My job makes it hard for me to leave at my contracted shift time - what do I say to employers?

accidentalglixch

theoretica said:

accidentalglixch said:

TBagpuss said:

How much are you paid? It may be worth checking whether the extra time means that you are getting paid below NMW (which is illegal) 

Otherwise you could try saying that it appears tpo bbe an error with the system, that you had completed the call you were on when your shift ended at 6 but obviously can't start new calls after 6, but that there seems to be a glitch with the system which doesn't allow you to log off.

I'm paid NMW, nothing extra if past shift time.

Does nothing extra mean you are not paid at all for the time past 6, or you are not paid a higher rate?
If you are not even paid NMW for staying after 6, that puts your employer in clear breach of the NMW legislation.  So you of course need to stop at 6 as you would not want your employer to be in trouble... but unfortunately their computer system seems to have this glitch and you can't catch the 5 seconds to log out...

We only get time in lieu back for overtime so it's not paid.
Some Fridays we get to leave early if we've done Overtime. 

Yeah it's built like that for us to take calls and not for us to log out. 
I've been here since Feb and I've only managed to log out at 6pm 10 times... 

ACG

You probably need to speak to your manager to ask what you are supposed to do.
You do not need a reason to finish at 6pm, thats the time you finish. As has been said, if you are on a call at 6pm it is not unreasonable for the employer to expect you to finish and write up any notes. But to take another or be reprimanded for it is not really on. 

When I worked in a call centre, we would just not take another call and then log off. But I worked for a reputable company. 

You have to sort of be careful as with less than 2 years service they can just tell you not to come back. But at the same time you cant do what your doing for another 18 months until you have more rights. 

I would just speak to the manager and ask how you are supposed to log off at the end of your shift without risking your job. The answer you get will either be helpful, or confirm you need a new job. 

diystarter7

Thanks. So you are home based. In that case ask for payments but ideally logging off at, by 6 and ignoring the call 10/15 mins before that

Sea_Shell

What do you do for other allowed breaks during the day...lunch... toilet etc.?

Why is logging out only a problem in the evening?

Spendless

The system doesn't allow you to ........

I've worked places like this (not call centres) where the phone/computer system creates a negative situation for the employee in terms of their work/hours The line manager/supervisor doesn't do anything about it because how their operating system works is beyond their control, so basically you get told tough that's how it is.

I'd take the advice of ACG and politely  ask what you are meant to do about it. Unfortunately I'd prepare yourself for you not getting an answer that would improve things.  Do they have a high turnover of staff? 

diystarter7

Spendless said:

The system doesn't allow you to ........

I've worked places like this (not call centres) where the phone/computer system creates a negative situation for the employee in terms of their work/hours The line manager/supervisor doesn't do anything about it because how their operating system works is beyond their control, so basically you get told tough that's how it is.

I'd take the advice of ACG and politely  ask what you are meant to do about it. Unfortunately I'd prepare yourself for you not getting an answer that would improve things.  Do they have a high turnover of staff? 

Leave is what I did.
OP, don't forget the positives of the job, EH working from home.

Where we live I know of people that spend well over a hundred pounds a week on fares and averages of 2/3 hours travel both ways.

I've worked  at Heathrow years ago and cost me a good 60 pounds in travel and often spend about three hours travelling
and  then I got a job locally, saved at least 55 quid on fares a week and 2hours and 50 mins daily of travelling - the job was not great but being local and saving money made up for it and a good mate.

accidentalglixch

Sea_Shell said:

What do you do for other allowed breaks during the day...lunch... toilet etc.?

Why is logging out only a problem in the evening?

for breaks if it goes over scheduled time which it always does, I switch to break code during the 5 second after call timer but I get less back to back calls in the day.

Logging out in the evening is an issue because at 6pm calls are back to back and the system's 5-second timer doesn't usually have a chance to run because calls are literally one after another the customer hung up and the call came in straight after no after call gap. 

If a call finishes and I click on log out but the ring tone has already come through the system tells me "call in progress - action unavailable" so I either have to take the call or hang up and try to quickly press log out. Any hang-ups are instantly flagged to my Team Leader. 


@diystarter7
There is literally no positives in my job , not even the fact that I work at home because I never get to spend time with family until annual leave which they've forced me to already take 7 days, I kept telling them I don't want to as I need it for building work in a few months but they said i had to take before end of June OR until Saturday & Sunday's.

I'm honestly stuck in an awful place and can't get myself out. 

theoretica

If you do get time in lieu then that makes the situation legal for NMW.  This is the sort of situation where union membership might be useful. 

I wonder what the system logs if you lose internet connectivity?

accidentalglixch

theoretica said:

If you do get time in lieu then that makes the situation legal for NMW.  This is the sort of situation where union membership might be useful. 

I wonder what the system logs if you lose internet connectivity?

I'm not sure what it goes down as but it definitely gets flagged to TL 

elsien

accidentalglixch said:

Sea_Shell said:

What do you do for other allowed breaks during the day...lunch... toilet etc.?

Why is logging out only a problem in the evening?

for breaks if it goes over scheduled time which it always does, I switch to break code during the 5 second after call timer but I get less back to back calls in the day.

Logging out in the evening is an issue because at 6pm calls are back to back and the system's 5-second timer doesn't usually have a chance to run because calls are literally one after another the customer hung up and the call came in straight after no after call gap. 

If a call finishes and I click on log out but the ring tone has already come through the system tells me "call in progress - action unavailable" so I either have to take the call or hang up and try to quickly press log out. Any hang-ups are instantly flagged to my Team Leader. 


@diystarter7
There is literally no positives in my job , not even the fact that I work at home because I never get to spend time with family until annual leave which they've forced me to already take 7 days, I kept telling them I don't want to as I need it for building work in a few months but they said i had to take before end of June OR until Saturday & Sunday's.

I'm honestly stuck in an awful place and can't get myself out. 

I don’t understand this comment. Unless you’re working 7 days a week from choice, then your family time would be the weekend or two days a week equivalent? 

I work from home but I don’t expect it to give me family time during my working hours.