Electrical Sales - My Rights At Work!

StudentOfBusiness

Im looking for some advice on a number of things here!
At the moment I work for an electrical retailer and have for the past year!
I am also in my last year of University with 4 very important assignments to be in on 12th January, along with some before, and exams after xmas to revise for.

So, my employer are really heavy on targets and have really been cracking down the past few weeks due to footfall being down, along with store not meeting targets, money and attachment wise. So, I am being told at work to focus on my job and make sure I'm actively engaged in training outside of work, like I have time!

Also, over Christmas I am being told I have no choice but to work 6 out of 7 days over a 3 week period, and have been asked to put availability for which I put up to 39 hours for the week leading up to Christmas day, and 39 hours for the week after up to new years eve, then from after then 15 hours a week which is my contracted. I have asked to go back down to this as I have a LOT of uni work I will need to be doing. Even though these are still classed as "peak" weeks (I cant see why), I do not believe this is unreasonable as I have gone out of my way for them as much as possible, and I have a LOT in the past. Where do I stand along with working times etc? And with them honouring my availability?

Last thing, at the moment we have a system that does rota's for the store and they have been rostering me in for 5 hours and 45 minutes, which is 15 short of a break. Now the people who work 6 hours get half an hour break, I believe this is totally unfair, am I right here?
I have raised the issue with a duty manager once who told me laws in retail were different, to which I showed the working-time directive and he begrudgingly gave me 30 minutes (i did also start 15 minutes early, so was working over 6 hours!).

One last thing, this company put so much pressure on us to hit these targets, now more than ever, and we get ridiculed for not attaching things to our sales, which is why we are now more than ever being pushy, if we don't we face losing our job, its not ideal and puts so much stress on us its unbelievable, especially when I have more important duties outside of work.

Please, don't judge me on this post, I really do work hard and do not mind working at all, at the moment I do not have 1 single day off a week from uni or work, and most nights I am spent doing assignment work, I am not by all means lazy!

Thanks

DVardysShadow

Just insist on the availability you want to give. You may end up without a job, but as I see it, your assignments and exams are going to have a far more lasting influence on your life than a fortnight working for a retailer who are not having a good christmas.

Googlewhacker

As above really, just do the hours you possibly can and deal with what may happen afterwards.

CFC

StudentOfBusiness wrote: »

Also, over Christmas I am being told I have no choice but to work 6 out of 7 days over a 3 week period, and have been asked to put availability for which I put up to 39 hours for the week leading up to Christmas day, and 39 hours for the week after up to new years eve, then from after then 15 hours a week which is my contracted. Where do I stand along with working times etc? And with them honouring my availability?

Last thing, at the moment we have a system that does rota's for the store and they have been rostering me in for 5 hours and 45 minutes, which is 15 short of a break. Now the people who work 6 hours get half an hour break, I believe this is totally unfair, am I right here?

You need to look at your contract. Some contracts allow for compulsoury overtime, some do not. If your contract does not, you cannot be scheduled for more hours than you are contracted for against your will

Break - you are legally entitled to a break after 6 hours. You are not entitled to a break under 6 hours. So it is perfectly lawful. (Remember most places have unpaid breaks)

bristol_pilot

Final year of uni - drop the job. Anything less than a 2.1 will blight your career for life. Debt can be paid off, those uni marks are irretrievable.

snowqueen555

Its highly unreasonable for them to not let you drop back down your hours. I would try and reason with them, what is your relationship with your manager?

I used to work in retail too, and I know they use and abuse you over the yule season. Yes some contracts expect you to do overtime when the company needs it, but 15 hours to 39 is overly excessive, and isn't excusable if they are probably able to get someone else to do them

Hammyman

StudentOfBusiness wrote: »

I am also in my last year of University with 4 very important assignments to be in on 12th January, along with some before, and exams after xmas to revise for.

Not your employers problem.

So, I am being told at work to focus on my job and make sure I'm actively engaged in training outside of work, like I have time!

You may find them invoking a clause in your contract where you are expected to comply with "reasonable requests". Upping hours in a peak selling period comes under that.

Last thing, at the moment we have a system that does rota's for the store and they have been rostering me in for 5 hours and 45 minutes, which is 15 short of a break. Now the people who work 6 hours get half an hour break, I believe this is totally unfair, am I right here?

No because the people who work 6 hrs aren't entitled to one either. Its anyone working MORE THAN 6 hrs. You're not working 6hrs so you're not legally entitled to a break and therefore they are complying with the law.

You wanted part time, you take the good with the bad. When you do fulltime hours over the next few weeks, you'll get a 30 minute break.

its not ideal and puts so much stress on us its unbelievable, especially when I have more important duties outside of work.

So if its that bad, leave and concentrate on your Uni course but TBH if you think its bad now when you're just about doing fulltime hours between uni and your part time job, you're in for a shock when you enter the world of employment.

Hammyman

snowqueen555 wrote: »

Its highly unreasonable for them to not let you drop back down your hours.]

No it isn't - it'll still be in peak selling period. The fact the OP is at Uni is not the employers concern.

Person_one

Hammyman wrote: »

No it isn't - it'll still be in peak selling period. The fact the OP is at Uni is not the employers concern.

If he's in his last year of uni and has been working there a year, I assume the employer knew they were taking on a uni student.

snowqueen555

Hammyman wrote: »

No it isn't - it'll still be in peak selling period. The fact the OP is at Uni is not the employers concern.

You're a cold hearted one aren't you?

I would think it an unreasonable request to make a third year student increase their work hours from 15 hours to full time, 6 days a week where its quite likely this store could probably find an alternative

DVardysShadow

Hammyman wrote: »

StudentOfBusiness wrote: »

I am also in my last year of University with 4 very important assignments to be in on 12th January, along with some before, and exams after xmas to revise for.

Not your employers problem.

Employer's problem is actually staffing for the peak weeks. This is not the OP's problem.

OP is being reasonable if he contributes the 15 hours a week he has agreed to. It is not the employer's place to make the need for more hours the OP's problem, if he does not want to do them.