Can TL override your clock-out time???

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Oct 28, 2021
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I'm on my second week at Target (also probably important to note that this is my first job ever) and have so far been working exclusively closing shifts. The TL closing tonight was someone I wasn't familiar with, and I didn't realize she hadn't told us it was okay to clock out yet (she was letting FOS leave but not people working the floors like myself). I clocked out two minutes before my scheduled time thinking that we were good to go, and two others had done the same, but as we were making our way to the front, our TL noticed and got angry with us saying that we're not allowed to leave until she says we are and that we're considered leaving early and that we should know that when she closes, we don't leave until she tells us we can. She just seemed extremely angry with us, and I just want to be prepared if I'm going to get in actual massive trouble for this because I'm still so new and I feel like I can't afford to get in big trouble especially this early on.
 
Leaving two minutes before your scheduled clock out time is not an early leave, and the TL cannot make you stay after your shift is over. You’re new and didn’t know that you needed to tell the TL when you leave, so officially you should not be in any trouble, at worst it’s a training issue which is not your fault.
How miserable that TL can make your work life if you stand up for yourself is another story entirely. She sounds like a piece of work. Good luck!
 
I'm on my second week at Target (also probably important to note that this is my first job ever) and have so far been working exclusively closing shifts. The TL closing tonight was someone I wasn't familiar with, and I didn't realize she hadn't told us it was okay to clock out yet (she was letting FOS leave but not people working the floors like myself). I clocked out two minutes before my scheduled time thinking that we were good to go, and two others had done the same, but as we were making our way to the front, our TL noticed and got angry with us saying that we're not allowed to leave until she says we are and that we're considered leaving early and that we should know that when she closes, we don't leave until she tells us we can. She just seemed extremely angry with us, and I just want to be prepared if I'm going to get in actual massive trouble for this because I'm still so new and I feel like I can't afford to get in big trouble especially this early on.
To my knowledge, if your workload is done and a Lead is cool with it you're technically allowed to clock in 5 mins before your shift and also allowed to clock out 5 mins before the shift is over. Technically... A bunch of TMs at our store does this all the time to get that extra 5 mins of pay. 😂 (May or May not also be including me...) But Imma drop the ASANTS on this one which stands for (All Stores Are Not The Same)
 
If you are in the schedule to leave at a certain time then they can't force you to stay, they can ASK but you don't have to say yes. I never care about stuff like that as I also want to leave early and am trying to get out of the store as quick as possible when I close. If you are leaving early and left your area a mess and could have finished with that final 2 minutes I may mention it to you but I wouldn't yell or be upset.

When my store first opened the ETL team would sometimes "make" the closing team stay an hour + after close to zone. They didn't know any better until we had a team member walk out the fire exit when an ETL refused to let them leave. I always said if they wanted you to stay later they would have scheduled you.

Cashier's in my opinion have to stay until the all clear as they have to check out the final guests, but depending on the night id typically send them home at closing and have the person who was scheduled to close the lanes finish up.
 
For future reference you should always check out with the leader before you clock out.
 
Leaving two minutes before your scheduled clock out time is not an early leave, and the TL cannot make you stay after your shift is over. You’re new and didn’t know that you needed to tell the TL when you leave, so officially you should not be in any trouble, at worst it’s a training issue which is not your fault.
How miserable that TL can make your work life if you stand up for yourself is another story entirely. She sounds like a piece of work. Good luck!
Closing shift leaving before leader says so is a big no no at my store. Especially before 10 pm.
 
If it was 9:58 or 9:55 the leader is not allowed to say shit.There is the grace policy 5 minutes early or 5 minutes after does not count in attendance. As for your leader he/she is not off at 10 but maybe 10:30 . Next time I would just comunícate to the leader that is 9:58 and you are heading out . She can not make you stay even for those 2 minutes as the policy again it is 5 minutes early 5 minutes before end of shift.
 
If it was 9:58 or 9:55 the leader is not allowed to say shit.There is the grace policy 5 minutes early or 5 minutes after does not count in attendance. As for your leader he/she is not off at 10 but maybe 10:30 . Next time I would just comunícate to the leader that is 9:58 and you are heading out . She can not make you stay even for those 2 minutes as the policy again it is 5 minutes early 5 minutes before end of shift.
I beg to differ on this. Whether it officially counts as an attendance issue or not, if you are scheduled until closing, you stay until closing. No way should anyone be punching out before the lights go off and/or the floor is cleared.
 
