‘The manager seems reasonable tho’: Worker films manager catching her clocking in early, before actually starting work. It backfires

A police officer recently went viral after she filmed an argument with her captain about clocking in early.

TikToker Chymarron Official (@Chymarron_Official) captured the moment her manager confronted her over clock-in times. Her video has been viewed 7.9 million times and has garnered over 545,000 likes as of publication, with users overwhelmingly siding with Chymarron’s captain. 

@chymarron_official Y’all be clocking in and don’t be at work… but I’m y’all so it’s all good !! #fyp #jobopportunity #Captain ♬ original sound – Chymarron Official

The video begins with Chymarron wiping her face with a napkin and an empty disposable plate in front of her. 

“Do you have a second?” her captain asks off-screen. 

“I’m on lunch break,” Chymarron responds with a grimace. 

“Your lunch break ended two minutes ago. Can I sit here?” the captain replies. 

“Wow, two minutes, I came in two minutes late,” the officer says. “I really don’t want you to sit here, but since you [sat] down, go ahead.”

The captain sits down and gets straight to the point: “How do you clock in? Do you clock in on your computer, your phone, or when you get into the station this morning?”

“The policy says on the computer, so what’s the problem?” Chymarron answers. 

“You’re going to tell me [the] computer or where you actually clock in?” the captain continues. “The last 10 clock-ins have been showing that it’s through the phone app.”

Chymarron, arms crossed, responds: “I was probably in the parking lot.”

The captain is undeterred: “I knew you were going to say something like that so I went ahead and pulled up the cameras for the last 10 shifts… and you’re not here yet.”

Irritated, Chymarron threatens a lawsuit over the perceived harassment: “And I’m finna sue you. If you’re watching me on the camera for no reason, that’s a problem. That’s harassment at the job.” “Ruined my lunch break,” she mutters to herself. 

Her captain remains calm and continues: “I’m not trying to make this a big deal, Brown… I need you to stop clocking in on your phone when you’re not physically at the station at 5:53. You need to be physically at the station when you clock in.”

Then, the conversation takes an interesting turn. Chymarron refuses to acknowledge that she’s done anything wrong, and argues that getting ready in the morning counts as working. “Let me ask you this,” she begins. “When y’all wake me out of my bed and I get up and start washing, cleaning my face, putting on my clothes… I’m working then, so I be clocking in.”

“That’s not part of this contract. [By] 5:53, you need to be at the station in the back. Clock in,” her captain explains. “This could be a lot bigger of a deal… I’m trying to come to you before I take this to anyone. We could squash it now.”

“It’s squashed. Can I finish eating?” Chymarron replies. 

“Your lunch break is over but you can finish whatever you’re doing,” the captain adds.

Users found the interaction hilarious. Most took the captain’s side and poked holes in Chymarron’s argument.

“I wouldn’t even be mad if this is how my employer approached me like this. I’d be like, ‘Yeah u got me’,” one user said. 

“The manager seems reasonable tho,” echoed a second.

“I feel like she be highkey, not even lowkey, nitpicking at you,” another replied, siding with Chymarron. 

“No, the manager is right! How is it fair for her to clock in and get paid extra when she’s not working?” a user asked. 

“Exactly, it’s stealing money. Let’s say she clocked in an hour before work getting ready, that’s 30 extra hours a month,” a second agreed. 

Others believed that the entire interaction was a skit. 

“It took me a minute to figure out that this was a skit. Had to look at your other content. You deserve an Oscar,” one user said. 

“I keep thinking it’s a skit but [the] HR lady sounds serious,” a second added. 

“Good acting!” another wrote. 

“This is a really good skit. Y’all had me going till I checked your page,” a fourth agreed. 

Time theft is a common issue in every industry. Though it seems like a small issue when an employee clocks in a few minutes early, the cost can add up. If an employee clocks in five minutes early for a year with $20 an hour pay, the costs add up to an extra $416 for the year. Since time theft is not a crime, it is usually treated as misconduct that can result in termination. 

Employers are aware of different methods to “milk” the clock. These include extended or excessive breaks, inflation of work hours, performing non-work activities while on the clock, and late arrivals or early departures. In the digital era, where apps endlessly monitor human behavior, employers have a multitude of tools to check on their employees. With this in mind, it may be better to just show up on time. 

The Daily Dot reached out to Chymarron via TikTok comments for further information.