Do I have to work for free?

newmumincov

liam92 wrote: »

No thanks, I'm not aiming for a 'clock-on and clock-off career,' I'm aiming to become a barrister and hence be salaried and work as cases require.

If you're going into a legal career you must realise that your work will usually be billable by the hour. Barristers are usually self employed, not salaried. I suggest you get used to clock watching.

FOXY1

Either quit and let someone who cares and needs a job or stay and take it as experience, when your a barrister you can bill for your 15 mins here and there.

Savvy_Sue

liam92 wrote: »

Do you think I'd get anywhere by ringing the HR department or would they just refer me to the 'additional hours as required to properly carry out your duties' clause in my contract?

You'll get a lot further doing that than asking on a forum what we think! Especially as you've already been told (more than once) that the main question is whether these extra unpaid minutes take your salary below NMW. Which we're guessing it doesn't.

donquine

I can't comment on the holiday issue, as I don't know the rules on that well enough.

Regarding the overtime, OP, the best advice I can give you is 'learn to pick your battles.' Unpaid overtime is very common in this country and only having to a a measly half hour each day really isn't bad going. When you count your 'hours worked' each day, are you including toilet breaks, making yourself a cup of coffee, chatting to a colleague, etc? When you net off those instances where you're on company time but not really working, I bet that half hour will disappear quickly.

I don't doubt that you never want to work in a bank again, but you must know how competitive your chosen field is. If you can't get a training contract straight away, what are you going to do? Starve for a year? No, you're probably going to get a similar job, or maybe even go back to the very same bank and ask for work, because that's what people do. If they can't get the job of their dreams, they do any job in the meantime, just to cover their bills.

When it comes to the world of employment, you never know when an old contact will prove useful, so I don't think it's ever wise to burn your bridges. You aren't planning on working in this job much longer, so keep smiling and don't kick up a fuss. I'm sure there are bigger injustices to come!

SueC_2

By all means work to rule, rock the boat, or whatever else you feel like doing to make whatever point you want to make.

But in my experience it's the folk who demonstrate flexibility, willingness and diligence that succeed in life, not the 'rockers and rulers'!

an9i77

Unless they want to make it as a trade unionist!

pelirocco

KiKi wrote: »

I can't think of anyone, in any job, who doesn't do at least 10-15 minutes extra per day, whether it be walking into the building and switching their computer on, or arriving and getting changed or whatever.

I can't think of any job where you literally turn up and start and walk out when you finish every single day. (I'd be happy to hear of some!) Whether it's sitting down at your desk and getting ready, or being briefed by a previous team member, or setting up the warehouse / store / shop / whatever. You may get a shock when you start working in other organisations, especially if you plan to make a career for yourself and climb the ladder where extra time is the norm.

I'd also warn about being very careful in burning your bridges before you get another job. It can be mightily uncomfortable!

KiKi

p.s. I'm impressed with your correct use of apostrophes, though (even if you can't spell 'appalling').

I think he is confusing it with school :rotfl:

You are lucky that you can now cash up quickly , I remember a friends husband over 20 years ago have to stay on for a few hours if the tills didnt add up

passatrider

I take it from your 'work to rule' attitude that you would never even consider voluntary work then? Even if it meant working for free to gain valuable experience?

Btw, welcome to the real world!

Savvy_Sue

an9i77 wrote: »

Unless they want to make it as a trade unionist!

no, they've already said they're not a fan of trade unions, which is IMO rather short-sighted - one person alone isn't going to get this changed, whereas IF a union decided to challenge a bank about this there's rather more hope of success.

an9i77

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

no, they've already said they're not a fan of trade unions, which is IMO rather short-sighted - one person alone isn't going to get this changed, whereas IF a union decided to challenge a bank about this there's rather more hope of success.

Indeed. Despite working in HR I am actually a fan of trade unions, if they go about their business professionally and not just to point-score against management for the sake of it. They sometimes serve to remind directors that they are not God, and can't just do what they want to the workforce. For example when I once worked for a financial services company they wanted to do away with flexi time because of the very reason that they'd get more free labour if they did away with it, amongst other reasons. But what put them off before they even got the project off the ground - fear of how the union would react and not being willing to endanger the good working relationship they'd enjoyed with the union up to that point. The project was eventually shelved.