Susan noticed it was almost 5 p.m. and she needed to speak with Gerry Latham, vice president for operations, regarding her proposed merit plan, which would influence his group the most. As she passed by the elevators, she noticed several employees waiting beside the time clock. It was common practice for the nonexempts to wait for a seemingly inordinate amount of time for the elevator to arrive on the fifth floor of the bank building. A common practice was to wait until the elevator bell chimed and the doors began to open before clocking out.