Extra workload and no extra pay

mada82

For the last year I was asked to cover work in 4 other offices we have. It meant my workload increased to the point where I was doing only a small amount of overtime to having to do about 25 hours over time each month.

This workload was added on unofficially and there was never a sit down meeting to discuss it.

How w do I go about getting fair compensation for the extra work load. I had a meeting about it at the start of the year and it didn’t go well.
I was made feel like I was out of order for wanting extra pay for the additional work load.

I travel to these branches once a month and with the drive included I end up working 14 hour days on these trips.

I have reduced the amount of overtime I do this year to about 10 hours a month but some work is not getting covered as a result.


Just looking advice on the best way to negotiate extra pay and if they can keep adding on work like this without reviewing pay.

I am a very efficient and hard worker. I spend the whole work day working very hard while others seem to have time for web browsing and walking around networking.

Hitman3000

mada82 wrote:

I am a very efficient and hard worker. I spend the whole work day working very hard while others seem to have time for web browsing and walking around networking.

There in lies your problem. Have a meeting with your manager. Just tell them you are unable to do unpaid overtime.

mada82

I have done. It’s very political. The view of senior management is that if you have a problem then you are the problem.

They only want to hear positivity. It’s an honour to work for them.

eurokev

Don't do another minute of unpaid overtime. You are being taken for an absolute mug. They must be delighted with you

Zeek12

mada82 wrote: »

I am a very efficient and hard worker. I spend the whole work day working very hard while others seem to have time for web browsing and walking around networking.

Can you back this claim up with evidence - like reporting, and documented workload levels, that prove you do much more?

If you can then it sounds like you have a genuine case.

Try not to be overly critical of others when you bring it up - while still pointing to the evidence that you have a greater workload....it sounds like the kind of place where negativity is not welcome

Stheno

Do you have a contract op?

5rtytry56

mada82 wrote: »

They only want to hear positivity. It’s an honour to work for them.

You mean senior management see it that YOU are PRIVILEGED to work under them.

mada82

My contract is for another role I did in the company previous to this one.

Basically can I tell them that I will not do these extra roles anymore without fair compensation? Or is that the wrong approach.

mada82

Zeek12 wrote: »

Can you back this claim up with evidence - like reporting, and documented workload levels, that prove you do much more?

If you can then it sounds like you have a genuine case.

Try not to be overly critical of others when you bring it up - while still pointing to the evidence that you have a greater workload....it sounds like the kind of place where negativity is not welcome

The example I gave are people who do a different role in the company. They would earn more but seem to have less to do. That’s fair enough it’s a different role but it can be tough to watch.

My role requires me to document my time each day. It’s the only role in the company that requires this. I have no issues with it as I have nothing to hide.

Stheno

How long does it take you to travel to and from the four branches and are you going there from your home in the morning?

mada82

Stheno wrote: »

How long does it take you to travel to and from the four branches and are you going there from your home in the morning?

Approx 3 hours each way. Yea straight from the house

Stheno

So you've four six hour round trips a month to the branches?

Are you counting that as part of the twenty five hours overtime?

And how long is your normal commute?

mada82

Stheno wrote: »

So you've four six hour round trips a month to the branches?

Are you counting that as part of the twenty five hours overtime?

And how long is your normal commute?

No last year the trips were quarterly. I’m being told they are expected monthly now.

mada82

Normal commute is 25-30mins

Stheno

mada82 wrote: »

No last year the trips were quarterly. I’m being told they are expected monthly now.

mada82 wrote: »

Normal commute is 25-30mins

Ok well the first thing to be aware of is that travelling to your office from your home and back is not counted as working time in your circumstance, so you'll need to take out the extra five hours travelling if you are trying to find the correct amount of overtime.

Based on your figure of 25 hours a month, that's 75 hours a quarter from which you need to take away twenty hours travel so that's down to 55 hours a quarter or just under 20 hours a month.

The second thing is to check your old contract, and see if it contains clauses that outline that you may be asked to perform additional duties, and may be required to work in other company locations, and may be required to work overtime if the company needs it.

If that's all in your contract, then there is not much you can do unless you can sit down and renegotiate your package.

Do you get paid mileage and expenses for these trips?

stateofflux

I had the same issue a few years back OP

what i learned was the following

* If you are good at something never do it for free
*working for free reduces the respect that people have for you
*Be prepared to walk away from any job
*Never say 'No i wont do it'....just leave on time and if asked why you are leaving
on time say 'I have made plans'...if you keep doing this they will get the
message

best of luck.

beauf

Make the work you do look amazing relative to others.

At some point you have to refuse to do unpaid work and be prepared to leave if they won't accept it.

In the current job market you should just move somewhere else.

mojesius

My job involves very busy times during project deadlines when I end up working longer days/weeks, then it tapers off. I balance the extra hours worked with doing shorter days/weeks during the downtime. My manager is grand with this, would this be something you could arrange? Get the time back?

Dial Hard

5rtytry56 wrote:

You mean senior management see it that YOU are PRIVILEGED to work under them.

Pretty sure that's exactly what she meant.

dubrov

You must really like the job to still be there.
It looks like your employer wants overtime for free and travel time for free.

Even with the best negotiation skills, your employer may be too thick to see your value.

