"Employee Work Availability Form" - being ignored

FantasticSun

Fisrs off, what is your understanding of a Work Availabilty Form?

We have filled them out before where I work, with a very brief description saying 'its just something you have to fill out'.

From what I have read online, an availability form gives employees the opportunity to tell their employers what days and times they are available to work. This has the benefit of making the work rotas easier to produce. It also increases employee morale.

My experience could not be further from this.

Firstly, I have filled out the form before and have been mindful of not asking for 9-5pm, Monday to Friday. However my availability has been completely ignored. No two weeks rotas are ever the same, and I never get two days off together (considering Im working 39 hours a week). I always have to ask separately.

Other colleagues have the same rotas week in, week out. One employee submits her own form every few weeks and gets exactly what she wants. She is not senior to me.
Another employee finishes at tyhe same times certain days of the week, for as long as I can remember

My thoughts are HR want these forms filled out as its procedure and everyone needs to be 100% compliant. The management tell HR 'Yeah all the forms are filled out and signed", and thats as far as it goes. However the preferential treatment is starting to bug me.

I work hard and never cause trouble or call in sick. I am an invaluable asset to the company. They would find it hard to replace me.

Has anyone got any advice on this? I just feel like Im being taken for a ride.

Cuddlesworth

If you say no 9-5 work yet they schedule you as 9-5 and you do it, then you can do 9-5. Maybe the other lady doesn't get preferential treatment as much as she simply will not work the other shifts.

Second thing is, nobody is invaluable or irreplaceable. If you really believe that, then quit and reap the benefits when they come grovelling back to you.

FantasticSun

So if I say no to 9-5 work or no to 12 to 9pm work, what your saying is if they schedule me to work those hours, I should stay at home or simply refuse to work it?

From what I can see its not set in stone that the employer 'has' to follow the Employee Availability Form. Maybe Im worng about that as Im not sure, the procedure itself was never properly briefed.

However some people are getting what they want.

I must admit I haven't spoken to my employer about this yet. Its just recently it has started to annoy me. I don't want to be the one to ruin it for all employees as Im not spiteful. The problem here is management, not the employees who are getting what they want.

Would I be in a position to ask to review my availability, is that something that others have done?

I never said I was irreplaceable, I said they would find it hard to replace me, there's a difference.

Cuddlesworth

If 2 people start at a company doing part time work.

Person A says no 9-5 work.
Person B says no 9-5 work.

Person A and B get scheduled for 9-5 work.

Person A works the 9-5 shift. In fact, they work every random shift they are given, filling other peoples odd requests and holidays.

Person B doesn't work the 9-5 shift. Straight away they kick up a huge stink about it and refuse to do it. They will only work certain days at specific times. Its what they agreed to at the start and those are the hours they can work.

Every once and a while, Person B will get a shift outside of their agreed hours. And every time they will kick up a stink about it and not do it.

6 months later, Person A complains. The problem is Person A has a clear track record that their preferred times are just that, preferred. So their complaint looks like a whine.

Meanwhile person B won't be asked to do anything outside of what they want, because they never did anything else.

FantasticSun

I see what you mean.

The way Im going to play this is, circumstances have changed and I need to amend my availability. I wont approach saying 'I want what the others are getting'.

If they refuse, then I will bring 'preferential treatment" into the equation (as I have not approached this with an 'agenda').
If they still refuse then I wont have a choice but to involve HR. Which I know they will not like at all.

I fully understand everyone cant get the same shifts as that would affect the business. Its just they cant understand fairness.

The other side of the coin is, I might ask to amend my availability and they might play ball with no confrontation. My gripe is that:

1) They asked for my availability as its procedure to do so.
2) I gave it to them.
3) They completely ignore it.
4) They have never given me a reason why or have never explained the procedure fully. You know, like you would expect from people who get paid to do so.