Question about pay..

hbloomers

Hey everyone.

So, here's the story. I work part-time in a high street retailer, usually on a pretty short shift (from 3/5 to 5 hours) in the evenings. The shop closes at 9, and the rota is marked 5-9 or whatever it happens to be, but I usually don't get out until 9.15 or later. This is time that I'm not paid for. I'm also currently earning minimum wage, so it seems to me that over the course of the shift, taking everything into account, I'm actually being paid under the minimum wage. I'm just wondering if companies are actually allowed to do this under law? There have been times that I have had to stay on over half an hour after my shift has actually ended.

Any advice on the topic would be wonderful.

H x

jazzyman01

Hi
This is not an uncommon approach. Check your contract on working hours and flexibility.

Firstly, are you in a probation period that will mean the pay will be reviewed on completion?

If not then raise the matter with you line manager. If you are always working to 9.15 then ask that your contract be altered accordingly. Alternatively you should be leaving at 9pm or be able to claim overtime (even at flat rate) for any time over your contracted hours.

If you do not get a satisfactory response, ask for a copy of the grievance procedure. Raise a grievance about always working an additional 15 minutes and, as you are on the minimum wage, this takes you below that guarantee. They may well come back and state that you should only work your contracted hours. If that is the case, ensure that you only do your hours.

hbloomers

No, the pay will not be raised. I'm on a probationary period atm, but I worked at the same shop for over a year last year, and my pay was never raised. In fact, one of the other girls who has worked there for over three years only got her pay increased (by 40p/hour) after asking the area manager and having her performance monitored for over a month.

Thanks for the advice. I'm working tomorrow, so I'll take my contract home then and have a good read through it. I can't remember what it says exactly. I have considered raising the matter with my manager, but as I'm still under a probationary period, I'm aware that the rules regarding dismissal are different, and I'm especially on edge about raising the issue as there are interviews going on for an open position at the moment.

bap98189

Is there as reason you never leave until 9.15pm? If you are having to continue working because you have clearing up to do or whatever then you should ask that the hours in your contract be altered and you be paid for the extra 15 minutes. If on the other hand it just takes you that long to get your coat on and get out the door then I would say you have nothign to complain about.

pumplekin

When I worked in a store we were payed for 15 minutes after the shop closed. Although the store closed at 6pm there could still be customers at the till etc. and the money had to be handed over to the cash office so there was no way we could all leave at 6.00. Sometimes it was gone 6.15 by the time we cashed up but the checkout manager kept a rota and made sure we took it in turns to be the last on the tills, this meant some days we could actually be out at 6.00 if it was quiet in the store but we were still paid to 6.15 as normal and some days it could be nearer 6.30, but seemed like a fair enough system to me - a bit of give and take.

ferien_uk

I used to work in a department store. It closed at 8 and we finished at 8.15 to allow for cashing up. However, people were put down on the rota to work until 8.15, and the pay reflected this.

At one point, there was a bit of a change in how the shifts worked, can't remember exactly what the details were, but it meant they had to be more strict about making sure people worked the exact hours on their contract.

They changed the rotas so that people would start work at quarter past the hour. eg a full-timer would work 12.15-8.15 or a part-timer would work 4.15-8.15. This is more practical than leaving when the store closes, as you need to allow time for cashing up.

You could suggest this to make sure that your hours worked are as on your contract.

I think most companies have a policy of paying for every 15 mins work. ie if you work up to 14 mins extra, you won't get paid for that, but if you work 15-29 mins extra, you'll get paid for a extra 15 mins, or if you work 30-44 mins you get paid for an extra half hour etc etc.

Do you have a sheet that you have to sign every week with the hours you've worked? Or does your manager work out the pay from the rota?

hbloomers

She just works out the pay from the rota. I was working last night, we still had customers at the till at 9.05, and I wasn't out of the shop until 9.30. I understand that shops have to be cleaned and tidied every night, but I'm getting pretty sick of not being paid tuppance for the extra time. I wouldn't mind if it didn't happen that often, but its every night.

I think I will suggest starting at 15 minutes past the hour, it seems the easiest answer. Its what my bf's employers do.. you know, that big department store that begins with D.

ferien_uk

hbloomers wrote: »

I think I will suggest starting at 15 minutes past the hour, it seems the easiest answer. Its what my bf's employers do.. you know, that big department store that begins with D.

Yeah that's the place I used to work.

LinasPilibaitisisbatman

What you often find though is that the extra 15-30 mins is done doing housekeeping tasks. Housekeeping tasks which should be done whilst the store is still open and at the same time as other tasks.

I.e Tidy up between 8-9 as well as serving etc. Dont wait til 9 then start tidying.

If its the case staff are just not pulling their weight til 9 ( and anytime I go in a retailer in the evening there sitting chatting to each other instead) then no they shouldnt get paid to do a job they should and could have done in the shift.

If its compulsory cashing up then maybe.

As for having customers at tills after 9pm thats poor management and the supervisors should be advising them to go to tills and start to vacate the store at 845/850ish.

ferien_uk

LinasPilibaitisisbatman wrote: »

What you often find though is that the extra 15-30 mins is done doing housekeeping tasks. Housekeeping tasks which should be done whilst the store is still open and at the same time as other tasks.

I.e Tidy up between 8-9 as well as serving etc. Dont wait til 9 then start tidying.

If its the case staff are just not pulling their weight til 9 ( and anytime I go in a retailer in the evening there sitting chatting to each other instead) then no they shouldnt get paid to do a job they should and could have done in the shift.

If its compulsory cashing up then maybe.

As for having customers at tills after 9pm thats poor management and the supervisors should be advising them to go to tills and start to vacate the store at 845/850ish.

Where I used to work, it was a large store and you weren't allowed to start cashing up until loss prevention gave the all clear that all customers were out of the store. Sometimes this wouldn't be until 20 mins after we closed. They did announcements 15 mins before the store closed to tell people. I know some stores start to kick people out at this time, but mine wasn't like that, they let people stay in til it closed, and sometimes it was hard to get people to leave.

LinasPilibaitisisbatman

Have you ever raised that issue with management. If you werent getting people out the store on time you should have raised a grievance.