Franke James is Editor/Founder of Office-Politics.com and Inventor of the Office-Politics® Game.

Peter R. Garber has worked as an HR professional for over 25 years and is the author of many business books including: Winning the Rat Race at Work and 100 Ways to Get on the Wrong Side of your Boss.

Dina Beach Lynch, is an Ombudsman, Author and former attorney. An award-winning mediator, Dina served as the Corporate Ombudsman for the 7th largest bank in the US helping over 48,000 employees to resolve workplace issues.

Dr. Rick Brandon is CEO of Brandon Partners. He has consulted and trained tens of thousands at corporations worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries.

Dr. Marty Seldman is one of America's most experienced executive coaches. His 35-year career includes expertise in executive coaching, group dynamics, cross-cultural studies, clinical psychology, and training.

Arnie Herz, is a lawyer, mediator, speaker, author and consultant nationally recognized for his practical and inspired approach to conflict resolution and client counseling.

Dr. John Burton LL.B. M.B.A. M.Div. Ph.D. is an ethicist, mediator, lawyer and theologian. John is currently located in Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada, working with Canada's aboriginal communities.

I just got barked at for being late (again)....

July 2005

Dear Office-Politics,

I just got barked at for being late (again). It happens several times a year, probably around the time it takes the office clock hands to outrun the hands of my watch by a few minutes margin.

Trouble is, my watch said 9:14am when I walked in the door. We have a start time of 9:15am. According to my bosses clock, it was 9:20am when I walked in. The only solution I see is to put my watch 5 minutes ahead but isn't that giving my boss the satisfaction of getting 5 extra minutes out of me every day? I don't want to be as petty as he is but it's getting tiresom to be barked at when you're a few minutes off the clock.

My question: 1) When does your day start? When you arrive at the office building or when you sit down at your desk? Does 'late' mean not being at the building or not being at your desk?

Sincerely,

No-clock-watcher

Dear No-clock-watcher,

I'd say your Manager is playing a game with you, and you have to respond or you'll be eliminated. Once you understand the unspoken rules you'll know how to win points -- and gain the upper hand.

Your Manager is slapping you down a point or two by saying, 'You're late if you're not at your desk!'

How can you win back the points? Focus on winning the game, not the immediate scrimmage. His paranoia about the time is a symptom of a gnawing doubt -- 'Am I getting maximum productivity out of my team?' Let him know that you LOVE your work / or think of your job as more than a paycheck. (Hopefully you do...)

You can have fun with this if you have the right mindset. Here are some things I'd do -- if you do it well it won't seem obnoxious, just diligent and eager:

The Game Rules:
1. Be at your desk at 9:10am
2. Send him a short daily email to tell him your goals for the day - and gee whiz it also documents the time.
3. Gain extra points by occasionally telling him verbally how keen you are/interested in whatever the project is you're working on. (Don't lay it on too thick or he'll get suspicious, but showing enthusiasm for your work is a great booster for Management. And it'll help your career too.)

Think of athletes on a team. If you were the coach, who would you show respect to? The athlete who shows up late, never practices, and doesn't have his heart in winning the game? Or the athlete who is always on time, always looking for ways to improve, and seems devoted to the team no matter that he's pulling down millions of bucks in salary.

Thanks for writing to Office-Politics. Let me know who wins.

Cheers,

Franke

Franke James, MFA
Creator, The Office-Politics Game