A workplace message asking employees to clock in by 9:30 AM sharp has left some people wondering if we’re still stuck in the school-like rules of the past. The note, shared in a team chat, clearly states that anyone arriving after 9:30 AM without informing their manager in advance will be marked as a half-day, no matter the reason.
The message reads: “This is a reminder that the official reporting time for all employees is no later than 9:30 AM… Arrivals after 9:30 AM without prior intimation will be marked as a half-day as per company policy.”
The Reddit post criticised this approach, questioning why companies continue to follow such systems.
“Seriously, are we in school or are we adults? Emergencies, traffic jams, and life happen. Why do so many companies in India still cling to this old-fashioned mentality of ‘report on time or face punishment’? Shouldn’t the work you actually DO be what matters?” the user wrote.
The post also pointed out that failure to get leave approved or to log attendance could lead to unpaid leave, further penalising employees for administrative lapses.
Concluding the post, the user posed several questions to the community, asking whether others had faced similar policies, and whether it’s time for employers especially in tech hubs like Pune, to move toward more flexible systems.
“Does anybody else feel these policies end up killing productivity and morale?” the post asked.
Indian schooling is preparation for this culture; it was pretty rampant earlier, though with changing times this needs to change too. Same policies exist within government offices too but is seldom enforced,” the user wrote.
Another user took a sharper view of the broader implications, “This system feels like it’s designed to produce obedient servants, not doers or thinkers. Honestly, with this mindset, how are we supposed to compete with China – let alone the USA? We’re still struggling to build basic mobile phones, forget about advanced manufacturing. At this rate, India risks remaining just a service-based economy.”
