Working extra hours unpaid - what to do?

Mischa8

hermum wrote: »

She was given the option of working sometimes from home to save the commute, she chooses not to.
Most people give themselves extra "just in case" time to get to work & then have time to sort themselves out for the day ahead, having a coffee, whatever.
It sounds as though it's her choice to actually work longer hours.
If she's unable to complete all the work in the allocated time then maybe she needs to speak to her boss about her workload.
None of it sounds like a race or sex issue.

Just to clarify, she completes all her work (and more) in the time allocated to her day. She does not even mind working overtime and often stays late for meetings.

However, on the odd rare occasion when she has been in late (due to snow, or roadworks/traffic, M25 problems whatever) this is what has been pounced upon in her appraisal. They don't seem to be able to let her do flexi time.

In fact AFAIK she outperforms her colleague in many ways who does the same job. So it's not a question of her not completing her work on time nor wanting to put overtime in where necessary.

Thanks for your input though.

Mischa8

eschaton wrote: »

OP - where do you get off pulling the race card?

Your 'friend' was on occasion late for work and was pulled up for it. Do only black people in life get pulled up for this? I think not.

If she has a job with a start time of 9:00am then she should be there for 9:00am. It's not the employers problem how good or bad the commute is, it's the employees problem.

As for others that live closer - so what? Your 'friend' could live closer if she wanted to.

To pull the race card when she is clearly in the wrong is pathetic.

See my answer above - I am not pulling the race card on her behalf just suggesting it. I wanted a straw poll of answers just in case it was this. And input otherwise.

Barneysmom

If the company were racist/sexist they wouldn't have employed her in the first place.

Mischa8

getmore4less wrote: »

Is there anywhere near work she could use up the time say doing the shopping,
The key is to get close enough to work so the traffic and last bit is predictable so you can fit something else in.

Great idea, and one I am sure she has thought about! Thanks for this.

Like she and I have said, if she really doesn't want to work before say 9am, she should utilise the time better.

Caroline_a

I have several friends who work in accounts. They all work stupid amounts of unpaid extra hours - it seems to be expected, particularly at month end. If she is bothered by either the hours or the travel she should look for another job, however 8.30 to 6 sounds a short day for accounts... any accounts people out there verify that?

Hammyman

Mischa8 wrote: »

I was wondering though (even though she hasn't mentioned this) - she's black and female - how much of this may be targeted towards her due to her sex and her race?

Here we go.....lets play the race and sexism card.

Its really really simple. Just because she gets there at 8.30am doesn't mean she has to start work then. She has chosen to do this without any prompting off her own bat. Her job doesn't start until 9am. SHE IS VOLUNTARILY CHOOSING TO WORK OUTSIDE OF HER NORMAL HOURS. There is no right to be paid for overtime you do if you've not been asked to. She's not been asked to. She has just decided to.

Her problem and solved easily by sitting in the staff room and having a cup of tea until 9am and again after 5.30pm before setting off home.

Mischa8

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Very few people in professional careers like your friend would expect only to work their set hours. I doubt very much that there's any discrimination involved.

AFAIK she does put in unpaid or paid overtime all the time. why not??

And as she works all over the country auditing building sites then that's working away from home so extra time is involved there eg travelling to and from the site etc.

She has no qualms whatsoever about doing this. And actually at almost 40 years old she is quite advanced on her career ladder and enjoys what she does.

We don't personally think there is discrimination but who knows?? Maybe her boss likes her to work that bit extra or put in more hours just BECAUSE she (my friend) happens to be a woman and he is a man and their colleague (my friend's equal) is also a man.

SarEl

Everything you are describing here is a result of her choices. It is nobody's fault that she lives further away - so what if her colleagues live closer? It does not mean that they ought automatically to be on time - it is that they set out to be on time. Which she is now doing too. She chooses to start when she gets there, she chooses to work through her lunch break - and she should neither be browsing the internet nor texting her friends on her blackberry during working hours. I fail to see what you (or she) are complaining about. She is expected to attend work on time and to perform her job to the best of her ability whilst there. I was under the impression that this was a fairly common definition of employment. That which is over and beyond is, according to you, her choice. I can't see that the employer has committed some heinous crime by expecting her to attend work on time.

Mischa8

Caroline_a wrote: »

I have several friends who work in accounts. They all work stupid amounts of unpaid extra hours - it seems to be expected, particularly at month end. If she is bothered by either the hours or the travel she should look for another job, however 8.30 to 6 sounds a short day for accounts... any accounts people out there verify that?

She DOES put in the hours - how many times do I have to say this?? She would really prefer to start a bit later and then she can put in overtime later on in the day etc.

Yes, I don't think she thought about the travel but these are RARE occasions when she is late, beyond her control, the heavy snow etc.

IDK what you're implying by saying it's a short day in the accounts world, I think in fact I am sure she also takes work home at night to do, so therefore she works longer hours than most.

Finally - she would LOVE to look for another job and has tried to but what with the job market as unstable as it is, she has had to put this idea on the back burner for now.

Mischa8

SarEl wrote: »

Everything you are describing here is a result of her choices. It is nobody's fault that she lives further away - so what if her colleagues live closer? It does not mean that they ought automatically to be on time - it is that they set out to be on time. Which she is now doing too. She chooses to start when she gets there, she chooses to work through her lunch break - and she should neither be browsing the internet nor texting her friends on her blackberry during working hours. I fail to see what you (or she) are complaining about. She is expected to attend work on time and to perform her job to the best of her ability whilst there. I was under the impression that this was a fairly common definition of employment. That which is over and beyond is, according to you, her choice. I can't see that the employer has committed some heinous crime by expecting her to attend work on time.

I did not say she was texting or using the internet during work hours!!! AFAIK she is actually texting or internetting during her lunch break IF she takes one.

She has just asked if sometimes she can start work later or maybe start say at 9.30 or 9.15am and finish much later??

What ON EARTH is wrong about that?? See above she gets AFAIK exemplary appraisals, DOES ALL HER WORK ON TIME and over and above it.

I really don't know how some people here GET OFF by trying to attack someone who is simply asking for help.

And sad to say but YES in the past and EVEN now employers do slyly pull the race and sexism cards but do it in such a way that it can't be detected easily. You'd have to be really naive and silly not to realise that.