Overreacting? A Workplace Problem

scheming_gypsy

if you were starting 15 minutes early weren't you leaving 15 minutes early as well?

SUESMITH_2

i had a temp job just like that even to the going out bit. after a few weeks i phoned the agency and said i was leaving on friday (this was on weds) and they were great. when i told my boss he was really surprised and said he didnt realise there was a problem and how much they liked me!! it was with great satisfaction that next year they got shut down

OakTree2007a

Hello,Thanks for all of your help.Just an update, after contacting yet another person at the agency, they tried to call me. However I wasn't able to answer the phone, so tried calling back and leaving messages. The person never rang back. However, luckily I caught them after work and they at first seemed very unsure as to why I was calling. Not a good start.Anyway, the good news is that he agreed that they owed me for the lunch I worked through. However the bad news is that he confirmed that the hours were 9.30 to 5.30, and they say 9.15 just so I can get there, make a drink etc. I've never ever heard of this before and it just sounds like covering up their mistake. It even said the total of hours including this extra 15 mins in the "total hours per week" section on the original confirmation. What do you think?So you'd think the situation was practically resolved. However I sent the same person an e-mail about a couple of other things, and it's now been almost a week, and still no response, let alone confirmation of when I'll be receiving the lunch pay. I've sent a reminder today.To answer the person above, I didn't leave 15 mins early. I worked 15 mins extra.

LittleVoice

I repeat my original advice (#2):
". . . can you be certain there is actually a permanent job at the end of it? Seems they are trying to get work out of you at minimum cost, relying on your wanting a permanent job. Do you really want to work for them (either the organisation or the agency for that matter)?

"Find a better agency. Look for a permanent job through another one. That is use different agencies for temp and perm - it helps keep them on their toes in my view. And obviously use more than one agency for permanent job seeking as well as other means of jobsearch."

Have you been in touch with any other agencies since 9 September? If another agency finds you another assignment, you may have to cut your losses as far as this one is concerned: it will be better in the long run.

scheming_gypsy

OakTree2007a wrote: »

.To answer the person above, I didn't leave 15 mins early. I worked 15 mins extra.

no worries, i just thought that maybe you'd been told 9:15 till 5:15 but it seems it's 9:15 to 5:30.
The extra 15 minutes sound like it'll be to ensure you're at your desk and ready to work for 9:30. Not too unreasonable but would you get penalised for turning up at 9:22 and being ready to start work at 9:30.

OakTree2007a

LittleVoice - I haven't yet as such. I've been looking at things but not sure of whether I want to continue in this work or not. My other concern is if I am offered any interviews, getting the time off is going to be complicated!scheming_gypsy - Ever since I found out about my 'real' hours I've been coming in for 9.30 each day. Nothing has been said. Judging by previous communication with the agency, I'd say that one side messed up, and they are just covering it up with that 'settling in' thing as an excuse. I've never heard of it before in any job, has anyone else?

LittleVoice

I've been advised by one agency to arrive about ten minutes early - but it was clear this was not work time.

In fact I now make a point of trying to arrive no more than 2 minutes early because I don't settle in with a coffee to start and it is an open-plan office where other, permanent staff, have an earlier official start and they think "team work" means you answer the general office phone if you are near your desk even though as a temp you are not being paid and they are talking about what was on TV the previous night.

LittleVoice

OakTree2007a wrote: »

LittleVoice - I haven't yet as such. I've been looking at things but not sure of whether I want to continue in this work or not. My other concern is if I am offered any interviews, getting the time off is going to be complicated!

See whether any agencies are offering early evening appointments/open days which continue to early evening. For temp work, you often don't have to have an interview with the employing organisation before you start, only one with the agency itself.

PasturesNew

OakTree2007a wrote: »

the hours were 9.30 to 5.30, and they say 9.15 just so I can get there, make a drink etc. I've never ever heard of this before

I've heard of this for permanent staff. Because they're paying you a salary, any "extra time" they're not directly "paying" you for, so what they do is quote the 15 minutes' early time, to make sure everybody's there at the time they want/need them at their desks working.

But as a temp, I'd expect to be paid for all the time I was on the site, bearing in mind the start time I was told and as per what was written on the physical time sheet.

Quite often I've turned up for temp jobs and not been entirely sure what the hours are, so I've asked on the first day, then checked the timesheet when it came through.

So, if it said 9.15 I'd expect to be paid from 9.15. If they wanted me to be there for 9.30 to START work, then I'd be there from then and be actually working.

As a temp I've always been sure to be very precise in my timesheet entries and if I do extra hours, I put them on the timesheet to be signed off. If they didn't sign it off for any reason and I genuinely worked, I'd make sure I didn't do that again.

Temping and permanent are different rules of the game.

scheming_gypsy

OakTree2007a wrote: »

I've never heard of it before in any job, has anyone else?

sort of ish.. where i work the call centre people have a start time but that start time is the time they have to be at their desks, logged in and ready to take a call.
Their contract doesn't state to be in 'early' but their start time is 'start working' time rather than 'get there time'