work expects me to work through unpaid dinner hour

Pete111

Oh look everyone - there is such a thing as a free lunch!

Apparently there is such a thing as time travel too as the OP is currently living in the 70's.

DVardysShadow

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

You've obviously never worked in a call centre!

The OP has involved his/her union in it and they're not prepared to take it up; I think that rather indicates the level of importance of the issue, don't you?

It probably indicates that the Union rep is under management's thumb. Certainly she is not doing her job.

speedbird1973

Get on the bus for crying out loud! it's one hour of your life. I'm paid for 37 hours a week. I probably work 50, sometimes I'm on the road at 4am, sometimes I stay overnight. However I get paid, I enjoy my job and I enjoy the my piers and clients company. It's about give and take, and you're not being asked to give up much at all. The little bit you are giving up, you're getting back in the form of lunch! get over it.

Reggie_Rebel

What if the 'phones go down for an hour this afternoon, will you be rushing to the boss saying "no 'phones to answer, I don't expect to get paid"?

onlyforboards_2

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Therein lies the problem. It is those who stand up for themselves, leaving the ones who allow themselves to be bullied behind. And the bullied ones then take it out on the customer, leading to Britain's terrible call centre culture.

The people who stand up for themselves are often the ones who contribute to a good ethos in a company and are the ones who dare to tell superiors if something will not work. Only fools get rid of these people. You are better off out of it in a company like that.

That is pretty much it.
We are in a recession and yet people on this board keep asking people to support bad management.
A company does not ride out a recession with bad management.

Rockporkchop

onlyforboards wrote: »

That is pretty much it.
We are in a recession and yet people on this board keep asking people to support bad management.
A company does not ride out a recession with bad management.

Or with bad staff.

onlyforboards_2

Rockporkchop wrote: »

Or with bad staff.

It goes both ways.
A member of staff who expects management to stick to the rules tend to stick to them themselves. You know where you are with that kind of staff member. If management expect favours from staff they will most often in return take favours back. As an employee has no real power theses favours will be undeclared, possible days off sick when well, working slow, returning late from out of office meetings, losing paperwork when faced with deadlines. This is not good for business.

SueC_2

moneysavingexpert79 wrote: »

Why would anyone do anything that an employer requests if they are not getting paid to do it?

Because they wanted to demonstrate flexibility and an understanding of the concept of give and take and mutual respect?

Policies differ from company to company, and I have no idea about the one where the OP works. But, does a strictly quid pro quo system operate? Would employees have their pay deducted if, for example, they were twenty minutes late into work, or took an hour and a half off for a doctor's appointment?

If not, there's the 'take', and eating a sandwich on a coach one day could be seen as the reciprocal 'give'.

If it were me, I think I'd try to view it as a free lunch and a half day out of the office. Neither of which is a particularly bad thing in my opinion.

SueC_2

onlyforboards wrote: »

That is pretty much it.
We are in a recession and yet people on this board keep asking people to support bad management.
A company does not ride out a recession with bad management.

I don't think it is anyone's intention to ask people to support bad management. We're purely suggesting that it is generally sensible to pick your battles and save your energy for when it's really needed.

Adapting a stance of having all guns permanently blazing doesn't really do anyone any favours.

onlyforboards_2

SueC wrote: »

Adapting a stance of having all guns permanently blazing doesn't really do anyone any favours.

It is hardly all guns blazing asking for toil, it is normal working practice. Perhaps the op does lose time/payment for hospital appointments and lateness, most people expect that.