Half Day - What time?

messrs

Ok so i know this has been covered before but i want to ask anyway

i work 8am - 4.30pm with 1 hour for lunch. i would have assumed my half day would have me leaving at 12 o clock. my collague in the same department as me (who works the same hours)is on a half day tomorrow and she asked me what time she should leave at, i told her i thought 12 but to ask our TL to confirm, she emailed her and TL emailed back and said 12.15, I am on half day this Friday and i emailed today to confirm my time and TL mailed back and told me 12.30.
Am just confused as to why we would have different times when we work the same hours. i know the obvious answer here is ask the TL but she is not at all approachable and if you question her on anything she just finds a way to make your life hell then and picks on you.

tatli_lokma

I would say neither 12.15 or 12.30 is correct. By my calculations you should leave at 11.45. You get paid for working a 7.5 hour day (after you discount the lunch hour your paid working hours are 7.5). Half of your paid day is 3hours 45 mins, so leaving at 11.45. I would only increase this to 12 or 12.15 if the employee took a 15 or 30 min unpaid break during that time.

But having said all that a 'half' day in a lot of places is a very vague term which can mean anything from you work until your normal lunch time then leave, or you take lunch then leave, or you work 4 hours 15 mins which is half of your rostered day of 8.5 hours. It really is different from workplace to workplace. Seems like the TL worked your colleagues finish time on the basis of half an 8.5 hour shift, which would mean leaving at 12.15

As for why you were both given different times, well the only way to know that is to ask your TL I'm afraid.

Honey-ec

Anywhere I've worked it's been half your paid working hours, so 11.45 as Tatli said.

Clarify it with your TL, though, so she doesn't think you're upping sticks 45 minutes early. You don't have to ask her anything, just email her saying "FYI, I've calculated my half day based on X, so just letting you know I'll be leaving at 11.45 tomorrow."

zoobizoo

How about you get a coworker to ask for a half day off but that they need the first half of the day to go to a doctor's appointment.

See if there is a difference between the time she gives and if she's squeezing extra time from that too.

Bandana boy

Do you have staggered lunch breaks to cover phones ?

If so then i would expect to have to cover your normal time before taking your half day.
This would probably be more reasonable than re-jigging everybodys lunch break to accomodate you.
I would be carefull about playing hard ball on the issue as half days are not a given and your boss could insist that you take a full days holiday instead.

petes

Bandana boy wrote: »

Do you have staggered lunch breaks to cover phones ?

That's what we have here. If I'm the one in at 8 my lunch is at 12 and then cover from 1 to 2 so I'd only get away at 2 unless I swapped lunch with someone then it's 12.