What would you do if a job was more hours than advertised?

Cliche “asking for a mate” but, i’m asking for a mate.

She started a new job that is basically horrifically understaffed – she’s having to do overtime (unpaid) every day since joining to stay on top of the workload or face a shouting from the boss. Even doing an hour extra a day isn’t enough sometimes but she draws the limit there as it is every day without rest.

What would you do in that situation? If you’re doing an hour extra every day, then surely the job is 45hrs a week and not 40 you were told when you interviewed.

Would you stick it out? Would you try to renegotiate? Would you quit in a blaze of glory? Or quietly try and find something new ASAP…

She’s been there two months.

If I liked the job and wanted to stay I’d be having words with the person who hired me and renegotiating for a higher salary, saying the role is different than the one I was hired for.

Ostentatiously produce mobile phone. Switch on voice memo. Tell boss that I finish at contracted time and not a minute later. Go home at appointed time. I am a notoriously obstreperous mid-50’s chap when it comes to pay and conditions. I work to earn money and all of my working hours are remunerated.
Alternatively state that each Friday I will finish 4 hours earlier to cover the 4 extra hours all ready worked.

I operate a lot like Sandwich. There has got to be a bit of give and take with business demands, but for daily demands and expectations it is not on. Getting a ‘shouting’ would have me moving job asap.

Find something new ASAP.

Then say why when handing in notice. Job not as advertised, hours not as advertised, unhealthy relationship with manager etc

Depends what level your friend is at and whether they clock on and off. If the later no chance, if not too senior, I.e. below 35k time to move on sharpish, it won’t get better.

Assuming it is workload and not lack of ability.. then I’d simply go home at going home time, if the work stacks up, don’t worry about things you can’t control.

Although I appreciate that’s easier said than done in a new job you don’t want to lose.
What’s the nature of the work, are there others that manage the same work without having to stay late?

Think I’d apply a range of tactics tbh.

Although I’d start by raising the issue with the employer, shortly followed by updating my CV.

Yeah there’s a lot of this about. Peer pressuring you into free work, everyone else does it, we have an eat at the desk culture here and everyone stays late to get the work out.

Works work and those without backbones balls it up for everybody else by acquiescing. If they could all get away with it they would!

You’ve got to stand your ground in these situations, work your contracted hours nothing more unless acceptable remuneration is offered.

IME they just keep going through people till they find the right desperate mug who will stand on for it, it’s a numbers game.

Depends on the industry. Sounds normal or light compared to many. What does the contract say? Was it made clear that unpaid overtime is the norm?

A friend of mine went thought this after 3 months she walked, she was getting worried but starts a new job on Monday she was out of work for 3 weeks.

It’s a gamble i could not afford to do it, but she had had enough, most nights she worked to 7pm should have finished at 4.30pm 🙁

If the boss is already shouting she should leave, life is too short to work for ****

I don’t tolerate shouting.

Last boss that tried it with me I stopped him and told him I’d come back when he had calmed down.

He actually apologised and said he appreciated that I stood up to him and it changed the dynamic – this is subjective mind.

If you cocked up and deserve a bollocking then take it. But in my case I was getting into trouble for attending my grandads funeral.

If I didn’t like* my job I’d get another one.

*by like I mean tolerate.

I wouldn’t do overtime without being paid for it. If that’s a problem for them, tell her to leave. She’ll get no thanks for it.

It’s really subjective – especially without knowing her.

• Is she new to the line of work?
• Is she learning new skills that are taking a while to get the hang of?
• Is the job really dead easy but there’s too much work?
• Did she ‘elaborate’ her CV and doesn’t quite have the skills?

FWIW my wife started a new job in March and is regularly doing an extra hour or so a day. This is because she has gone from a small insurance brokers to a large one. Everything is much more complicated and she knows it will take a year to 18 months to really get a handle on the job.

And some people can do in 30 hours what it takes some to do in 45.

Basically echoing all my comments I’ve made. Glad to hear i’m not alone on this.

On top of all this.. the salary was….inflated, shall we say, in the interview. Not by much, but enough that the advertised salary is not what shes getting.

Time to **** arf.

Add 1 more to the working only until hometime club.
I’d not be doing daily overtime even if i was getting paid for it.

one job i had i was expected to stay at least an hur after finish time to discuss the day, asnd fill in job time sheets, i used to satay about 10 mins max, finally had enough and walked ot and never went back, few days latter got a recorded delivery letter sayibg id been sacked for being anti social etc with staff members, there where only 3 of us.

walk out at your shift end, theyll get the message.

Before working to rule check the contract. Most contain a clause along the lines of x hours a week or as the business demands.

