Excessive Hours. Please help!

elsien

You might want to clarify with HR what the expectations are around extra hours, pay, toil etc, then look at your organisations grievance policy given the discrepancy between departments. When you say you're expected to work weekends, how much of the weekend and how many hours you are then doing?
The working time directive says under 48 hours averaged over a number of weeks -can't remember how many off the top of my head. Double check your contract though - some companies sneak it into the contract that you're opted out and you have to formally opt back in.
Are you in a union? If so, contact them for advice.

maninthestreet

A turnover of 40 to 45 employees in two years for a department with a head count of just 15 is horrendous - have you investigated the possibility of an internal transfer to another department?

DKLS

dommy27 wrote: »

When previous people have raised this with HR, nothing ever seems to get done.

Never forget that HR are there to protect the company not its staff, its there to protect the business, they may have been renamed people services or something else with friendlier connotations in recent years, but its all about the business.

My advice is to look for another role.

Transformers

You need to raise your queries and grievance in writing so there is an audit trail of your concerns should the manager decide to get 'nasty'.

Look at the company policies and handbook and then ask HR for clarification around hours and remuneration.

If you trust any other members of the team then ask them to do the same.

Familiarise yourself with the Working Time Directive so that you understand when you might be taken beyond acceptable limits.

Join a union.

Get those queries in writing ASAP - make them factual and to the point emphasising that you want to clarify the company requirements as you are unclear of these and how you will be paid for the additional attendance.

Only when you have that clarity can you really start to 'push back' against your manager.

Finally, make yourself aware of company 'fair treatment' policies - no organisation should tolerate bullying.

Good luck.

silverwhistle

DKLS wrote: »

Never forget that HR are there to protect the company not its staff,...

True, but there's quite a cost in recruitment, training, productivity with that level of turnover. There's a repeated message being sent to them, and to management for that matter, but neither seem very good, do they? I wonder if they do exit interviews?

I agree with your advice entirely, and even more since I read it that the OP is getting less than NMW based on the hours worked.

silverwhistle

Transformers wrote: »

Get those queries in writing ASAP - make them factual and to the point emphasising that you want to clarify the company requirements as you are unclear of these and how you will be paid for the additional attendance.

.. and you are aware that there are penalties for companies who break the NMW regulations and you wouldn't (butter wouldn't melt in my mouth) want that.

[Deleted User]

dommy27 wrote: »

Can I take this matter further? As in tribunal? Never done anything like this before in my life but I can't do this much longer

What industry you work in would be far more relevant.

Engineer a mistake as that is what happens to totally stressed people, the company would soon then have to do something.

Transformers

silverwhistle wrote: »

.. and you are aware that there are penalties for companies who break the NMW regulations and you wouldn't (butter wouldn't melt in my mouth) want that.

I wouldn't say that in the first query - it suggests being a 'trouble maker'.


I'd leave that point until later in the game.

DKLS

silverwhistle wrote: »

True, but there's quite a cost in recruitment, training, productivity with that level of turnover. There's a repeated message being sent to them, and to management for that matter, but neither seem very good, do they? I wonder if they do exit interviews?

It defies logic that the management cannot see the effects they are having, and undoubtedly there will be a cost to the company.

For 40-45 people to have left a 15 person team, I would say there is something drastically wrong whether thats conditions, workload, training, the actual role or a combination, something isnt right and I am surprised why the FD isn't asking some searching questions.

You expect to lose a certain percentage of staff a year but numbers leaving like that should be setting off sirens in the head office.

KiKi

If you want to make this formal, you need to put in a grievance - and preferably have a number of the team individually do the same thing (don't all sign one grievance, put in individual ones).

You need to keep it factual and unemotional - that's really important. State that you understand the need for additional working when things are busy, and that you really want to help the department to succeed. Blah blah blah. Sound keen to help.

Then explain that the workload is now at a point where the hours are unreasonable, and it's been this way for x weeks. *Factually*, not emotionally, state the hours worked each and every week since it got really bad, including which weeks you've worked at weekends. Again, *factually* state the impact on you health (keep this very short and simple: my health is now being affected and I have had to see the doctor on three occasions as a direct result of the excessive working hours) - don't make any emotional statements or sound melodramatic in any way.

State what you've done to resolve this informally. Ie, you've talked to your manager who has advised you that nothing can be done, you've worked through your lunch hour, and most recently when raising this as an issue you've been advised by your manager that in raising it you've failed at your job.

Then state what you'd like as an outcome. Sound reasonable and positive, ie, I am happy to put in additional hours now and then to support the department, but I would like to work no more than 45 hours, on average each week, Monday to Friday only. State that you would like a response to this specific request. State that you would have preferred not to ask for specific working hours (or whatever outcome you've asked for), but as you've not had a positive response to sorting this out informally, you feel you have no option other than to make it a formal request as a resolution to your grievance.

See if your colleagues will write similar (but not identical) things. Send it to HR (or the correct person as per your grievance process if you have one), and state that you look forward to their response within 30 days (or whatever their policy says).

Date the letter, and keep a copy.

This is a useful place to start: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/problems-at-work/dealing-with-grievances-at-work/

HTH
KiKi