SURVEY SAYS: Who Gets In First?

Of course, some people are more productive early, some seem to hit their peak later in the day, and many have their schedules bounded in by obligations they can’t always control.  This week I asked readers who gets into work first – you or your boss – and an assortment of related questions. 

Apparently I have a lot of early morning company – and a full two-thirds (64.7%) say they beat their boss in, compared with 22.6% who got in after the boss.  Just over one-in-ten (11.3%) described their arrivals as “a tie”, and the rest – well, the rest of the respondents WERE the boss.

Among the comments:

My boss is in another time zone, but I barely beat him.  I don’t think the guy sleeps.

I work from home, so it’s a “race” to see who is on Sametime (instant messaging) first. I generally beat my boss online.  But I will say I get e-mails from her at all hours of the night, so I think she is up later.  But she’s smart to work but stay off instant messaging.  Otherwise, she’d never get her work done.

Don’t know – he’s 60 miles away!

In a remote world, who knows who “gets in first”.

It’s situational – depending on who’s busy with desk-bound tasks instead of field work.

I am the boss of a division and also report up.  My boss and I are on similar schedules, although I probably work late more than she does.

It depends upon the time of year. During the summer she definitely makes it in before me but I make it in before her during the school year.

This is true 99% of the time; BUT you can be sure if I’m running a few minutes late, she’ll get here first.  She leaves well after i do.

Now, to be “fair”, I also asked who, generally speaking, left work earlier – and things evened out some.  Still, more than a third (36%) said their boss left first, while 44.1% said they generally left before the boss.  Just over 18% said it was a tie (the rest were their boss).

Among the explanations:

Gotta get home for the kids bus during the school year - it is a good way to force me out the door.

After a steady diet of 10 hour days I have no negative feelings about leaving before my boss.

I'm already home ;-).  It's a matter of logging off.  And I don't fully log off until after 9 PM, but I am not actively at my computer after 6 PM.

We tend to keep an eye out for when he leaves, and then wait about 10 minutes before checking out as well. If it's not important to him, why should it be important to the rest of us?

Situational again.  Since the boss has many marketing responsibilities, he tends to be out of the office more often than we lowly administrative staff members

But not by much

I'm usually at the office for about 12 hours, but the boss has to attend meetings / events after work so I think I actually get home first. 

I work through lunch, so I can pick my child up at an earlier time.

I also asked readers if they thought whether those respective comings and goings mattered to their career – and a plurality (39.1%) observed that it “depended on the boss.”  However, nearly a third (31.9%) said it didn’t matter, while only 13% thought it did (matter).  One-in-ten said it “depends”, and the rest weren’t sure.

And then I went on to inquire if readers thought it was better to arrive earlier or leave later.  Once again, the responses were mixed.  A plurality (33.3%) said “neither” was better, while 31.2% said “it depends”.  Just under 17% said that “being in earlier AND leaving later than the boss” was better, with one-in-ten (10.1%) opting for being in earlier than the boss, and about as many (8.7%) chose leaving later than the boss. 

Here are some of my favorites:

It only matters if your boss thinks the first 5 minutes of their day is more important than the next 12 hours of your day.

it would be impossible to get in earlier or stay later than my boss - who is literally always working

I don't think it matters who shows up when, or at least it shouldn't.  What should matter is what you accomplish while you are there.

We figured out that if we took all of the minutes lost by my boss coming in late everyday and leaving early on most, she is short about 63 hours each year (and that's not counting all the time she spends each day cutting her nails or playing on-line).  It's amazing how sometimes the most incompetent people get to the top simply by playing the "I've gotten a job somewhere else" card...

Most times the Boss has no idea when you come in and probably don't worry about it too much. However, they certainly are very aware when you leave, especially if you leave before them. As an example, recently one of my associates was spoken with by the Boss for leaving the office around 4 PM most days. It didn't matter that she came in around 6:30 AM most days and usually took about half hour for lunch. Boss did not have a clue on her actual work time only what he observed.

I work as long as I need to in order to get the work done, no more and no less. And by the way, it is not noticed and hasn't helped my career. All I can assume is that I have a lot more work than my boss does.

I used to get in late and leave late. A friend pointed out that getting in early makes you look ambitious. Leaving late makes you look inefficient. I ty to get in as early as I need to leave more-or-less on time.

