Overtime expected all the same?

Cheeseburgler

Sainsbury's new starter.

Contracted for 20 hrs a week.

They mentioned overtime immediately, clearly with the tone of someone who expects you to do some.

Read my contract carefully again and clearly states that it is voluntary. I am not expected by contract to work additional hours. I am willing to do one day a week more, 2 max. Is that reasonable? I don't think, based on the overtime being voluntary, that I need to justify why I don't want to do more than that.

My fear is that they might "punish" me for that, if you get what I mean, and as a new starter I could get dismissed easily.

Blue1991

Manager at Sainsburys here.

Overtime is volountary, the only time you'd be 'punished' so to speak is if you was to agree to a shift and then not turn up.

Some people live off overtime, others don't. Entirely up to them.

During times of high sickness/absence/holidays your manager may ask more often what you can do etc, don't mean you have to.

Auntie-Dolly

My son works at Sainsburys and the staff snap up any overtime going. I wouldn't worry if you don't want to do it.

Cheeseburgler

Thanks for the replies.

I only got worried because some other guy for example said he works another job and so he can't commit to overtime without checking it fits with the other job and dept manager looked at him not very happy so to speak. Made me think a complete refusal to do any overtime wouldn't go down very well.
I was gonna offer to do another night, 2 when I feel more comfortable in the new place and get used to the workload.

Blue1991

Usually works that the manager will put up a list of overtime for each week and it's first come first serve to sign up for it. So some weeks there might be loads, others none. Don't worry

20aday

Does Sainsbury's operate Flexi-contracts like Tesco at all?

I work for Tesco. My core hours are 16.5 hours/week and with overtime I'm expected to do up to 36.5 per week.

Am doing the overtime whilst I can as there are times when supermarkets implement a 'ban' to help with the store's budget.