Can Overtime be Mandatory?

eco123

So let me get this straight if im contracted to 15 hours like I am,and they call me in on an extra day,I wont get paid anything for a 5 hour shift??

Are you salaried or paid hourly?

If salaried then maybe,

If paid hourly then I doubt it.

a11waysindebt

I know what I would say if they wanted me to work for nothing.

Nobody works for nothing.

TigerAngel11

In theory, employers can't demand that you work overtime and should pay you for working overtime. In practice, the real world doesn't work like that.

In a previous job in a high street clothing store, we were made to stay until the store had been cleaned after closing. I assume this was to stop people using the half hour we had to clean it in from messing around and not working. However, between customers not leaving before closing and the store being exceptionally messy (it was over Christmas), I ended up staying for much longer on more than one occasion.

In my last job, in a supermarket, you were expected to be willing to do overtime and some of the line managers piled on the pressure. I also ended up working longer - unpaid - as customers came in late or my till wasn't closed quick enough. I remember one day when I had to get home to let the dogs out and it was 10-15 minutes after the time I was due to leave. The last customer I had to serve was a little old lady who looked at the "checkout closing" sign and said "Oh good, that means I don't have to rush!"

Unfortunately, unfair as it is, people who consistently refuse overtime and don't stay on with everyone else get a reputation for being unco-operative and lazy.

Luis-FlightManWithAPlan

Tiger : I have that all the time! I dont mind having 5 or 10 minutes waiting behind,its when customers are taking half an hour to finish up buying a pack of glue!

I've already turned down twice staying an hour later.....I said quite honestly and foolishly.....Im tired I want to go home...... because at the end of the day its the end of my shift and im knackered!!!

Andy_L

1) Depends on your contract (mine says I'm obliged to but they have to give as much notice as possible/get volunteers first)

2) Yes, no, sort of. As PasturesNew says some jobs "oblige" you to do it by saying this job needs to be finished by Friday. Some jobs pay large salaries (eg financial sector in London) but have a culture of long hours that are expected off you in return.

Conor_3

PasturesNew wrote: »

This word "salaried". It does seem that is the word they throw about.

If you're hourly paid, you can expect to be paid for the hours you work, but if you're what they call salaried (grrr) then they pretty much expect it most of the time.

Exactly. My current position is salaried based on a 50 hour week but I'm lucky in so much that I have the protection of the Working Time Directive (Mobile workers) which ensures I can't do more than 10 hours a night/ 48hr week average over 26 weeks so I don't lose out.

Trying_really_hard

Wow. Thanks for all your replies. It seems we all have different ideas and contracts. :T

I got her to ring Acas in the end (I'm an ex law student so all my textbooks are out of date by a couple of years) and the definitive answer is, no, its not illegal for mandatory overtime to be without remuneration. She's not best pleased, but there you go. Its what she signed up to.