When one has to daven in the morning, and then a stressful hour to two hour commute into midtown Manhattan each way, each day -- it takes a toll on a person. As far as strict working hours, what I mean is there is absolutely no flexibility. ie - no option to work less hours for less pay. There were employees that accomplished ten times more than their entire teams, stayed very late everyday, but got fired because they came in late / failed to punch it by 9am. Even if you are a lawyer working in their legal department, you have to punch in like you work in a factory.
Most of the jobs there do not involve the physical store, B&H still requires employees to work onsite. During Covid, B&H finally let employees work remotely, but in the early Summer they put a stop to it, and that caused a mass of resignations. At least if hundreds of employees live in Monsey or Kiryas Joel -- it would be great if there can be an office upstate for the workers to work in - but they want everybody physically in same building.
And yes, many were able to find employment elsewhere.
I don't know. As an employer, I fully understand where they are coming from. If I'm hiring somebody to work X hours, I expect them to be there those hours. The fact that they have to daven, commute, are stressed, is willing to take less money is not the relevant. I'm hiring you because I need you there for that time. Everybody from all walks of life have valid excuses. So I should only accept the ones for the Jews? The city, state, federal justice systems will be all over it, not to mention class action. Every jew has davening issues and they work it out one way or another (speak to your rov about davening b'yichidus, daven more locally, etc).
In short, if you can't be there the full time I'm need someone there, I'll move onto the next person. If I have an opening for part time, then apply for that position. But you can't complain that they make you work the hours you signed up for.
In regards to punching in/out, been there done that too. You have to have the same policy for everybody or you're opening the door for easy abuse, problems. and/or discrimination. Ask anybody that has manages a large amount of employees or any HR person.