Such clauses are rather vague and open to interpretation but can leave you on shaky ground if you simply refuse to do the work but certainly a point to negotiate on.

Bear in mind that trying to renegotiate may result in an invitation to **** off and given she’s only been there a couple of months has zero employment rights so no recourse so she has to be comfortable she can cope without the wage.

Personally – if it was a job I really wanted I would stick it out a bit and see if it improves. If it was a means to an end I’d stick it out whilst looking for something else.

I thought I’d replied to this but it seems to have disappeared.

We’re down to “reasonable” again. Reasonable overtime is acceptable / expected. Overtime every day is not reasonable IMHO.

If I was getting a bollocking for not ostensibly doing them a favour I’d be working to rule quick smart.

Please tell me it’s paid overtime.

FWIW my wife started a new job in March and is regularly doing an extra hour or so a day.

Sounds like a POETS day come Friday lunchtime to me.

Please tell me it’s paid overtime.

2nd line of OP says unpaid.

I’d be looking for another job.

Yeh there’s business demands and taking the mick.
Im salaried and I don’t mind staying late if there’s a high profile customer crisis going on, and to be fair if it was more than half an hour my boss would be fine with me finishing early another day in return..but I wouldn’t stay late just because there’s too much work to do. That’s just poor planing and resourcing by people above my pay scale, and not my problem.

As above. Different between customer serving next week, big project to finish etc and late every day. If the company moves from crisis to crisis it shows poor project management and you are reducing your wadges. If you are a director and product share makes up a massive % of your income different story, otherwise it’s just making a marathon of yourself for your own ego. No matter what you think you are replaceable.

Been there, done that. Broke the “I stay later than everyone” mold by leaving early, compared to my colleagues anyway. They soon followed suit.

I left a few months later and the company went pop a few months after my leaving. I feel no guilt.

Just glad I freelance now and am paid hourly.

Realistically, your pal needs to have a word with the boss or suck it up.

Shounds like the management reward effort over output, this is very unfortunate and will result in reward of inefficiency. This is an increasing isssue as everyone is in a race to be always busy (busy fools IMHO). Don’t tolerate being shouted at, just ask to take up the conversation once they can be civil. All my team get paid overtime and I don’t “make them” do any, as such they are generally all willing to chip in if it is required (deadlines/crisis/leave cover). Unless your friend is management level and on good money I would advise they look elsewhere.

In the industry I worked in it was seen to work late to look committed. I worked hard, didn’t chat and take my time like everyone else which showed in my performance compared to others. As such I left when I wanted ontime. I’ve always done this; worked hard and not coasted, nor took the Mick. It’s very very hard for a boss to pull you up if you work way harder than your colleagues in the time you are there and have better results.

In life so far I’ve been surprised just how much people pad out there time doing ‘x’ work.

Saying this in a job I love I’ve no issue in working all hours

Saying this in a job I love I’ve no issue in working all hours

By Job do you mean posting angst on STW? Or have I got that wrong? 😕

We have an overtime ban at work but sometimes something urgent will need done or a job finishing.
It is usually only ½hr or an hour, so our manager just lets us have it as TOIL whenever we want.
Today was actually a public holiday (St Andrews day) but I ended up working it as there are only two of us doing the work of five.
I’ll just have a Friday or Monday off at some point and have a long riding weekend 😀 .

Reasonable overtime is fine with reasonable extra pay for it and/or reasonable balancing of my hours on a weekly basis eg. Finish early Fri for staying late Mon-Thurs.

Some companies really do extract the urine, which matches the urine extracting rent/mortgages we have in many parts of the Uk.

My youngster sister worked in a busy coffee shop in Chester all summer, working 8+ hour straight shifts, owner did not employ enough staff on minimum wage to let them take their Uk law right to a 20 minute non-interupted break for working longer than 6 hours.
Nobody stood up to the owner, who has plans to open another cafe! 👿

I’m really surprised by the responses to this thread. In every single job I’ve had since I graduated (finance/academia/civil service), the hours in my contract have borne absolutely no resemblance to the hours I actually work.

Yeah but she’s doing more hours , not less 😀

Ramsey Neil – Member
Yeah but she’s doing more hours , not less

zzzzzzzzzing!

😆

We might be walking out in protest tomorrow.
Basically, the plant working day has been shortened from a 3 shift (6-2,8-5,2-10) triple shift system to everyone on 8-5 shift, with those previously on shifts losing shift allowance.
Now, trimming and paint shop have been told they are working a compulsory 6hrs overtime a week down to Xmas, basically ‘work longer hours for the money you were on before’ and threatened with being sent home if they refuse.
It doesn’t affect me but if my colleagues down tools in protest I’ll walk out with them.