Employer refuses to provide written particulars

Azmataz

Thanks again Sue. I along with everyone else was given a brief one paragraph letter specifying the changes to service hours and mine added that my new hours would be reduced 20 per week. No mention of extra shifts. Those extra shifts run from 4-8pm. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad of the cash, but I need to know when these shifts are before the day of.

As for holiday allowance, who knows. I was hoping that details would be given in writing. Ha ha. I imagine they will base holiday entitlement on the 20 hours they initially said, because that's the only thing given in print. Previously, holiday was calculated on my standard 40 hours per week.

Hours: Yes, hours are definite. I start at 10 and end at 2. Then 'extra' shifts that seem to be sprung on me always start at 4 - 8pm.

I honestly don't know what would happen if I was unavailable for an extra shift. I'm concerned about not doing something that I'm 'supposed' to. On the other hand, I haven't been told for sure what I am supposed to do (contractually) with extra shifts so I don't know how to react to them.

Your last question is a good one. I enjoy the work because of the service users, not the way it's managed which is 'old school' and opaque. As a result, it's not a great place to be an employee - all workers moan about it, not just me!

I can't figure out if the manager is purposely trying to obfuscate the hours issue or just hasn't thought it out properly. Given his style of management in the past, I'd say all bets are off on that one.

getmore4less

Looks like the employer has worked out that reduced contractual hours reduce their liabilities in case they need to make adjustments.

Savvy_Sue

Is there a central HR dept?

If you were sick / on leave, who'd get landed with these extra shifts?

It sounds as if it's only you who gets 'landed' with extra shifts in this way - is that right?

I know it's lots of questions, but it may help you see a solution which you could offer, or help you cover all the bases for a grievance.

For example, it's not unreasonable that if you've had your hours reduced you might want to take on a second job. So you need to know what your contractual obligations to your current employer are. A reasonable employer would understand this.

Is it the kind of service where you have to have 24/7 cover, or at least all day?