I previously had a boss that was the ultimate workaholic so no one could "outwork" him but he never really accomplished much because he couldn't make a decision himself.

Any ""leader"" who evaluated performance based on presence in the workplace should be replaced."

I stay way too late every night, which results in getting home way too late to have dinner at a reasonable time, which results in getting to bed way too late, which results in getting up way too late, which results in getting to work way too late, which results in feeling the need to stay way too late in order to get my work done.  Fortunately, as a boss, I can - and do - actively encourage my team to make sure they get the heck outta here at a reasonable time each day so they don't fall into the same self-imposed cycle of madness!

But this week’s Editor’s Choice goes to the reader who said, “I get in about 2 1/2 hours before my boss; guess I should mention we are two time zones apart ...”

Thanks to everyone who participated in our survey!  And check out the rest of the Verbatims on the following pages!

My boss is supportive of my schedule and understands the work/life balance... but I am sure there are others who do not realize how early I get in and think I am a slacker for leaving early!

My boss puts in long days too so I don't mind working regular 10 hour days.

I think the volume of work I produce and its quality is more important than my arrival and departure times. However, just being here a lot does have its advantages.

I don't think it matters as much whether I am there first or last.  The issue is more whether overall, I work as many hours as my boss (whether I do that during the work week or come in on the weekend).

The objective is to get your work done and done well.

My boss doesn't care who arrives or leaves when as long as our jobs are completed.

I have worked at companies that correlated the hours worked to career potential. My current employer does not make that correlation; they are focused on results vs. long work hours.

At the end of the day, a good boss knows what counts - delivering results, providing innovative ideas, doing the job right, on-time delivery, happy customers, mentoring/ new employees and promoting teamwork.  Yes, there actually are some good bosses who evaluate by results, not hours.  A good boss knows who the slackers are.

I don't think it matters who shows up when, or at least it shouldn't.  What should matter is what you accomplish while you are there.

It is very dependant upon the culture of a particular organization and your role within that organization.  If you work smarter and more efficiently than everyone else and can do 10 hours of everyone else's work in 8 hours, there is no need to be first in/last out unless that is what is expected.

We figured out that if we took all of the minutes lost by my boss coming in late everyday and leaving early on most, she is short about 63 hours each year (and that's not counting all the time she spends each day cutting her nails or playing on-line).  It's amazing how sometimes the most incompetent people get to the top simply by playing the "I've gotten a job somewhere else" card...

I have worked for companies where "face-time" was a very important factor for getting promoted.  It didn't necessarily mean you were productive, but the upper management seemed to think it was dedication because of the long hours.  It didn't matter that you could have done your job in much less time and been more productive...but by golly Kevin was in before dawn and didn't leave until after dark.  Whereas Jan worked a 8 - 5 schedule...she "had an hourly mentality."

My boss told me on day one of my employment he didn't care when I came in or left work as long as my work was done.

In the ideal world it is the quality of your work that influences your career not the amount of time spent in the office. I come in early because it helps me prioritize what I need to accomplish in the upcoming day and I can get some of the administrative stuff done with minimal interruption.

It doesn't matter as long as your boss is clear with their expectations and you get the job done ( I know, I'm a bit naive, right?).

I don't think coming earlier or later than your boss makes any difference.  What matters most is how you work when you are there.

My previous boss came in later than me and left earlier than me.  She is gone and they did not replace her position.

When you arrive at work or how late you stay generally has no bearing on your career.  It's what you do when you work that matters.  Most important is how you relate to others, especially those who can have an impact on your career.  If you cannot express yourself and relate well to those in upper management positions, your career will be restrained...unless, of course, you decide to start your own business. Even then, unless you were born independently wealthy, you must be able to relate well to those who can supply the resources you need to finance your enterprise.

Most times the Boss has no idea when you come in and probably don't worry about it too much. However, they certainly are very aware when you leave, especially if you leave before them. As an example, recently one of my associates was spoken with by the Boss for leaving the office around 4 PM most days. It didn't matter that she came in around 6:30 AM most days and usually took about half hour for lunch. Boss did not have a clue on her actual work time only what he observed.

I think I finally am at a place where when I get online and how late I stay doesn't matter as much as the work I produce.  FINALLY, we're not so much looking at the hours we work rather than what's produced.  I am sure that will change though ;-).

