Should I get paid for a tiny amount of over time?

I wouldn’t bother, no. It would be different of you, all of a sudden, started to consistently work 15 minutes overtime every day. For this one small favor that you volunteered for, no, it makes you look petty IMO.

Okay.

Just tack five minutes on to your breaks one day.

@marinelife Haha..I thought of that too but you said it.

I wouldn’t make an issue of it. It’s worth far more to you in the long-run to have your boss knowing he can count on you in a pinch than getting a few extra bucks.

Where I work “flex time” means the ability to come in later than usual (without penalty) and work later in the evening to make up for that. Alternatively, at times it has meant the ability to work extra hours during the week to enable an early quitting time on Friday.

Be sure that your terms are well understood. As for requesting the time to be paid, are you an hourly paid worker? By that I mean to ask (rhetorically, you don’t need to respond), do you punch a time clock? Are your hours rigidly enforced? Are you penalized by having your pay docked if you show up to work 15 minutes late? If the answer to all of those questions is “yes”, then by all means request that the time be paid. Otherwise, it’s “casual overtime” and not generally paid.

It’s worth the failure of your boss to pay the 15 mins so that you see the true boss for whom you work.

Once or twice, don’t bust his chops. Show them that you are a team player. Maybe he will reciprocate in some other way.

Dependent on employer if its a big corporation and they have strict time code policy then that policy should go both ways.

I always used to work over on a state job. I was pretty ticked when they started clocking in and out for breaks and any time you were a minute they would add it all together and counted it as leave. When the boat never went the other direction.

So familiarize yourself with stated policy and then scope out how closely it is enacted. Also realize this is all subject to change. So never give more then what you are willing to hypothetically wash under the bridge.

Some places are really strict about overtime and it makes a huge mess when it happens. If this is just a one time thing I wouldn’t bother. It is just a couple bucks and you might really piss your boss off if you press it.

But if it becomes a common thing then you should document it all.

But for a once-off I would let it slide.

@johnpowell Good point. I would give a different answer if it was a regular thing.

If you were asked to stay the extra 15 minutes then yes you should get compensated. The difference I see is you volunteered. You did your boss a favor so leave it at that.