A question of time

Johntea

Here is the situation

I work around 20 miles from home, don't drive and catch 2 trains.

My 'official' start time is 8:30am however it has been an informal arrangement with my line manager for the past 2 - 3 years I could arrive at 8:45am and take a 45 minute lunch break rather than a 1 hour lunch break.

This works well as it means I can leave home at 7:45 and be there for 8:45.

Recently my boss has turned round and said I now need to start coming in for 8:30 as 'the rest of the team are starting to get in late because I do'.

This means I now have to leave home an hour earlier at 6:45am and arrive at work 8:05am, although in some cases depending on the train connection can sometimes be there by 7:45am!

My 'official' finish time is 5pm however again due to my trains there is zero point in leaving work until 5:20pm unless I want to freeze in the cold.

Also, some days I work through until 9pm (overtime) although this is my own choice despite at times feeling my arm is being twisted when nobody else offers to do it. So I can get home for 10pm and be leaving home by 6:45am the next morning!

Can anybody offer any advice? There is a 'plus/minus' operation, am I within my rights to tell them on a normal day I'm there 45 minutes more than my contracted hours? Because this whole scenario has upset me and actually quite depressed just writing it down!

concerned43

Have you actually talked to your boss telling him exactly what you have told us?
I know how you feel as I had a nine to five job and was in for 8:15, did not take a lunch hour and left at 5pm - but still got pulled up when I asked to leave half an hour early one night and even got my wages docked!!
I sat down with my boss and gave her a spreadsheet of all the hours I have done in the last month and told her that if there is no flexibility I will ensure I work exactly 9-5 with and hour lunch break - she soon saw the error of her ways and didn't hear a peep out of her again!

Hammyman

You can tell them but there is no requirement for them to take it into account or pay you for it because you haven't been asked or told to be and are doing it of your own volition. You can ask them for flexi time but they have the right to refuse on business grounds.

Your start time is 08.30. You've had leniency over this for some time now but if others are starting to take the mick because of what you are doing, your boss is right to insist you come in when you're supposed to. He can enforce this and give you disciplinaries for being late. You knew the hours of the job when you took it, you knew the times of the trains. As bad as it sounds, your travel to work arrangements are not the concern of your employer.

LadyMissA

Johntea wrote: »

Here is the situation

I work around 20 miles from home, don't drive and catch 2 trains.

My 'official' start time is 8:30am however it has been an informal arrangement with my line manager for the past 2 - 3 years I could arrive at 8:45am and take a 45 minute lunch break rather than a 1 hour lunch break.

This works well as it means I can leave home at 7:45 and be there for 8:45.

Recently my boss has turned round and said I now need to start coming in for 8:30 as 'the rest of the team are starting to get in late because I do'.

This means I now have to leave home an hour earlier at 6:45am and arrive at work 8:05am, although in some cases depending on the train connection can sometimes be there by 7:45am!

My 'official' finish time is 5pm however again due to my trains there is zero point in leaving work until 5:20pm unless I want to freeze in the cold.

Also, some days I work through until 9pm (overtime) although this is my own choice despite at times feeling my arm is being twisted when nobody else offers to do it. So I can get home for 10pm and be leaving home by 6:45am the next morning!

Can anybody offer any advice? There is a 'plus/minus' operation, am I within my rights to tell them on a normal day I'm there 45 minutes more than my contracted hours? Because this whole scenario has upset me and actually quite depressed just writing it down!

Are you talking of the 11 hr rule? - It's the time you leave work to the time you start again so if you leave at 9pm then you can actually start work at 8am

vb1986

Since you have been doing those hours for 2-3 years, I think you may be able to argue that those hours have become contractual due to custom and practice, and making you start at 8.30am would be a contractual change.

If they say no, I guess you could put in a grievance and take it all the way to tribunal but to be honest, I think this would be a lot of hassle for little benefit, so you may have to put up with it.

getmore4less

Johntea wrote: »

This means I now have to leave home an hour earlier at 6:45am and arrive at work 8:05am, although in some cases depending on the train connection can sometimes be there by 7:45am!

My 'official' finish time is 5pm however again due to my trains there is zero point in leaving work until 5:20pm unless I want to freeze in the cold.

Also, some days I work through until 9pm (overtime) although this is my own choice despite at times feeling my arm is being twisted when nobody else offers to do it. So I can get home for 10pm and be leaving home by 6:45am the next morning!

Stop doing the overtime and just say I can do this extra in the morning when I get in early.

magenta22

Lots of people commute by train to work and get in on time.

Lots of people get into work early - I offically start at 08.30 but I am always in at 08.00, I don't get thanked for this or paid for this and I get peeved when the person who starts at 09.00 swans in at around 09.15.

Whilst I understand that the train times mean you either get in far too early or 15 minutes late and you are not taking the pee as you make up that time with your lunch, you have to see it from the point of view of your other colleagues. When you had the agreement to get in at 08.45 why did you not just agree at 09.00 start with a later finish?

I agree with the poster who said don't do the overtime after work, if you are getting in early, make that your overtime.

Acc72

vb1986 wrote: »

Since you have been doing those hours for 2-3 years, I think you may be able to argue that those hours have become contractual due to custom and practice, and making you start at 8.30am would be a contractual change.

I though this too - although hopefully somebody qualified will come along and confirm ?

Even if this is correct, my advice would be to avoid this for the moment and to try to resolve this issue amicably before getting "official".

I would agree with concerned43 : "Have you actually talked to your boss telling him exactly what you have told us?"

scheming_gypsy

Easiest way would be to ask for your working time to be made as a formal arrangement. If people are turning up late because you do, see if they'll make your 'late' your actual and contractual starting time; so you no longer officially work 8 - 5 but 8:15am - 5:15pm. You'll then be on time and others will be late.