It all depends on the boss, but if s/he is more concerned about arrival an departure times rather than accomplishments and results, I would contend that he or she isn't a great boss. 

A good boss will look at work ethic, results, accomplishments, etc., more than hours chained to a desk.  Fortunately, I work for such a person now, but have not had that situation in the past.

My boss comes in late and leaves later than quitting time, but has commented that she notices the others who leave earlier than quitting time, even though we have flexible hours, it is hard to get past the if you are not at work then you are not at work mentality

It shouldn't matter what time you come in or leave,it should simply be are you getting your work done.

I work as long as I need to in order to get the work done, no more and no less. And by the way, it is not noticed and hasn't helped my career. All I can assume is that I have a lot more work than my boss does.

there was a time that hard work, and time worked mattered.  It's becoming less so.  More like government work.  Show up get paid, go home.

It's important to know how your boss feels about it and they will give you plenty of clues.  I'm generally more productive after everyone else goes home and since I've always maintained a high level of productivity(40 years and counting), it's never been as issue.  I do think it's important for the boss to be in when everyone is expected to start the work day and not to go home early as a habit.

Speaking more as the boss of others, I have to say that I don't keep good track of when people comes in and leave.  I'm much more concerned with what gets accomplished than what hours are kept.  If I had my druthers, someone would work until his work is done, then go home, whether that takes 2 hours or 20.  I suspect that people would work more efficiently if they knew they could go home when they were done.  There would be less time shopping for shoes or playing solitaire.

I once thought I needed to come in early and leave late, and perhaps at the time I did need to.  My boss is a workaholic so coming in earlier and leaving later than him would be a challenge.  My boss's boss (the CEO) and his children that all work here don't subscribe to the 'come early and leave late' theory.  I am more of an 8 to 5 person now and don't regret it.  I will put in the extra hours if necessary but the days of putting in lots of hours for appearance's sake are gone for me.  If there's one thing a failed marriage has taught me it has to be that there are more important things in life than trying to impress the boss.

I believe, and history shows, that my boss sees only the bad and none of the good. So he'd remember when I'm late or leave early, does not remember the early ins and late outs.

I believe "face time" counts more in the evening. Very few people notice who's at work at 6:15 every day, but they notice when an early bird rushes out "early" (after 9 hours and no lunch break) to take care of family duties.

People don't really notice that you get in early but they definitely pay attention when you leave early.

With restrictions on pay raises (being tied to whatever everyone else in town is doing), there don't seem to be any incentives for doing anything over and above what's expected. I could work my tail off but it wouldn't be acknowledged or rewarded in any manner. What a disincentive.

If the work gets done on time it shouldn't matter.

I used to get in late and leave late. A friend pointed out that getting in early makes you look ambitious. Leaving late makes you look inefficient. I ty to get in as early as I need to leave more-or-less on time.

I previously had a boss that was the ultimate workaholic so no one could "outwork" him but he never really accomplished much because he couldn't make a decision himself.

Each manager can be different and once you figure out what your manager's expectations are as they relate to work schedules it is best for one's career to modify your work schedule accordingly.

Getting your work done and right is the most important.  I took this job 6 month ago with the understanding that I wanted and needed a flexible schedule.  With all the technology today, you can do your job almost anywhere and anytime.

I have well more than twice the commute of anyone in my office (1:15 hours), yet I beat everyone except my boss to the office (she lives 5 minutes away). I also tend to be the last to leave as well. I'd like to think that it has helped my career but it probably has had no effect on it. Unless I send my boss an email late, she has no clue how late I work on most nights.

I love getting in early and leaving late but now that I have 3 kids and a 90 minute commute (each way), I consider it a minor miracle to make it to the office at all.

With electronic leashes (Blackberries, remote access to e-mail and company files, etc.), when are any of us not working these days?

I think what matters most to my boss is that the work gets done.

It really should only matter WHAT YOU DO WHILE YOU'RE THERE, but I would say the majority of people are focussed on what time someone comes and goes. Generally people seem to get more credit for staying late than coming in early, which is ridiculous.

Personally, I can't stand to be late --- it ruins my entire day.  So, I'm usually early or at the very "latest" the normal time to start work.  I think it used to be more important to come in early and stay later than the boss, but with telecommuting being so prevalent, it doesn't seem to matter.

