Can you be sacked for not doing overtime?

princessdon

2 references

a) A dedicated hard working individual who shows lots of potential and promise, a keen team player who I am very sorry to losing as they are a valued member of staff and a pleasure to have in my employment

b) Someone who never stayed 1 minute past their cut off and said overtime wasn't worth their while, never showed initiative and never did anything over and above their contract

Which one will be taken on to ANY job paying a decent salary?

As an employer I wouldn't want b) working for me in any shape or form.

scooby088

princessdon wrote: »

Very Very Very few people start a job on 45K. We all show willing, work our way up, do free hours and work ruddy hard.

Even if a graduate gets £30K and in my area they get approx £15 to start they in effect worked 30 hours a week for 4 years free and went without a salary (taking loans to repay)

Your comment Re unless you had a holiday speaks volumes to be honest and maybe why you are only getting NMW jobs.

Maybe but I realise no matter how much you do for a company you are expendable. I reached a level of team leader about as far as I could have got in my last company doing loads of hours paid of course. But even jobs like that are paid at NMW now so don't need the extra stress of that not at NMW anyway.

earthbound_misfit

scooby088 wrote: »

The last place i worked introduced kaizen and lean manufacturing it was a more efficient way of working than just in time principle than we worked to before and the product went out the door quicker. But the workers were up in arms as the overtime stopped and those who did all the hours god sent found themselves struggling financially as they had got used to the overtime pay. The company were making the same amount of money but overtime was cut due to new working practices.

Then why not pass on some of the profits to the employees and give them higher wages?

scooby088

earthbound_misfit wrote: »

Then why not pass on some of the profits to the employees and give them higher wages?

Because the owners were investing in new machinery, plus their own bentley continental sports cars too.

Kajimba

princessdon wrote: »

I'm certainly seeing a correllation between those who work hard, don't mind doing hours, see a bit of OT as par for the course and the salaries they acheive.

I wonder if that is luck???

Hmm now that would be thesis for a student. Is there a direct relationship between those on NMW or just above and those that have dreams, asperations and are prepared to work hard that end up in higher paid jobs?

My "job share" has NO qualifications - yet is in a £45K a year job - she didn't get there by moaning or leaving at 4.30 on the dot as she worked her way from a very junior position all those years ago!

I'm sorry, but my own story does n't fit your thesis.

I had a full time job in retail. I worked overtime whenever asked, took over duties of both the manager and assistant manager while they were away and found time to study for a masters alongside this. I got promoted to team leader... one month before the company was liquidated owing all employees a months wages.

I went back to academia and tried to do a PhD while working part time. the job I found was NMW + 50p an hour, so I worked all the overtime I could. I ended up becoming the keyholder and cashier for this employer, but was never given a payrise or a new job title. I also took on teaching, invigilating and convening work alongside my PhD.

I still failed to make ends meet so I gave up on the PhD & took a full time, NMW job. Again, I did as much overtime as possible and took on extra duties, while also trying to find a better paying job. The franchise that owned this store went under, but I managed to get my old part-time job back....

at NMW.
Less than I was paid before, but still with the keyholding, cashing up and overtime. Some of the overtime took me under the NMW, but I kept looking for other jobs and kept working hard in the hope of a good reference.

Today, this employer went into liquidation. It's likely that along with the other two insolvencies, I will have no references for the last eight years of my CV.

Frankly, all my work has done is make me feel like the world's biggest mug.:(

Welshwoofs

Kajimba wrote: »

Today, this employer went into liquidation. It's likely that along with the other two insolvencies, I will have no references for the last eight years of my CV.

Frankly, all my work has done is make me feel like the world's biggest mug.:(

Sometimes to get ahead you have to do a total change of tack. My first couple of jobs were as a secretary and I realised very quickly that I'd be expected to do lots of extra work with precious little avenues for promotion due to the mindset about secretaries in many companies. I earned a fairly good salary as a secretary in the early 90s but I decided that it was time to !!!!!! or get off the pot. The Internet was just taking off and I decided I wanted 'in' (I already ran chat servers as a hobby).

One day I saw an advert for a job on the helpdesk of BT's first ISP and even though it was rock-bottom wages and night shifts, I went for it. I worked midnight-8am; travel cost me a fortune as it was right up in faaar N. London and I was way down South in Crystal Palace. It didn't pay enough to live on so I also got a lunch-time shift in a pub near me. So I was working 8 hours, getting home around 9am, grabbing a couple of hours sleep, then doing the lunchtime shift at the pub, then grabbing a few more hours sleep and then going to do my night shift.

Whilst I was doing that I bombarded the Publishing Editor with ideas for improving the content on that ISP's site. Eventually I got called in and they listened to my ideas and then offered me a job. I seem to remember starting on £18k, with no budget and a remit to carry out my ideas. Within 3 years I was a Senior Producer and on a basic of £40k. I then got head hunted by another big ISP, after a few years I went to a games developer and last year was head-hunted again by another software developer and I'm on their executive team.

Now, I'm not a genius and I don't even have a degree because I got bored of university after a year and dropped out. I attribute where I've got to a number of factors a) being prepared to take risks, b) putting forward ideas that either help grow the business or make it more efficient, c) offering to take on extra responsibilities, d) never getting involved in office politics, e) being flexible with work.

Kajimba

Welshwoofs wrote: »

Sometimes to get ahead you have to do a total change of tack. My first couple of jobs were as a secretary and I realised very quickly that I'd be expected to do lots of extra work with precious little avenues for promotion due to the mindset about secretaries in many companies. I earned a fairly good salary as a secretary in the early 90s but I decided that it was time to !!!!!! or get off the pot. The Internet was just taking off and I decided I wanted 'in' (I already ran chat servers as a hobby).

One day I saw an advert for a job on the helpdesk of BT's first ISP and even though it was rock-bottom wages and night shifts, I went for it. I worked midnight-8am; travel cost me a fortune as it was right up in faaar N. London and I was way down South in Crystal Palace. It didn't pay enough to live on so I also got a lunch-time shift in a pub near me. So I was working 8 hours, getting home around 9am, grabbing a couple of hours sleep, then doing the lunchtime shift at the pub, then grabbing a few more hours sleep and then going to do my night shift.

Whilst I was doing that I bombarded the Publishing Editor with ideas for improving the content on that ISP's site. Eventually I got called in and they listened to my ideas and then offered me a job. I seem to remember starting on £18k, with no budget and a remit to carry out my ideas. Within 3 years I was a Senior Producer and on a basic of £40k. I then got head hunted by another big ISP, after a few years I went to a games developer and last year was head-hunted again by another software developer and I'm on their executive team.

Now, I'm not a genius and I don't even have a degree because I got bored of university after a year and dropped out. I attribute where I've got to a number of factors a) being prepared to take risks, b) putting forward ideas that either help grow the business or make it more efficient, c) offering to take on extra responsibilities, d) never getting involved in office politics, e) being flexible with work.

Good for you!:)
How long ago was this?
Also, do you believe it's feasible for a non-driving 30 year old with metabolism issues and no commercial IT experience?;)

I've started a thread somewhere else regarding my aspirations, but at the moment I feel a temping agency will be the best bet for paying the rent. Plus IT and admin experience that is n't merely voluntary can't hurt.
Anyway, I should probably let this thread get back to it's original topic now.:D

falko89

I think this thread has more than ran its course.