# Can TL override your clock-out time???



## aisuruhito (Oct 28, 2021)

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.


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## DBZ (Oct 28, 2021)

2 minutes before you scheduled clock in or out time is ok, but you should check in with the TL before you clock out.


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## Black Sheep 214 (Oct 28, 2021)

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!


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## Hardlinesmaster (Oct 29, 2021)

If the store closes at 10pm for guests. You leave at 9:58pm. I would be talking to you.


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## TheClopen (Oct 29, 2021)

aisuruhito said:


> 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)


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## IhateOPmodel (Oct 29, 2021)

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.


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## MrT (Oct 29, 2021)

For future reference you should always check out with the leader before you clock out.


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## Zxy123456 (Oct 29, 2021)

Black Sheep 214 said:


> 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.


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## allnew2 (Oct 29, 2021)

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.


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## NotCynicalYet (Oct 29, 2021)

Your TL is probably mad at you guys for leaving without communicating. Communicate better and this won't be an issue.


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## Logo (Oct 29, 2021)

Team clears the store once we all hear it's all clear, team is free to go.


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## happygoth (Oct 29, 2021)

allnew2 said:


> 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.


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## Black Sheep 214 (Oct 29, 2021)

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.


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## happygoth (Oct 29, 2021)

Black Sheep 214 said:


> 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.


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## Captain Orca (Oct 29, 2021)

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.


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## can't touch this (Oct 29, 2021)

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


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## allnew2 (Oct 29, 2021)

happygoth said:


> 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 .


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## NKG (Oct 29, 2021)

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


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## Black Sheep 214 (Oct 29, 2021)

happygoth said:


> Ahh. Connecticut does not pay overtime for working over eight hours in a day, only if you work more than 40 hours a week.


Oh, that explains the difference. Here anything over 8 hours a day is OT.😁


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## can't touch this (Oct 29, 2021)

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


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## Fluttervale (Oct 29, 2021)

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.


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## happygoth (Oct 30, 2021)

allnew2 said:


> 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 .


Our lights go off at 10:00 pm on the dot.


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## happygoth (Oct 30, 2021)

can't touch this said:


> 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. 😄


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## Hope4Future (Nov 3, 2021)

Fluttervale said:


> 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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