Monitoring at work

Raksha

ceridwen wrote: »

I hope you've stopped doing those little favours - it goes both ways you know. He cant have any complaint about you stopping doing something gratis in your own time.

Just find yourself too busy to do any of them any more - and claim for things like that mileage. If you carry on doing favours like this then he will only "push it" even more.

EDIT: I'm just a bit surprised at this carping by the boss - now that I've read on through this thread and seen about the favours and that it isnt, by the sound of it, some conventional office set-up. It sounds like you work in the sort of environment thats rather "free-r" than most offices and in a more one-to-one type setting. I dont know how long you have been working there - but I wonder if something else is going on there that you dont know about. Guess it might be either that (ie the "something else") or there is problems going on in the personal life of the boss and they are taking them out on you...

Hmmm....ponders....he hasnt got someone else lined up maybe because he has a "personal" preference for them or someone has "called in some favours" or something??

It's funny you should mention that - my OH has said the same.

It's been since a 3rd member of staff has been taken on, supposedly to sell on one side of the business, but he's ended up more managing - sales have not increased, but my work load and outgoings (salary) has. Because my boss and I had a very close working relationship for a year before this man arrived, I expressed my concerns a) that the new guy wasn't pulling his weight and b) that the boss was getting too friendly with him socially when he had already expressed to me that was the one thing he was worried about, taking on somebody new and then having to fire them..... Of course this has also had a financial impact on the company, the boss had taken his eye off the ball and has just realised what a deep mess we're in..... Added to that, the boss only got married beg Dec, injured his back on the second day of the honeymoon, was away on honeymoon for the whole of December and laid up in bed (although he was working) for most of Jan and into Feb. So he is in pain too.

ceridwen

Maybe you start by trying to relieve the "personal" problems he has - ie his back pain - then maybe he wouldnt be quite such a "pain in the backside" to you.

Is he seeing a good osteopath about that back? If not - then maybe start checking them out for him (in work time of course!).

Raksha

He's got the treatment side sorted - a second epidural today, which I know he's not looking forward to.

I had a long period of back pain too - so I can sympathise, but it's hard when he claims to be suffering so much, then goes out in the evening to the pub. When mine was bad, it was all I could do to climb the stairs to go to the loo!

terra_ferma

Sounds less straight forward now that you've given more details.
If the boss is trying to get you out he will give you a hard time until you leave. If you are strong-minded you could stay and hope he makes a mistake (not unlikely seeing the set up), and take him to ET.
Or you could find another job now.

If however it's just the boss being moody because of his personal problems, and you think it could be a temporary issue, then follow robbiewilliams advice and wait for things to improve.

icar36

If they use CCTV to monitor your actions, be aware that that falls under the scope of the Data Protection Act 1998 - The Information Commissioner Office published a document to this effect...

The 2 main principles about monitoring staff...

a) Workers have legitimate expectations that they can keep their personal lives private and thet they are also entitled to a degree of privacy in the work environment.

b) Workers should be aware of the nature, extent and reasons for any monitoring, unless (exceptional) covert monitoring is justified...

Hope that can help...

Zazen999

icar36 wrote: »

If they use CCTV to monitor your actions, be aware that that falls under the scope of the Data Protection Act 1998 - The Information Commissioner Office published a document to this effect...

The 2 main principles about monitoring staff...

a) Workers have legitimate expectations that they can keep their personal lives private and thet they are also entitled to a degree of privacy in the work environment.

b) Workers should be aware of the nature, extent and reasons for any monitoring, unless (exceptional) covert monitoring is justified...

Hope that can help...

I imagine they are just watching what time the OP enters the office and glancing at the clock.

Advice:

Get in on time; leave on time and take your break away from the office - don't leave early and don't get back late.

olly300

Zazen999 wrote: »

Advice:

Get in on time; leave on time and take your break away from the office - don't leave early and don't get back late.

I agree with that advice.

I worked for a company where a team of 6 of us would come in any time between 7.30am-10am and leave after doing 8 or 9 hours depending on the work. So that meant there was someone in the office from about 7.30am to 8pm.

One of the bosses moaned about us not coming in at 9am so for one week we all came in for 9am and left exactly 8 hours later. (I was actually earlier due to train timetables but didn't start work until 9am.)

One day during that week someone on the client site rang the office between 7.30am to 8.30am and finally got through to me at 8.45am. They then complained because no-one had been there and they couldn't get something done for the client on time.

This got back to the boss who had made the original complain about our working hours, and by the next week he had backed down.

Yours may take a little longer but when he realises that you are in fact working your contracted hours and if it doesn't suit him he will back down. Oh and when you leave, make it sometimes a minute after your official time as then he can't complain that you are clock watching.

jdturk

ceridwen wrote: »

They are for O.P. to do what she wants with them - whether they are paid or unpaid.

true..................

Pete111

Taking this one to the absolute nth degree, lets imagine what would a tribunal say to a claim that the OP is being 'unfairly monitored' as his boss has noticed that he is regularly late.

I'm sorry to say you would be laughed out of the room. Probably by your own lawyer..

Some sage advice on here re what time you should leave your house. If you live ten mins away from work you are:

a) truly blessed with a fantastic commute (mine is nearly 3 hours a day)
but
b) shorn of almost any excuse bar dire emergency for being even one minute late.

Feel free to leave on time and take your breaks etc though - clearly any extra you are doing is not really appreciated. That said, it's a tough old job market out there and if I were you I would think carefully before overtly 'working to rule'

P

getmore4less

Raksha wrote: »

I appreciate what people are saying, but when I suggested that I'd work my alloted hours and book every minute to TOIL, the boss didn't like it - yet again, I can't win

He also wants me to take my lunch at my desk and be prepared to answer phone calls then.

I've asked for flexi time, but been refused it.

You never say you are gong to work to contract you just do it.

"sorry I will try to come in on time" is enough for this part of the problem making sure you are not late for at least a month.
Then you start to claim for everything TOIL and expences.

Negotiating for changes like more flexable working is the right thing to do, problem is that TOIL is allready more than a lot of companies offer for the odd few minutes after normal hours many have a mins of say 30mins a day or 1hr+ per week.

If he expects you at your desk then that is work check the working time directive for what counts as work.