At my store you are supposed to punch out at the time that your shift ends (within the five minute grace period) unless you are asked to, and agree to, stay later. If the store needed you later, and had payroll to spend, they would have scheduled you later. Several reasons for this beyond the fact that when your shift is over you can leave. Someone who punched in two minutes early on an eight hour shift needs to punch out two minutes before their shift officially ends or they will get overtime, the sin of sins at my store. Yes, they will call you in for a chat for one minute of overtime. Or someone who works a 4:45 hour shift and doesn’t leave before their fifth hour will hit compliance (in some states), another big no-no, which is also an automatic write-up at my store. My store often looked like a cyclone hit it when the opening crew came in because our closing crew usually left on time, but our all-important metrics were good.
 
At my store you are supposed to punch out at the time that your shift ends (within the five minute grace period) unless you are asked to, and agree to, stay later. If the store needed you later, and had payroll to spend, they would have scheduled you later. Several reasons for this beyond the fact that when your shift is over you can leave. Someone who punched in two minutes early on an eight hour shift needs to punch out two minutes before their shift officially ends or they will get overtime, the sin of sins at my store. Yes, they will call you in for a chat for one minute of overtime. Or someone who works a 4:45 hour shift and doesn’t leave before their fifth hour will hit compliance (in some states), another big no-no, which is also an automatic write-up at my store. My store often looked like a cyclone hit it when the opening crew came in because our closing crew usually left on time, but our all-important metrics were good.
Ahh. Connecticut does not pay overtime for working over eight hours in a day, only if you work more than 40 hours a week.
 
Play their game, stay cool. Power tripper she is.....smile and under your breath tell her she's a trivial moron. You're new and young, relax and be a player of their game, they like that shit and it will be easier on you.
 
I rarely closed but I dipped as soon as my ride pulled up and sometimes sooner. They knew better than to @ me about clocking out when they always wanted to @ me about clocking in
 
I beg to differ on this. Whether it officially counts as an attendance issue or not, if you are scheduled until closing, you stay until closing. No way should anyone be punching out before the lights go off and/or the floor is cleared.
He was schedule until 10 not until lights are off . Lights don’t go off at 10. They should have schedule the tm 10:15 if that’s the case .
 
TL shouldn't have access to your punches at least I never did. You can leave upto 5 minutes early but you should check with your leader before leaving
 
They like it when you clock out but they don’t like you dipping out without saying anything because of accidentally locking you in the store, which is actually more fun than they think it is. I guess they can get an automatic final for that but if it happens to you just stay on the clock, fire up a few Coleman lanterns and put spider wraps on shit and make bales and move Dysons out of 39.99 price points. If you’re extra bored you could zone Christmas stockings or recount all the money in the cash office
 
They like it when you clock out but they don’t like you dipping out without saying anything because of accidentally locking you in the store, which is actually more fun than they think it is. I guess they can get an automatic final for that but if it happens to you just stay on the clock, fire up a few Coleman lanterns and put spider wraps on shit and make bales and move Dysons out of 39.99 price points. If you’re extra bored you could zone Christmas stockings or recount all the money in the cash office
I was locked in once at my old job and didn't even realize it until my manager paged me. We were an anchor store at a mall, and I thought I heard people still in the store in another area so I just kept on working in the shoe department. Turns out the noises must've been coming from the mall because the rest of the team had clocked out and were on their way home when my manager got a call from the alarm company and had to come back to get me. I was just working away, oblivious. Going forward, we started doing a final page to make sure everyone was out, known as the "happygoth" page. 😄
 
Some TLs make everyone stay until the work is done but IMHO that is a poor management choice. If you can’t get the work done that’s either training or bad schedules, it’s not the TMs fault.
I totally agree, I had an ETL-HR that would close some Saturdays and would make closing GM team members stay until all of the guest returns were collected. I really felt bad for them and I tried to call early right after the store closed to let certain departments know who had a lot of guest returns in their bins so they could plan accordingly. I did always wonder if they were scheduled to stay after closing or not. Said ETL-HR retired last year and was replaced by a new ETL-HR that cared more about compliance so she was more lenient about leaving on-time.
 
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