Resign

Uncertain

If you are sure that five weeks has given you enough time to be certain you are in the wrong place then I would get out whilst you can still easily edit it out of your CV. If you stay a few months and then leave or get fired this gets harder.

It does sound as though their policy is to make people work significant unpaid overtime through fear of losing their jobs.

DVardysShadow

Does not sound like a good place to work. As a professional Engineer, even at the lowest grade, you should get a certain amount of respect. In your position, if I could leave, I would. At 5 weeks, it is short enough to lose from the cv.

If you put your notice in on Monday, the reaction will be quite unpredictable. You will either be booted out of the door immediately [so sort out anything you need to before putting your letter in] or you will receive a long pleading session. It is up to you, but if it came to pleading, my mind would be sufficiently made up to tell him to stuff it.

The mobile phone thing is disturbing - unless you are on MOD contract - and him knowing that you have a turned off mobile is creepy. Plus the staff turnover tells its own story.

pinkshoes

I'd stick at it, as work experience is EVERYTHING when it comes to finding another job, particularly in this field.

Lots of graduates with engineering degrees, but people with experience in design engineering are much more in demand, so if you have nothing else to go to, then I'd stick with it, ar*e lick, get in your bosses good books, and see if you can screw some training out of them!

Then, when you have some experience, use it to apply elsewhere, and that's how you'll end up with the big steps in pay.

I work in the same industry, so have a good idea what it's like!

Oldernotwiser

Ma77h3w wrote: »

- "Love karate and my job prevented me enjoying this and any of my hobbies"

If you give this as a reason you could be unemployed for a loooooong time!

ceridwen

In your circumstances what I personally would do:

- Do the job I have been paid to do for the hours I have been paid to do it.

- Do that job to a good standard

- Keep my eye open for a similar job in a better firm.

- DONT DONT DONT resign whatever you do. If the boss doesnt like you working only the hours you are paid to do then he has two options:
1. shut up and accept it
OR
2. fire you

If he does the first - good. If he takes the second option - then at least you havent resigned and will be eligible to claim benefit immediately (ie rather than wait up to 6 months for it - because the DWP has disqualified you from it for that length of time because you resigned).

ceridwen

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Does not sound like a good place to work. As a professional Engineer, even at the lowest grade, you should get a certain amount of respect. In your position, if I could leave, I would. At 5 weeks, it is short enough to lose from the cv.

If you put your notice in on Monday, the reaction will be quite unpredictable. You will either be booted out of the door immediately [so sort out anything you need to before putting your letter in] or you will receive a long pleading session. It is up to you, but if it came to pleading, my mind would be sufficiently made up to tell him to stuff it.

The mobile phone thing is disturbing - unless you are on MOD contract - and him knowing that you have a turned off mobile is creepy. Plus the staff turnover tells its own story.

Good points here - which I echo - with the corollary that you must not resign unless you have a job to go to.

I am certainly wondering how on earth he knew you had your mobile in your bag. Did you mention to anyone at work that you still had your phone in your bag - or was it accidentally left on whilst you werent in the room (so a colleague heard it go off)? If you are quite quite sure that you havent mentioned it to anyone there or left it on (NB: I found my phone alarm going off one time I had forgotten to re-set it - even though the phone was switched off at the time) - then he was "trying it on" to say that he KNEW it was there in your bag.

kr15snw

Sounds like my last job!!

Was contracted 8:30 - 5, Monday - Friday. Actually worked 8:30 - 9:00 / 10:00 with no overtime paid. Also worked every weekend for 5 weeks straight with no overtime. I thought it was weird, but every other employee did it with no quibble.
One night I had to leave no later than 6 as it was my boyfriends birthday and we had a meal at 6. I worked super fast and left at 6, next day I got a bollocking for not putting in enough effort.

Then the boss started to pick at things in my work, when they were perfectly fine and I knew it. Would say I wasn't dedicated (even though I stayed every night) and generally had a go for no reason.

Then the entire company (6 people) got swine flu. 3 people took time off, I didn't as was scared to lose my job. Boss saw this as normal and when he asked 'what the heck is wrong with you, why do you look funny?' and I explained I was ill he told me to 'just get on with your job'.

After a month I was run down and couldn't hack it, but had a week off for christmas (company shut down) so decided to have a good think over christmas and start looking.

Didn't get that far. At 4pm on Christmas Eve he fired me. Said he didn't think I was up to scratch and didn't put the hours in?!?!?!

Looking back I think he did me over. I was hired just when a HUGE project came in which had to be finished Christmas Eve. I got 'called in' a few moments after we packed this job into the delivery van. I am convinced he hired me knowing I'd be on a temporary basis, just never told me that. Things like he kept putting off doing a contract or supplying me uniform (even though there was spare stuff there he said not to wear it?).

I would start looking now but don't quit yet!

LindsayO

my advice would be to not resign, but to set yourself a limit of how long you will work there (say a year), and use whatever time off you can get to find another job. Can't you contact other employers via email (from home) or by post?

Ma77h3w

Thanks Guys!
So the general consensus is I should stick with it. I am pretty sure I will be fired anyway, despite my hard work.

Ceridwen thinks it's better to get fired than resign? (I am pretty sure I will be fired - especially if I do leave with little overtime - and when they've finished with me for their projects) I guess it will at least test their threats. Any one else think this is what I should do? (#1)

I am however really suffering at work, and worried about the other guys. Especially the specialist who's near retirement and it must be really bad for him evening/wkend work etc.

I could easily lose it from the CV, but how long would I have to stay for it to look OK on a CV? (#2) I have no other experience in this field sadly. I can look for a new job, but with greatly reduced efficiency due to the time constraints. And should I put that i'm currently working at this one on my CV? (#3)

As for mobile phone, I think he saw me when I was off-site with a phone in my lunch break. (from his window when I was at least half a mile down the road) So my mistake. It was definitely always off at work. Looking for a new job will probably require me to have a phone so I can call companies back in the evening on the way home. - May hide it in my sock or something

I am thinking I'd be a lot happier moving to an low pay easy job for the summer in Newcastle (there should be some with all the students going home) And then I'd have time for a lot better quality of life, and plenty of time to find my real career break. Any Ideas? (#4)

Anyone need a good worker in newcastle (doing almost anything)? (#5)

Ma77h3w

@Lindsay
Originally set myself a limit of a year a few weeks back. But it's got so much worse since then..
Still making my mind up..