Evening star., 1923-09-09

Copyright 1928.
| she ceuId not get to her once from the
street car stop in less than two min
utes.
Street cars passed her home every
Ave minutes, but apparently It never
occurred to her Co take an earlier
car"
A YOUNG night law school student
"A recommended by home town ac-
| quaintances as sighly satisfactory
| worker, was late the first four days
he worked in the Post Ofice Depart
ment.
II overs1eep." he told his disap-
pointed chief. 1--WE always had some
| afford to buy an alarm clock until l
receive my first pay check"
Your first pay check may not be
large enough to pay even your room
rent, IL you do not arrive at work on
time" the chief replied.
The youth was on time after that
| Perhaps he told his Iandlady his
/ plight and she, anxious for her rent,
4
woke him.
Reasons for hardness always are
| demanded in writing from late en-
ployes of the Treasury, Post Office.
Commerce and Labor departments,
In other departments, if the latecomer
! can orally convice his division chief
| that his tardiness does not warrant
recording, he does not have to supply
written evidence of his late arrival.
| Hardness never is excused by the
Treasury, Post Ofice Commerce and
Labor departments. They hold that
an en1ploye, not previously excused in
writing. who is absent from his desk
at 8 am. is tardy and must be so re-
! corded.
The other departments, State. War.
Justice, Navy, Interior and Agricul
! ture. do grant excuses.
Chief clerks differ over the justice
of this.
%Storms and traffic delays are oc-
! currences beyond control Of en-
ployes. so lateness caused by these
factors should be excused" said +
/ S. Curtis, chief clerk of the Navy
Department, one of the six depart
ments which overlook hardness under
| certain conditions.
mot to count tardy those who
/ reach Office late is to discriminate
against the punctuai." S. ]. Gompers
! labor's chief clerk. held.
Storm and traffic tie-up can be
overcome. Most of our clerks, es-
pecially those living farthest from
the Office building, refused to be made
late by the blizzard which brought
down the Knickerbocker roof and
| stalled traffic.
Those who live near the building
| or who have only short ride to
work sometimes fail to allow them
selves a few extra minutes when
weather is inclement, but that is not
reason enough to excuse their tardt-
ness and rob the punctual Of their
reward"
Federal Trade Commission folk tell
how one OF their special examiners,
Nelson NJ. Barrett, will not let storm
and trahic make him tardy. When
weather is threatening Mr.. Barrett
starts for office at am, SO that II
street cars are tied up he will have
time to walk and arrive before
| o'clock.
Six of the executive departments
State, War. Navy. Justice. Interio'
| and Agriculture, consider overtime
| work on a previous day an automatp
excuse for arriving after o'clocA
l the next morning.
| None of them, however. allows abuse
Of this privilege. Should time between
/ 8 am. and an employees arrival be
| greater than the length Of his overtime
work, or should he make late arrivals
more frequent than late departures, he
is reprimanded by his supervisor and
marked tardy.
Difference in time registered by va
rious office clocks and elevator delays
| excuse slight hardness in the Interior
Department" George S. Scott, appoint
ment clerk, said. These alibis usually
are worthless in other departments.
! X X
lT>HREE general penalties have been
i prescribed for tardy employees.
The most severe punishment is re-
duction OF an employees efficiency rat
ing, which may lead to failure to
receive promotion; demotion, or even
dismissal. Less serious penalties are
deduction of salary and loss of an
I nual leave.
Two Of these penalties an employe
receives eve4y time he Is late. His eff
cheney rating is lowered and he loses
! either pay or annual leave.
The Department of Commerce is the
only department which docks" its EN-
ployes' wages for time lost by tardiness
At the end of each year it accumuIates
the number OF minutes each employe
has been late and his next pay check is
cuitailed accordingly. 1t generously ig
nores minutes which division chiefs de-
eide were lost unavoidably.
The nine other departments deduct
minutes tardiness consumes from late
Corners annual leave. The War and
Navy departments allow this time to
accumulate until the end of the yearS
and then subtract only the actual num-
ber of minutes lost. II q latecomer's
annual leave is exhausted at the end OF
the year, his salary must be nicked.