work *at all*?

Think about it. The employee still have 7hrs 55mins to do the work anyway. It's still an honest day's work after all. What more a lot of Malaysian companies don't even pay OT for white collared staffs. If they really want to be so calculative, then nobody's gonna win this blame game. This whole "I slap you, you stab me" mindset has to be killed off once and for all.

When I first joined this company I thought things seemed OK. 2-3mths in is where all the cinapek mannerism start showing. At one point I have to deal with a 40yo colleague (or department HOD) and his crybaby ass. He legitimately cried when we disagreed with his flawed idea and presentation. I'm not kidding he broke down in tears what a fucking nightmare! The boss actually sided with him just because he's older. The whole debacle got so bad the other guy just decided to up and leave the company. Because there's no way 2 20+yo youngsters have to deal with a man twice our age who knows nothing but only to cry when we point out the flaws and want to correct it.

That's how shitty the company's mindset is. They basically run on this "I can do this to you, but you cannot do this to me" mindset and "you step on my foot, I will stab you to death" approach. Just last week we have 1 biz dev coming in. Within less than 1 week she decided to just give 24hr and leave because somehow the management is just too overbearing and cannot see beyond their nose. So yes my current company is memang a chinamam company lol.

This post has been edited by Redshelf411: Dec 9 2020, 08:27 AM

Everyone has stress and deal with problems outside of work, us included. What gives this dude the right to throw a tantrum in the office? His life is hell, does not mean he should make others' lives hell. We just merely let him know there's a mistake in his work. All he need to do is just make the changes and get on with life. We didn't get paid to be workplace nannies.

True though. I've observed in the last 5-6 months of working here, he's started by talking crap and spreading rumours about the other guy. Mind you, this other guy (our IT guy) is also new as he came in around the same time we do. This IT guy found out and confronted him a few times about it. Nicely and politely of course. But everytime he tried to talk to the 40yo guy, this 40yo guy will just walk away or pretend the IT dude isn't there. Until that "fateful day" when we pointed out the mistakes this 40yo guy did, that's when he go into a crying tantrum and do whatever other shit. The HR girl gave him a warning letter, and gave me a verbal warning. The warning letter the IT dude received was his sign to leave the company. Printed out a resignation letter and submit on the spot. Said he's gonna leave and just don't contact him anymore.

What makes me stay, you ask? I'm still looking for a new job here in East Malaysia. I may not like where I am now, but believe me I'm trying my best to look for a better job here. Hells be damned if I have to work Saturdays in the next company. Dealing with a 40yo crybaby in the workplace is mega ridiculous. Company giving warning over 5mins late is just as ridiculous too.

Good lord this company and country is going to the dogs. Everyone thinks its ok to be shit to each other, but if people bite back it's like they've been sinned against a million times

Am looking into west Malaysia tbh. Not gonna lie, here I am in the office and I'm already bored AF with work. What more the management forever having their eyes on us is pretty tiring though. What could have been an easy, stress-free job job turned into one that's making me burnt out.. Hells.. My colleague next door has been dozing off more often than usual. In a day he can be sleeping for up to 45mins-1hour. Snoring some more. Ughh shit company is shit company!

Someone mentioned here (or somewhere similar on LYN) that "chinaman" usually refer to the mindset, not the race. So yes, if your boss is an Indian or Malay, it's possible they run on a chinaman style too.

Is it normal to always pay staff salary late?

Typical mindset where "I step on you, you stab me to death" scenario. There's no winning here.

Even if it's legal, it's still late. You seem to forget most MNCs release salary by 1st in the latest. Receiving salary by 7th = no motivation to work.
Chinaman company is really chinaman company. Work 5.5 days of the week, 52 weeks of the year, and still paying such a crap salary. Work OT didn't even pay OT. You think this is fair for the employee or not? Can say "just leave on time lah" sure can. Then later boss bising say never stay back to do more work what's your justification for that?

If want us to replace the 5-10mins during lunch or after work, also can. Not an issue with me. People just have to live and let live.

My rent is due every 1st of the month. When I told my landlady my salary will be out only by 7th, and that I can only pay by that date or after, you should have seen her face. It's like I've just called her some kind of very offensive name.

There were few times already where she yelled at me for always paying rent late. But how to pay rent on time when company always pay by 7th? Go find my boss and yell at him lah!