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OK, a brief description
I work for Hanson Aggregates in a quarry, on the weighbridge. I've worked for this company for about 8 years. I work 55 hours a week: 10 hours a day, and 5 on Sat morning, starting at 7am. I've signed the 48hr week opt out so I can work more. I usually work about 3 Saturdays in 4 usually because I refuse to work 4 in a row, holidays etc. Saturdays are paid at something like time x 1.2 (I forget right now, but at an overtime rate anyway) There's rarely anything much to do on Saturdays, but it menas one of the blokes in the yard coming up to hand-write tickets for the few customers we do get.
Basically, I've had enough. Saturdays are killing me, I want my weekends back.
So I'm about to ask my immediate boss (He's a nice chap, pretty good to work for) if I can give up Saturdays permenantly. I think this might be a bit of an eye-opener for him though, and I'd imagine it's gonna cause some head scratching and phone calls to various other managers (His boss, say) and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm told 'No'
Now, I could give notice on my 48hr opt out, but that's complicated in the extreme and I could be shooting myself in the foot if I do that. Not sure about that......
So, any wisdom from the STW brain would be appreciated...
🙂
a lot is going to depend on your contract - does it stipulate mon-fri?
If not, it's probably going to be tough if no one else is available to cover
It may be easyer if you cut back slowly drop to 2 saturdays next month due to family commitments etc and drop the weekends slowly as opposed to immediatly which would not look good.
just a thought, they would not notice so much
a lot is going to depend on your contract - does it stipulate mon-fri?
IIRC my contract says 39hrs. Just a standard thing. They you're expected to the same ssilly hours as the rest of the building industry, hence signing the opt-out.
[i]work 55 hours a week[/i]
Part timer!
It may be worth going to see the boss & saying something like ..
"from November, I'm going to struggle to work Saturday's can you try to sort something out"
I obviously don't know him but if you don't put him in an immediate situation, he may be more forthcoming
Well, I'm not going in all ranting and raving.... 🙂 A few good suggetsions though chaps 🙂
My first thought was the same as saladdodger's but the signing of the Working Time Directive probably stops you from doing that.
IIRC you should be able to retract your opt-out of the 48hr week rule by giving notice, but as uplink says you need to look at your contract. If you can't find it ask your HR department for a copy of their copy.
The bottom line is that they will have to find somebody else to do it. Before you have the conversation, see if you can find anyone willing to do the extra hours and take it to your boss as a solution, not a problem
Edit: is it specifically Saturdays that you want to dump, or the total hours? How about working Saturday morning, but taking say Monday morning or Friday afternoon off when there may be more cover available
Are there other people capable of doing it? I would expect that some would see it as an easy way of earning extra cash. It would be hard for your boss to ignore your request if you've lined up a replacement...
I think the working time directive for average working week is measured over something like 17 weeks, I know my working week takes into account my annual holiday entitlement. Whereas my wifes working week is the actual time she spends in work.
I also work a compulsary 3hrs overtime/week paid at flat rate, but there again I work a 4on 4off shift pattern with overtime available on top.
is it specifically Saturdays that you want to dump
Yes, just Saturdays. I hardly do anything anyway.
Are there other people capable of doing it?
As in the OP, someone will have to handwrite a few tickets. That's it.
I would expect that some would see it as an easy way of earning extra cash.
Doesn't work like that, mate.
My understanding of the EWD was that you could opt back in at anytime without objection from anyone. Whoever, that only brings you down to an average of 48 (over 17 weeks0. It's down to you and your boss to decide how the 48 are distributed across the weeks. He could still ask you to do the Saturdays.
Sounds like you've done your stint, can anyone else start playing the saturday game instead?
He could still ask you to do the Saturdays.
Indeed. Which is why I want to tread softly. They might also say 'OK, we just won't pay you for your breaks then" (Not that I get them all anyway)
Sounds like you've done your stint, can anyone else start playing the saturday game instead?
I can see there's something I need to explain for those of you that don't work in the construction indutry. 🙂 --
A 55hr, 5.5 day, week is the norm. Everyone does it. You're regarded as odd of you don't want to work all the hours God sends. Our Supervisor does 65-70 hrs a week. And yes, he has no other life.
I worked in the IT dept for 2 years, and when the project was cancelled I ended up back here. No other choice. But I'd had the taste of a 'normal' 40 hr week and I want that back, or something closer to it.
I'll loose money for not working Saturdays, but I don't care. Time is more important. If you've never worked like this you don't know what a drag it is. I spend about 5 hours more time here than I spend at home (awake) with my wife in a week. And enough is enough
PP
I feel for you working construction hours. Into work at 6 this morning, wont leave till 7 and get odd looks if you so much as raise comment on the situation. Its mad. Im sure that if 'we' did 8-5 just as much would get done but people think it looks good to be at work ALL the hours god sends.
About saturdays, it'll be in your contract. Personally Id cut it down over a few weeks / months. As for the working time directive..... Might be hard to insist on that basis.
Balfour Beaty have the right idea letting people work long hours monday to thursday then insisting the site shuts at 2 on a friday.
Into work at 6 this morning, wont leave till 7 and get odd looks if you so much as raise comment on the situation. Its mad. Im sure that if 'we' did 8-5 just as much would get done but people think it looks good to be at work ALL the hours god sends.
You've hit the nail on the head there fella.
I'll dig my contract out, but I'm fairly sure it says 40 hours, then you're just expected to do the rest. I seem to remember asking about it when I was offered the job
As somone suggested above. Gradually decreasing the amount you do will be the easiest I would have thought, if for no other reason than it will be easier to find someone to cover.
Last year I needed extra cash and was doing 7 day weeks for 3 weeks then having the weekend off every fourth. It was good for about 2 months but then fell on top of me like a heavy heavy load. Convinced the co. to stop sundays but did the saturdays for 12 months. Good money and relatively easy work but REALLY made me appreciate my time off.
Good luck
If there are other people that [i]could[/i] do it, there might be ways of sharing the saturdays about. I used to work at a place where myself and a colleugue had to do alternate saturdays. Same deal as yourself, it hardly needed doing but basically there needed to be one extra person in the building so that the the front of house staff could take tea and lunch breaks. So i was there all day so that I could do two 15 minute and one 1 hour stint of failing to operate the phone system and arsing up the til.
Nominally it was useful to have office time to catch up and review work or do other housekeeping, but it never seemed to work very well like that.
Anyway I got a similar overtime/odd hours incentive, and a day off in lieu during the week, as did my opposite number. We tended to use these as long weekends - so we'd both take one saturday shift and one three day weekend.
If you are only working 3 out of 4 sats at the moment someone is presumably covering the 4th, so maybe you could work out some sort of share with them.