employer require to work at home after a day in the office

Emmasmith_2

Hi,

I'm working in sales. I work 35h/week with a basic salary. I have to spend all day on the phone. During the day I am not allowed to use the computers. Every night I have to work late at home to find some contacts to call for the next day. It can take me 1-2-3 unpaid hours. I have to work during week-ends too from home to find those leads and " a story" to tell.
Last week, I was during work on a computer because I had a name wrong and my employer told me "what are you doing on the computer, you had ALL WEEK-END to do that"..

My question is: is it legal?

Emmzi

depends. are you on a fixed hours or an "hours required to do the job" basis?

are you on NMW when you include the at home hours?

and then, what would you be prepared to do about it? Being aggressive and yelling "it's illegal" will likely just get you sacked.

If you are making good sales, easy enough to get a new job. If you are in training, do you expect to get better/ faster over time?

debtfreenow

In one word = NO.

You should be paid for every hour you work at at least the current National Minimum Wage level.

I expect the next thing a lot would say is "Look at your contract of employment to see what it says about unpaid overtime". Hopefully there's no nasty little clause they've inserted in there to say words to the effect of "Our employees will work however many hours overtime we want and we won't pay them for any of them" (fingers crossed they've not put any weaselly wording like that in there).

EDIT: see I cross-posted. Yep "hours required to do the job" sounds like one way to put weaselly wording of "You Vill do Ze overtime for nothing".

One piece of not directly work-related advice is that in a work environment like that: do your darndest to get your personal finances well in order, ie pay off any debt you have, try and get some savings behind you. That job is not a long-term proposition - if only because somewhere along the line you will get thoroughly fed-up of being used like this and will likely walk out.

persa

One of the hallmarks of being an employee is being provided with the equipment to do your own job properly - it sounds as if you're being forced to use your own computer and existing internet connection to complete your job? Very strange set up.

Regarding your username, if that is your actual first name and surname, you need to get in touch with the forum team to change it to something your employer won't recognise!

getmore4less

There will be very little you can do if you want to keep your job.
if you can't meet the targets set they will performance you out.

If you can get them to recognise the hours you have national minimum wage.

To officialy work from home they should provide the equipment and do a work place assesment.

How long have you been working there. less than a year and they can terminate the employment.

debtfreenow

persa wrote: »

One of the hallmarks of being an employee is being provided with the equipment to do your own job properly - it sounds as if you're being forced to use your own computer and existing internet connection to complete your job? Very strange set up.

Regarding your username, if that is your actual first name and surname, you need to get in touch with the forum team to change it to something your employer won't recognise!

:T

Good thoughts there.

It also brings to mind two ways to "set yourself up for sacking" if you decide to leave the job and don't wish to resign (ie because of DWP benefit sanctions for having voluntarily left a job).

1. If that is your real name, then don't change it and wait for the employer to "find you" and sack you.

2. If it's your own computer, then tell them it's broken down and needs replacing and you can't afford to do so and they will need to buy you a new one.;)

DVardysShadow

Emmasmith wrote: »

... My question is: is it legal?

Legal? Probably.

Should you put up with it? NO! In your position I would just make my computer unavailable and twiddle my thumbs at work if they wouldn't let me use theirs.

Sambucus_Nigra

How do they know you have a computer? What would happen if you didn't have one? Does everyone do this?

Is there anywhere else you can get your leads from? Trade magazines/yellow pages etc?

supersuperpav

They sound like a bunch of cowboys tbh. Save up and move jobs asap!

getmore4less

How are you measured.?

edit: thats sound wrong, but hopefully you know what I mean

DVardysShadow

getmore4less wrote: »

How are you measured.?

edit: thats sound wrong, but hopefully you know what I mean

[Off topic] There are jobs where you are measured for your inside leg. Seriously.