Unpaid overtime, do I have to do it?

FeFiDoh

FeFiDoh

FeFiDoh

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Not long been at current job and am being moved around a bit now. Every Monday it takes me longer to do my job as it's new and takes a day or 2 to get a feel for it and sort it out properly.

My contract is for 25 hours a week but part of the terms is "as required a reasonable amount of over time may be needed to meet the expectations of customers".

Today I was 30 mins over, yesterday was 2 hours, put down yesterdays overtime as no one was around to say no when filling out the sheet. Asked for the overtime today got told to come in later tomorrow. Tomorrow will mean I start at 8:30 but finish at 1:30 so the half hour shouldn't be needed then. That also means I won't get the 30 minutes today just means I shouldn't need it tomorrow.

The actual qoute from my contract...

"Responsibility of providing a public service. This puts a special obligation on all employees to play their part in maintaining the kind of service that the public has a right to expect. The nature of the service makes a measure of overtime working necessary. For this reason, it is a condition of your employment that you are liable to work overtime and to attend at varying times on any day (including weekends, Bank and Public Holidays) as the needs of the service demand. Overtime pay will be assessed in accordance with your business units pay directive, which you can gain access to by contacting your Manager".

I don't have an issue with OT as such when I am asked and get paid for it, not when I get fobbed off with excuses. Several times now I have worked 2 hours past my finish time and have not been paid for it.
Every week being changed this is going to be a regular thing, I shouldn't have to work for free basically.
 
It's not reasonable to expect you to do it frequently without pay. You can't be the only one in this position though surely?
 
Depends on the contract, etc. if your salaried i.e. 14K per year then your often expected to put the odd hour in here or there that you might not be paid extra for, whereas if your paid hourly as in your case 25 hours per week and at or near minimum wage then your likely to dip under it as such they either will have to top it up to minimum wage or do without you.

Personally if my employeer was demanding any significant amount of unpaid overtime I'd be looking for another job tho its easier said than done in these current times.
 
Well you are contracted to do a 'reasonable' amount of overtime. What is 'reasonable' is an objective question and hard to answer without knowing all the terms and circumstances of your employment.

It does not sound necessarily unreasonable to me from what you have posted alone, so perhaps if you think you have a poor bargain then perhaps the best thing would be to seek alternative employment.
 
I would never work unpaid over time in a typical day job.

Unless I often received pay which I hadn't worked for.

Works both ways or not at all.
 
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I suppose it depends, do you ever get in late or leave early?

If I was usually able to leave 30 minutes early I wouldn't have an issue if I needed to stay an extra hour sometimes.

We had a guy once who handed in an overtime sheet for a full hour because he stayed for 10 minutes. He got reminded that he usually goes home 30 minutes early every day and that if he wanted to claim a full hour that it would work both ways.
 
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EdGey said:
I would never work unpaid over time in a typical day job.
.
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:confused:You are paid for it, is in in your salary, if you don't do overtime it's a bonus. As the contract says you have to do. So it's part of your t&cs and as such part of your standard pay.
 
AcidHell2 said:
:confused:You are paid for it, is in in your salary, if you don't do overtime it's a bonus. As the contract says you have to do. So it's part of your t&cs and as such part of your standard pay.
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Ohhhh I get it. Sorry, the 'unpaid' bit got me.

Then surely there should be a set amount of unpaid over time you may be required to do per month/year, to make things clear?
 
Early? I usually if lucky finish pretty much on time if not maybe 15 minutes, but by time I get back and sorted its usually about finishing time for me. Certainly don't get to finish 30 minutes early.

I get in on time had a habit of actually going in early to try and give myself a head start but that seems pointless now.
 
Do you work flat out 100% for all of your contracted hours R5Rich?

All those couple of minutes surfing the internet, going to the bog, waiting for the kettle to boil, etc add up...
 
I am outdoors all day I don't get time to do any of that. I am pretty sure I move faster than some of the people I have seen. I have a pee and something to eat during my day but I don't stop to take my lunch I do it whilst sorting out next bit and then whilst on way.

Trust me I would rather be doing something else! I would rather work just my 5 hours and go home for the rest of the day then to claim the overtime, don't mean to sound snobbish or what ever but it's not like that extra bit of money makes much difference.
 
Have you asked for a copy of the document as stated in your contract which gives you the guidance on over time pay? If manager won't give it to you phone HR up directly.

Overtime pay will be assessed in accordance with your business units pay directive, which you can gain access to by contacting your Manager".
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But also don't assume you are working for free, your contract states you have to work some overtime and as such some overtime will be included in your basic pay. Ie. If that clause wasn't in your contract, your basic pay would be lower.
 
EdGey said:
Ohhhh I get it. Sorry, the 'unpaid' bit got me.

Then surely there should be a set amount of unpaid over time you may be required to do per month/year, to make things clear?
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Thats what the working time regulation is there for... unless you opted out of it.
 
Sounds like they are taking the p to be honest. It would be different if you were in a high paid mnagement position, but for an everyday job working in somewhere like tesco I wouldnt be doing it.

The way I read his contract is that if needed he would be required to work overtime, nowhere does it say that the overtime is unpaid?

It says here :

Overtime pay will be assessed in accordance with your business units pay directive, which you can gain access to by contacting your Manager".

That to me states that overtime is paid.

Anyone working for free needs to grow a set IMO. Too many people these days let management walk all over. The magagers are laughing all the way to the bank with their productivity bonus for keeping costs down.
 
30 minutes though, did you have something way more important to be doing for 30 minutes?

If you're proper, you would have spent longer than that doing a dump during your shift.
 
Do you like having a roof over your head?
Do you like having food to eat?
Do you like wearing clean clothes?
Do you like electric lighting?
Do you like gas central heating?
Do you like watching tv?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then unpaid overtime could be for you!
 
vonhelmet said:
Do you like having a roof over your head?
Do you like having food to eat?
Do you like wearing clean clothes?
Do you like electric lighting?
Do you like gas central heating?
Do you like watching tv?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, getting paid for overtime will make them easier to do!
Click to expand...
 
DampCat said:
30 minutes though, did you have something way more important to be doing for 30 minutes?

If you're proper, you would have spent longer than that doing a dump during your shift.
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30 minutes once/twice a week and maybe more on a Monday soon adds up over the course of a month no?

They say the job can be done in that time so it shouldn't take me longer, it is different when the guy who normally does it has been doing it for a lot longer than me knows it all like the back of his hand.

I am never going to be as quick as someone in that position by time I get the hang of it I get moved on.
 
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