Focusing on hours worked and "outworking" the boss is a recipe for burn-out and long-term harm to a career. Instead, focus on the quality of thinking that goes into your work and the results. You may not get a promotion short-term, but longer term you will build an expertise and reputation that will be in demand and independent of perception or workplace politics. It is not the path of quick reward, however, so if your focus is on immediate money and title, then hours worked and workplace politics do probably need to be your focus.

Getting the job done counts more than face time around here.

I get in about 2 1/2 hours before my boss; guess I should mention we are two time zones apart ...

I think most bosses, or most good ones anyway, wouldn't care much as long as you do quality work, complete all your given tasks/duties on time, and others aren't having to pick up your slack because your leave early or arrive late.

"My boss has made it clear that she's not impressed by coming in early and staying late.  Quality/quantity of work done during normal business hours are more important.

I work my tail off until it's time to go and almost always leave within a few minutes after quitting time because I have a lot of obligations outside of the office."

I think the better question is, who stays connected and can resolve the problems better.  Face time seems to be a concept from the past.

Just getting the job done is preferable (as in don't work long, work smart).

Politically at our company those who leave later look like they are putting in more hours, although a lot of them did not come in until 9:30 or 10:00 and take many smoke breaks.  Politics are not for me, I come in early and leave early (my average day is 9 hrs) and as long as I'm honest that's all that counts for me.

If the boss arrives as some ungodly hour like 6 am and stays until 7 or 8 pm and they expect you to do the same, then it's a sign to find a better place to work.  I think one should work standard office hours plus a few extra hours per week but it's more important to have a good work/life balance.  I gave up weekends and late nights long ago.  No one keeps you around during a RIF because you put in long days.

I'm in the office before 7 and don't usually leave until after 4.  My boss does not get into the office until mid morning or later, but usually leaves after 7 at night.  We're both synchronized differently, but it works.

"My boss is a Japanese expat and his day begins anywhere from 4:30 a, to 5:30 am.  When he leaves early, its about 6:00 pm; sometimes he stays until 9:30 pm.

As manager, I come in and leave after my direct reports."

"All depends on the abilities of the boss.  A good boss evaluates productivity by focusing on the quality nd quantity of work produced.  Hours aren't relevant in this context.

Any ""leader"" who evaluated performance based on presence in the workplace should be replaced."

I stay way too late every night, which results in getting home way too late to have dinner at a reasonable time, which results in getting to bed way too late, which results in getting up way too late, which results in getting to work way too late, which results in feeling the need to stay way too late in order to get my work done.  Fortunately, as a boss, I can - and do - actively encourage my team to make sure they get the heck outa here at a reasonable time each day so they don't fall into the same self-imposed cycle of madness!

I don't think coming in earlier or staying later is as important as completing your work and making deadlines.  I have seen where consistently coming in early and staying later has worked against employees, because it leads the boss to question why you can't accomplish your job in the time given.

I plan on retiring in the next year and don't feel a need to impress anyone any more. I don't expect, nor want, any advancement in my career. The only thing I want to advance to is my favorite fishing hole and the golf course.

Family life is more important than being in the office earlier AND later.  My boss also has a family so understands within reason.

My boss set scheduled hours for each of us and suggested that we get out for at least an hour lunch most days.  He models it, and we all work longer than he suggested!

I think it depends on whether or not the work is getting done.  Of course, if I were always the last to arrive and first to leave, my boss would assume I don't have enough work to do!

I'm a late riser and my boss is an early riser who typically starts his day at 6:00 AM and doesn't leave until 5:00. I figure if he's putting in 11 hours, I should at least stay until he goes home...

My boss comes in late, takes a full hour lunch, leaves early, and spends most of the hours in between being totally unapproachable and complaining about how swamped they always are.  And, they're always sure to forward their emails and voicemails to the other members of our department to take care of - it would be tragic to have to stay until the end of the workday to answer your own emails and phone calls!  Just keep piling the work and stress and deadlines onto the worker bees.  Unfortunately, this whole mentality seems to be a growing trend among most of the management in our company.  I wouldn't be surprised if when the economy turns around, most of the worker bees will end up leaving this hive.

