Reduced hours

jackjones99

Hi ,looking for some advice

Currently in my second year of employment where i work.
However I'm not enjoying it   there's staffing issues, the bosses (2) argue,play each other off in front of customers and what staff are remaining 

Putting this politely,  rather than leaving ,I want to request fewer hours/days. 

I wanted part time when I started ,but I just went in to 70 hours a week , I have no life , 3 days is enough, I don't need 6 .

I have another job if this fails, its local and the 3 days would be ideal.

What's the best way to go ?

Thanks 

elsien

Why are you doing 70 hours a week if you only wanted part time? 

I take it you’ve not opted out of the working time directive, so how many hours are you actually contracted to do? 

How many hours/days do you want to do? Because three days for a 35 hour week is very different to 3 days for a 70 hour week, for example. 

Undervalued

jackjones99 said:

Hi ,looking for some advice

Currently in my second year of employment where i work.
However I'm not enjoying it   there's staffing issues, the bosses (2) argue,play each other off in front of customers and what staff are remaining 

Putting this politely,  rather than leaving ,I want to request fewer hours/days. 

I wanted part time when I started ,but I just went in to 70 hours a week , I have no life , 3 days is enough, I don't need 6 .

I have another job if this fails, its local and the 3 days would be ideal.

What's the best way to go ?

Thanks 

Well you can only ask nicely and see what they say. If you can find a way of showing how this might benefit THEM it may help rather than presenting them with a problem to solve.

As you have a job to go to then your second option is to make it clear that is the only way you will remain.

With less than two years service you have little security but by the sound of it, not much to lose.

jackjones99

elsien said:

Why are you doing 70 hours a week if you only wanted part time? 

I take it you’ve not opted out of the working time directive, so how many hours are you actually contracted to do? 

Hi Elsien 

I don't even have a contract , I initially started off part time , then it just became 60/70 hours full time , 
Nothing was agreed , or written down, everything is just a !!!!!! show tbh, 
Holiday pay is rolled up , days off when they feel like it .

So I'm putting my 2 penneth  in now, I want 3 days at 8 hours a day .

I need time off , my relationship is failing ,I don't have time with my kids .

They had chance to get more staff ,but they just can't be bothered .

If I don't have a contract , can't I just simply put it in an email ,with immediate affect 

jackjones99

Undervalued said:

With less than two years service you have little security but by the sound of it, not much to lose.

Exactly that, nothing to lose at all, it's the worst employment I've been in ,in 30 years , the job itself is fine , the work is fine, meeting customers and chatting away , but the overall management of the place and how its run is something else , quite embarrassing at times.

TELLIT01

I thought working more than an average of 56 hours per week without formally opting out of the Working Hours Directive was illegal/breaching employment law?

You can't just tell an employer that you are changing your working hours.  What you can do is check employment law and state that they are breaking the law, if indeed they are.  How they will react is anybody's guess, but I suspect the OP actually wants to leave anyway.

Brie

Put in a formal request for part time working.  

You work 70 hours a week?  Have you signed an agreement to work more than 48 hours?  It's a matter of the employer having requested a signed opt out of the working times directive.  

Maximum weekly working hours: Overview - GOV.UK 

I had an employer that insisted I always work 50+ hours a week and I said no.  They replied that I had opted out of the WTD and so I asked to see the form I had signed.  I had never opted out so they couldn't insist I work so many hours.  

jackjones99

TELLIT01 said:

I thought working more than an average of 56 hours per week without formally opting out of the Working Hours Directive was illegal/breaching employment law?

You can't just tell an employer that you are changing your working hours.  What you can do is check employment law and state that they are breaking the law, if indeed they are.  How they will react is anybody's guess, but I suspect the OP actually wants to leave anyway.

Don't even have a contract , when I asked for one they said , " we don't do that here" holiday pay is rolled.up ( acas advised me the way to go on this )

I don't want to leave , I'd rather just do less hours , who wants to be worked out of a job,  if they need someone to stand up to them I will, I won't be walked over any more .
5 staff left last year because of how they are treated .

Brie

You don't have to have an actual contract but there should be something that lets you know what you're being paid etc.  It may just be an email they sent to you when you were first hired - "hi JJ, glad you're joining us to work 3 days a week a £X per hour."   Your payslips (which they must provide) would also document the increase in the hours worked.

The other thing to look out for is how much time off you get between each shift.  70 hours over 6 days means you're working on average 11.7 hours a day.  This means you get just over 12 hours break between each shift.  It's likely that this doesn't actually happen so they may be breaking the law if you have less that 11 hours between shifts.  

Rest breaks at work: Overview - GOV.UK

Frankly with those hours they are lucky you haven't gone off sick.

jackjones99

Brie said:

You don't have to have an actual contract but there should be something that lets you know what you're being paid etc.  It may just be an email they sent to you when you were first hired - "hi JJ, glad you're joining us to work 3 days a week a £X per hour."   Your payslips (which they must provide) would also document the increase in the hours worked.

The other thing to look out for is how much time off you get between each shift.  70 hours over 6 days means you're working on average 11.7 hours a day.  This means you get just over 12 hours break between each shift.  It's likely that this doesn't actually happen so they may be breaking the law if you have less that 11 hours between shifts.  

Rest breaks at work: Overview - GOV.UK

Frankly with those hours they are lucky you haven't gone off sick.

I have been off sick , I was worn out , stressed, and my doctor gave a me  3 week sick note.

This cause endless problems , sarcastic remarks , like " don't you be doing too much if you can't handle it" or " be careful we don't want you been poorly" 

Like one of the other replies said,  it sounds like I want to leave , yes I probably do, but why should I, if its their wrong doing ?

I am emailing them this very minute , politely asking for reduced hours.

elsien

jackjones99 said:

Brie said:

You don't have to have an actual contract but there should be something that lets you know what you're being paid etc.  It may just be an email they sent to you when you were first hired - "hi JJ, glad you're joining us to work 3 days a week a £X per hour."   Your payslips (which they must provide) would also document the increase in the hours worked.

The other thing to look out for is how much time off you get between each shift.  70 hours over 6 days means you're working on average 11.7 hours a day.  This means you get just over 12 hours break between each shift.  It's likely that this doesn't actually happen so they may be breaking the law if you have less that 11 hours between shifts.  

Rest breaks at work: Overview - GOV.UK

Frankly with those hours they are lucky you haven't gone off sick.

I have been off sick , I was worn out , stressed, and my doctor gave a me  3 week sick note.

This cause endless problems , sarcastic remarks , like " don't you be doing too much if you can't handle it" or " be careful we don't want you been poorly" 

Like one of the other replies said,  it sounds like I want to leave , yes I probably do, but why should I, if its their wrong doing ?

I am emailing them this very minute , politely asking for reduced hours.

I think that’s generally known as cutting off your nose to spite your face. You don’t like the bosses, you don’t like the hours, you have another job to go to, and you’re off sick because of the work load.
To be honest it’s beyond me why you’re thinking of staying.