Personally, I'd try negotiating better pay and/or conditions while at the same time looking elsewhere.

matrim

Stheno wrote: »

Ok well the first thing to be aware of is that travelling to your office from your home and back is not counted as working time in your circumstance

I thought that changed last year and that now time spent travelling to and from work to somewhere that isn't your usual place of employment is counted as hours worked.

Stheno

matrim wrote: »

I thought that changed last year and that now time spent travelling to and from work to somewhere that isn't your usual place of employment is counted as hours worked.

It did but the ruling only applied to workers who had no office base and were always on the road

Op does not fit that

mada82

Stheno wrote: »

It did but the ruling only applied to workers who had no office base and were always on the road

Op does not fit that

I’m not sure how much of the travel I was including in my overtime figures.

So are you saying if you spend 6 hours travelling to another office it counts as your own time? Seems a bit unfair. Typically I’d leave my house at 6am to be there for 9 and then leave there about 5pm to be home for 8pm.

I think my base salary should be increased for this new responsibility.

mada82

Anyway. The bottom line is an employer can throw as much extra responsibilities at you as they want and you can’t really say no? You just have to try negotiate as best you can but ultimately you just have to suck it up or leave?

dubrov

Travelling for work to somewhere that wasn't your normal office place was always classified as work time.

The ruling just clarified that it is also work time where you don't have a normal office location

c6ysaphjvqw41k

This post has been deleted.

Diceicle

Stheno wrote: »

...travelling to your office from your home and back is not counted as working time in your circumstance, so you'll need to take out the extra five hours travelling....

Why would this be?
My (possibly incorrect) understanding is that you have a base of operations and that is taken into consideration when travelling for business? And that impacts on when your 'work clock' starts running - if you have to travel from Dublin to Cork for example?

Diceicle

Diceicle wrote: »

Why would this be?
My (possibly incorrect) understanding is that you have a base of operations and that is taken into consideration when travelling for business? And that impacts on when your 'work clock' starts running - if you have to travel from Dublin to Cork for example?

Nevermind - I see you addressed this above. Thx.

Diziet

When I had to travel weekly to another location I did the travel in work time. 
I would start travelling in work time from now on, and make sure you claim mileage.

stateofflux

Diziet wrote: »

When I had to travel weekly to another location I did the travel in work time. 
I would start travelling in work time from now on, and make sure you claim mileage.

that can be difficult to do when you have a meeting in bally-the-hob at 9am. particularly a group / site meeting where you cannot alter the time

Squatman

stateofflux wrote: »

that can be difficult to do when you have a meeting in bally-the-hob at 9am. particularly a group / site meeting where you cannot alter the time

Yea very difficult if you arrange a meeting for 9. not so difficult if you arrange the meeting for 12. Decline meetings that you cant make travelling on work time, and propose other times. or teleconferences for during travel time

Squatman

mada82 wrote: »

Anyway. The bottom line is an employer can throw as much extra responsibilities at you as they want and you can’t really say no? You just have to try negotiate as best you can but ultimately you just have to suck it up or leave?

Correct. try and negotiate, but that may not work either. what i typically do is agree to everything, but be upfront about how long it will take, and if the deadline is fixed look towards other work that can be postponed.

In terms of overtime, if all your getting is "thanks" - just check if you can spend "thanks" in Tesco!

mada82

Squatman wrote: »

Correct. try and negotiate, but that may not work either. what i typically do is agree to everything, but be upfront about how long it will take, and if the deadline is fixed look towards other work that can be postponed.

In terms of overtime, if all your getting is "thanks" - just check if you can spend "thanks" in Tesco!

Don’t even get thanks

Gerry T

Why not leave your house at 8 to get there by 11 and leave at 3 to be home by 6. Let them bring up the issue of you not being there for 9.

Just read the 9am meeting. Just say it's not possible to be there for 9 so you'll happily join by conference call while driving. Also tell the organiser meetings in the future should be moved to 11am.
For future reference any perceived change in your working day should be looked at very closely. You could find yourself in a position where your perceived as difficult by looking to change meeting times etc, easier to negotiate before you start and you can get a job change with extra money. If you don't like it tell them to ask someone else

jimmycrackcorm

mada82 wrote:

Approx 3 hours each way. Yea straight from the house

Tell them that your car has broken down. You can only travel to work at your normal workplace, as per your contract, because you get a lift to work.

Squatman

mada82 wrote: »

Don’t even get thanks

also, a good measure for yourself is to mention to your boss that you need to cut out early on friday, and see if hes willing to let you off without taking holidays - just to check for a bit of give and take. (which IMO is only reasonable)

mada82

Squatman wrote: »

also, a good measure for yourself is to mention to your boss that you need to cut out early on friday, and see if hes willing to let you off without taking holidays - just to check for a bit of give and take. (which IMO is only reasonable)

To be fair doctors appointments or anything like that are never an issue for them.

Wanderer2010

mada82 wrote: »

I have done. It’s very political. The view of senior management is that if you have a problem then you are the problem.

They only want to hear positivity. It’s an honour to work for them.

Even if it means slave labour? Unpaid overtime? Being taken for a fool?

Where is your self respect? Move to another job where you get paid for the time you put in. Enough of this crap where you are "expected" to do overtime. Don't do it, simple as. And if that's not good enough, they don't deserve you.