I've found that just being available when either my boss or his boss or someone else needs reports, statistics, information on our plans, etc. has proven me dependable and knowledgeable, and it improves others' perception of my team's competence.  Now, if that means being more available when my boss isn't (say before he gets in, over lunch, or at the tail end of the day), well, it's a small price to pay.

To be fair, my hours are often dictated by the horrendous traffic here in the Metro DC area - I'd rather work than fight traffic!  I get lots more work done outside the "normal" business hours, too!

It only matters if your boss thinks the first 5 minutes of their day is more important than the next 12 hours of your day.

We lost our great boss unexpectedly and his replacement thinks this is his flex time playground.  He gets here about 9:00 goes to lunch at 11:30 gets back around 1:00-1:30.  He then leaves depending on the day anywhere from 3:00 to 5:00.  His visiting hours are from 9-10 and then 2-3 in the afternoon daily.  He interrupts everybody's work day.  We are waiting for the top Boss to realize it.  We are in the South and normal office hours are 8:00-5:00 with 1 hour for lunch.  Most of us are here before 8 and after 5 because of the workload and interruptions.

I had a boss who would pace up and down the hall way outside of our director's office and leave immediately after him - never before.  We all noticed the behavior and it became a running joke in our area.

I work in Los Angeles and my boss (the President & CEO) commutes over 90 miles each way through the worst traffic congestion known to man.  He has done this for 18 years and developed a unique schedule to avoid the worst of the traffic.  He gets to work between 5:00 - 5:30 am and leaves the office before noon.  He is available by phone until about 4:30 pm when he signs off for the day.  With this schedule no one gets in earlier than him and no one leaves before him.  The rest of us are expected to adhere to a more normal schedule and are expressly not to start work much before 7:00 am and are allowed a flex hours schedule where we can start as late 10:00 am.

Depends on the unspoken expectation from the boss.  For those that report to me I ask only that you show up on time and give me a full day's effort.  So if you SHOULD be in earlier than me, it reflects poorly if you are not.

This absolutely depends on the boss and the performance level of each employee reporting to them. If performance level is high, bosses should not be as concerned about hours or face time at the office.

My boss is always 5 to 15 minutes late for work.  However, she's always staying late, working at home late at night and on weekends.  I on the other hand am now classified as hourly, so I cannot work extra hours without approval.

It is frustrating to have a boss who can put in late hours and expects you to be available too.  It sets a bad precedent for the business units we support who expect everyone to be available at any time, day or night.

For a small place we have horrendous traffic, so a lot of people leave very early to get to work.  My boss comes in at 4:30 am to work out across the street, and his boss does the same.  My commute is twice as long as my boss so I roll in about 6:45 after dropping my son off at school.  The boss is high on wellness, so if you take a couple of hours off during the day to shoot some hoops or work out he is perfectly fine with that, the expectation being that you stay late or come in early to do what needs to get done.

it would be impossible to get in earlier or stay later than my boss - who is literally always working

May all good blessings fall on the boss who simply wants you there for the time it takes to do your job and do it well.

It's about getting your work done in a timely manner and being happy with the quality of that work. This includes taking on new responsibilities and and being available to help when the need arises. That should determine the appropriate hours of work.

If your boss focuses on hours worked vs results, then paying attention to the clock helps.  However, if you get your job done and done well, then the hours you work shouldn't matter.

Some bosses don't use common sense.  An ex-boss would complain if I was 10 minutes late due to traffic but never took into account that I worked well past 7 or 8 p.m. EVERY  night.    Sure I might have missed an early morning call or two sometimes (always returned voice mails as soon as I arrived)  BUT I was always there when the west coast calls came in -- even though I was supposed to be gone at 5.   Really was unkind of him.

"I have worked an inordinate amount of hours in a previous life & in the end, it really doesn't matter.  When you are dying, your last comment will not be - gee, I wish I had spent more time at the office if you spend time with your family, but if you spend all your life it work, it may be - gee, I wish I had spent more time with my family.

I also have the ability to get more done in eight hours than most get done in 4 - therefore, it has never been a problem with my bosses."

My boss consistently works later than me, but I would prefer to get in early and leave earlier.  Sometimes I feel like she looks at that negatively and I want to say "I've been here since 7, you rolled in close to 9!"

The reason it impacts my career is that my boss doesn't really have a handle on how hard I work, and when the boss isn't available when needed it impacts my ability to provide the highest level of service to customers and that in turn impacts my career.