English translation: good warning / being ahead of time
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The quarter hour is not meant literally in either case. It is just a rough estimate of a reasonable amount without over-doing things.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 day18 mins (2010-12-16 23:23:10 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Now that you have given the context, it seems to me that this is about ensuring that the more senior manager has good warning of the situation. It appears that it is this manager two steps up the hierarchy who has the benefit of the "quart d'heure d'avance". That could not have been guessed from the information originally given.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 day20 mins (2010-12-16 23:25:00 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
That also fits my Carrefour CFDT example of anticipation and being ahead of the game.
Thank you for all the comments. I think the idea of "good warning" is correct. I was unfortunately unable to provide more context, as the quote was from a PowerPoint presentation and was in bullet point form. Your discussion was helpful, however, and in future, I will try to provide as much context as possible. 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
I agree with you. This is a recurring problem with KudoZ questions and there has to be some understanding that we are all busy with our own translation work. Askers should both have some consideration for that and realise that they will have the benefit of better quality, more useful answers if they give adequate context from the outset.
The person who is problematic here is the asker, who has simply ignored requests for context. So I don't see why we should all waste time on this. Zero context in = zero context out.
As can be seen from the context the Asker has now posted as a note to my answer. The person with the "quart d'heure d'avance" appears not to be the problematic member of staff, but the "grandfather" manager. That certainly changes things.
As you can see, there has been quite a bit of debate about what this means. Perhaps you could kindly post the full sentence, as it is by no means clear
I still think that this is a general criticism of the employee concerned not allowing sufficient time for things and not showing sufficient interest and initiative. i.e. generally doing the minimum required.
I think the employer wants his people to show up 15 minutes before their shift so as to start work on time and waste no time getting settled, dressed or whatever. I worked in a factory once and that was expected of us. You clocked in ahead of time so as to be at your work station ready to take over from the previous shift right on time.
I agree that it does not make sense to complain about someone turning up 15 minutes early for work! (S/he should be 'employee of the month'!). It does, indeed, make more sense if the person leaves 15 minutes early. The other possibility is (as Catherine has suggested) that the employee fails to turn up 15 minutes ahead of the allotted time - but then, surely, that would be 'son **manque** de quart d'heure d'avance'?
I'm puzzled - why would someone consult the manager (in this case it seems with issues) about someone being in advance ? Makes no sense to me. I'm wondering if this actually a request from the employee to leave early (e.g. 15 min before the end of the shift for example).
More context would be helpful
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Answers
36 mins confidence:
showing up (too) early
Explanation: something like that.
jmleger Local time: 02:56 Native speaker of: French PRO pts in category: 4
The quarter hour is not meant literally in either case. It is just a rough estimate of a reasonable amount without over-doing things.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 day18 mins (2010-12-16 23:23:10 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Now that you have given the context, it seems to me that this is about ensuring that the more senior manager has good warning of the situation. It appears that it is this manager two steps up the hierarchy who has the benefit of the "quart d'heure d'avance". That could not have been guessed from the information originally given.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 day20 mins (2010-12-16 23:25:00 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
That also fits my Carrefour CFDT example of anticipation and being ahead of the game.
B D Finch France Local time: 09:56 Works in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 40
Grading comment
Thank you for all the comments. I think the idea of "good warning" is correct. I was unfortunately unable to provide more context, as the quote was from a PowerPoint presentation and was in bullet point form. Your discussion was helpful, however, and in future, I will try to provide as much context as possible.
Notes to answerer
Asker: The phrase is not a time reference, but is somehow related to the manager's expertise. The quote is "Pour les situations difficiles, discuter avec votre ligne hiérarchique): gestionnaire immédiat, gestionnaire de mon gestionnaire (son quart d'heure d'avance), gestionnaire de service (accompagné de son chef d'équipe)"
Reference information: Supermarket employees are supposed to arrive 15 minutes early in order to be at their work post at the precise time they're supposed to start work.
"Livret d’Accueil Nouveaux Intérimaires
Nous comptons sur vous pour respecter scrupuleusement vos heures de mission et de pause. Nous vous recommandons de prévoir systématiquement un quart d’heure d’avance, afin de parer à toutes éventualités.
Vous devez être en poste, prêt à travailler, à l’heure précise de début de mission." http://www.horscliches.com/useruploads/files/Livret_d_Accuei...
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +2
