Hated Commuting Hell, So I Came to Work Early... "Don't Ruin the Team Atmosphere"

Other Employees Pressure... Early Commuters' Dilemma
"Personal Freedom" vs "Consideration for Colleagues" Debate

An employee who starts work at 7 a.m. expressed frustration after a colleague told them, "Don't ruin the atmosphere and come to work on time." The photo is unrelated to the article content. Photo by Yonhap News.

An employee who dislikes working overtime and arrives at work at 7 a.m. expressed frustration after a colleague told them, "Don't ruin the atmosphere and come to work on time." Netizens are divided between calling the employee a "voluntary slave" and understanding their feelings.

Recently, a post titled "Is an employee who comes to work early disrupting things?" was published on an online community. The author stated that they arrive at the company two hours earlier than the regular start time of 9 a.m.

According to the author, the company's regular working hours were from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but the rules changed two years ago. Employees must work from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. without exception, but as long as they complete 8 hours a day, their clock-in and clock-out times can be 1 to 2 hours earlier or later.

The author explained, "I absolutely hate working overtime, so if there is a lot of work, I come in at 7 a.m. Of course, since I voluntarily come in early, I don’t get paid extra, and I leave between 4 and 6 p.m. after finishing work, so there is no overtime pay. However, I clock in at 9 a.m."

They continued, "But when I’m not around, the team leader mentioned me. The team leader told the colleagues, 'Don’t think about working overtime to get extra pay; come in early like A and finish your work,'” they said.

They added, "After a colleague told me, 'Don’t ruin the team atmosphere,' I’ve been spending my mornings for several days at the Starbucks across from the company because I don’t want to get stuck in traffic. This has been going on for several days, and I feel unfairly treated," they complained.

The author also asked, "When I come in early, I even put down my bag at my seat and help prepare for meetings when other team members might be late. Was that really disrupting things?"

In response, netizens criticized the author’s behavior as a nuisance to other colleagues. However, some argued that it wasn’t the author’s fault and that as long as work isn’t disrupted, it should be left to individual freedom, sparking diverse opinions.