Company Says Using Restroom After Returning From Lunch Break Is 'Time Clock Fraud', Internet Reacts

A Reddit user’s recent post about an office memo has gone viral and sparked a major backlash on social media. It has drawn attention to what the user describes as “outrageous” rules intended to prevent “time clock fraud.” This phenomenon, as defined in the post, happens “whenever an employee does something while punched in that is unrelated to work (while not on a 15-minute break).” The notice in question outlines five specific rules that employees are expected to adhere to, to curb time clock fraud. These rules include using the restroom before commencing work or during the allotted meal break only, removing one’s coat before clocking in, and arriving at work early, among several others.

Since being shared just a day ago, the post has garnered a lot of attention and a flurry of comments, many of which express shock and disapproval at the rules mentioned in the notice.

Take a look at what it says:

One Reddit user expressed their firm stance, saying, “Nope. Once I’m inside the work building I’m clocking in and doing everything I need to do on the clock. If me walking to break is considered “break time” then me taking off a hoodie/using the bathroom is work time.”

Another commenter shared an experience of such a rule, saying, “This used to anger me at my last job. It was a huge warehouse, and it would usually take 2-4 min to get to the break room. We were expected to be back at our stations when the bell rang, exactly 15 minutes after our break started. So basically, we had a 10-minute break and 5 minutes of walking.”

Criticism of the notice also mentioned that even companies don’t follow their time-related rules, with one user saying, “Funny how they don’t mention the time clock fraud of telling you to work over a scheduled hour or work through breaks.”

Another commenter recounted, “I used to clock in in the parking lot at my old job. It was an app and had a range that extended outside the office. They can pay me for my 30-second walk.”

Critics also aimed perceived hypocrisy among higher officials at regular offices, with one commenter noting, “Meanwhile, the higher-ups take three-hour lunch breaks and somehow find time to go to the gym and ‘work from home’.”

The sentiment that stringent rules can backfire on overall productivity was echoed by another commenter who wrote, “The more micromanaged and squeezed people are, the less productive they become. I don’t know how companies don’t understand this yet.”