Would You Have Done the Same Thing? A Little Workplace Experience

Now that I have started working again, my daily routine has changed.

I wake up every morning at 6:30 a.m., say my morning prayers, take my bath, brush my teeth, and eat if there is food available. By 7:30–7:35 a.m., I am already on my way to work.

Most of the time, I get to the office before everyone else, including the person responsible for opening the office.

However, something happened yesterday that got me thinking.

How My Morning Started

My alarm didn't ring yesterday morning. I had switched it off the previous day and completely forgot to turn it back on. As a result, instead of waking up at my usual 6:30 a.m., I woke up close to 7:00 a.m.

I had to rush through my morning routine to avoid getting to work late.

Honestly, I would have made it to the office before 8:00 a.m., or at least by 8:00 a.m., if not for the rain that suddenly started pouring just as I was waiting for the last bus that would take me to work.

Eventually, I arrived at the office at exactly 8:04 a.m.

Guess what? I was still the first person to arrive!

About a minute or two later, three of my colleagues arrived, including the lady responsible for opening the office.

What Happened Next Shocked Me

I calmly picked up the attendance register and signed in, recording my actual arrival time: 8:04 a.m.

But what happened next surprised me.

The lady in charge of opening the office picked up a pen and changed my recorded arrival time to 7:46 a.m. She then wrote 7:48 a.m. for herself and the others.

I was shocked.

I asked her why she had changed my time, and her response was something along the lines of, "How can it be that I came to work at 8:05 a.m.?"

In other words, she didn't want the register to show that she and the others had arrived after me.

Since I am still new at the workplace, I didn't want to create unnecessary problems by insisting that everyone record their actual arrival times. So, I simply left them and walked away.

Why I Don't Want to Be Part of It

But here's the thing: Since I resumed work, I have noticed that this is something they regularly do, and I honestly don't want to be part of it.

I believe that if I arrive at work at 7:45 a.m., I should record 7:45 a.m. If I arrive at 8:04 a.m., then 8:04 a.m. it is.

I don't see the need to change the time just to make it look as though we arrived earlier than we actually did.

We all know that sometimes unexpected things happen. You might wake up late, encounter traffic, or get caught in the rain. These things happen. But I believe it is better to be honest about them than to falsify records.

Yesterday, I chose not to argue. I simply walked away because I am new and still trying to find my feet in the workplace.

Did I Do the Wrong Thing?

Now, here is my question: Did I do the wrong thing by walking away without insisting that they record the correct time?

Would you have confronted them, reported the incident, or simply minded your business as I did?

I would genuinely love to hear your thoughts and advice, especially from those who have had similar experiences in their workplaces.

Let's talk in the comments!

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