If you work at Amazon, you probably already know that the company is extremely strict when it comes to hours and even minutes worked.
And because it is extremely easy to get fired from Amazon for breaking its many rules, it’s important to understand: Can you clock out early at Amazon?
Can You Clock Out Early at Amazon?
You can clock out early at Amazon if it’s within 5 minutes of the scheduled end of your shift. Your time clock will be adjusted to show a completed shift. However, if you clock out more than 5 minutes early, it appears as an incomplete shift, and you’ll be penalized.
If you want to understand everything there is to know about clocking out early at Amazon, including the Amazon clock-in policy and the Amazon grace period, keep reading! We have it all right here!
How Early Can You Clock Out at Amazon?
Before we dig into how early you can clock out at Amazon, it’s important to understand the Amazon clock-in and out policy.
Amazon requires that workers clock in and out from the Amazon A to Z app on their phones, and they need to be at or near their workstations to do so.
Once the clock starts, Amazon watches to ensure productivity throughout the shift. That means that Amazon employees essentially need to be working from the minute they clock in to the minute they clock out, except for scheduled breaks.
Of course, you are probably still wondering: Can I clock out 5 minutes early at Amazon?
The answer is yes, you can always clock out 5 minutes early at Amazon without fear of getting penalized for receiving a disciplinary warning. As long as you worked up until the time you clocked out, Amazon will adjust your time clock to show a fully completed shift.
This is what is known as the Amazon grace period, and it applies to clocking in as well. Any employee who clocks in or out within 5 minutes of their scheduled start or finish time is protected under Amazon’s grace period.
What Happens if You Clock Out Early at Amazon?
Now, if you exceed this grace period and clock out more than 5 minutes early, you will certainly get into a bit of trouble.
Amazon uses an attendance point system to ensure employees are following the rules. If you clock out more than 5 minutes early, you will receive either a half or a full point on your attendance record.
If you receive more than 4-8 points, you can be terminated by Amazon. Usually, managers and supervisors will distribute disciplinary warnings before termination so employees can adjust their behavior. But if you continue to clock out earlier than the 5-minute grace period, you very well might get fired from Amazon.
Do You Still Get Paid if You Clock Out Early?
Of course, keeping your job is important, and now that you know that you can continue clocking out 5 minutes early without getting in trouble, you might be wondering: Do you get paid for the entire shift if you clock out 5 minutes early?
You do still get paid for a full shift if you clock out within 5 minutes of the scheduled end of your shift as per the Amazon grace period. Amazon will adjust your time clock and show a completed shift even if you sign out 5 minutes early.
However, do you still get paid if you exceed the grace period? Unfortunately, the answer is no. If you clock out more than 5 minutes early, your payment will be docked those minutes, and you will receive attendance points that could lead to termination.
Can You Get Fired for Clocking Out Early?
As you now know, Amazon has a strict clock-in and out policies as well as attendance policies, and you certainly can get fired for clocking out early if you do not adhere to these rules.
Most Amazon employees have reported that they received warnings about clocking out early and, by adjusting their habits, did not get into further trouble and were not fired.
However, if you refuse to adhere to the grace period by only clocking in or out 5 minutes early and you ignore the warnings given by your supervisor, Amazon is within its rights to terminate.
Can You Clock Out Late and Get Paid More?
And finally, let’s answer another important question: can you stay for 10 more minutes and get paid more?
Technically, yes, you can clock out 10 minutes late from your Amazon shift without being penalized, and you will be paid for the extra time.
Although it’s important to understand that continuously clocking out late may raise a red flag for your supervisor, it could show that you are not completing tasks within the time allotted, which could lead to disciplinary action due to the Time off Task metric.
But as long as you continue to work during those 10 minutes, Amazon cannot penalize you.
Keep reading to learn how early you can clock in at Amazon.
Conclusion
According to the Amazon grace period, you can clock out up to 5 minutes early without disciplinary action, and you won’t lose time on your pay stub. Amazon will adjust to show a completed shift. However, if you clock out more than 5 minutes early, you could be in trouble.
