Would you say this is exploitation at work? Just want Thoughts

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solado

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So... Pretty much what the title says. I'm not ranting but just wanted to know peoples thoughts on if my employer is going too far.

So here goes the little story:

I used to work in IT and got made redundant back in November 2012. At the time I started to panic due to money and took any job just to pay the rent and took an admin assistant role in a small shop. Its retail mixed with administration mostly, I was told I would be serving customers, filling out NHS paper work, sales, cleaning the shop etc for £6.91 an hour.
So a few months into the job my employer decided to tap into my old IT background and insisted I build him a website because he didn't want to pay the going rate of web developers locally. So now I am building a website for him as I don't really want to get on the wrong side and be jobless, but I thought it was rather unfair of him to request I build him a website when it's not in my job description. Web developers get a darn sight more than £6.91 an hour!

I am also requested to:
  • Fix his old Computers.
  • Offer his family technical support.
  • Run an eBay store and create HTML templates.
  • Back up and restore when things go wrong.

As I say, it's not a rant I just wanted to see what others thought about the situation. I have an interview next Monday so let's hope I can get that job as it's a big upgrade over this :D
 
If your employer wants to pay for a website at £6.91 an hour, then by all means give him a £6.91 website.. after all, you get what you pay for, and if he wants to pay peanuts, he gets monkeys..
 
Ceryndrion said:
If your employer wants to pay for a website at £6.91 an hour, then by all means give him a £6.91 website.. after all, you get what you pay for, and if he wants to pay peanuts, he gets monkeys..
Click to expand...

I did think that... Upload wordpress with a free theme and claim "It's all I can do" :D
 
Assuming you have a contract it's probably got something in there about additional duties as required by line manager. However I think it's taking it a bit far.

I did something similar when I was a trainee engineer, my boss discovered I was good at CAD, so I ended up doing that, then he found out I was good at fixing PCs, so I ended up doing that. Before I knew it I had installed CAT 5 and a network in our new building, build 20 PCs and was then building/selling PCs as part of the business (engineering business btw, not PC supplier) and offering customer support.

I used that experience to get into the IT sector straight at third line, if I were you I'd be looking to use your current experience (it is IT and customer services) as leverage to get a job elsewhere..
 
Ask for a pay rise. You're clearly operating above your pay grade and so you should be paid accordingly. If he says no, then tell him you'll find another job.
 
Not in your job package then you don't need to do it, it's not a career is it, it's crappy retail work.

Tell him to buzz off, maybe you two can work something out, some extra holiday days or cash under the table?
 
bitslice said:
Are you doing this in work hours? If so, fine, I'd do it.
Being paid £6.91 to do your actual job is worse.
Click to expand...

I do my regular job along side the website. I have to serve people who come in and then get back to the website when they leave.

He did keep calling me outside of work hours for advice on how to fix problems with work computers without paying me anything and no "be on call" in job description. I did put a stop to that though.
 
Sliver said:
Ask for a pay rise. You're clearly operating above your pay grade and so you should be paid accordingly. If he says no, then tell him you'll find another job.
Click to expand...

After ensuring he doesn't know the passwords for things, the OP is doing this work unofficially after all.
 
and this is the problem with an increasing number of employees (more so between 18 - 30).

You have a job - YES
You are doing IT work rather than boring shop work - YES
You will be keeping your skills fresh, up to date - YES
You will be making your CV look better for your next job - YES

Don't like the job.....LEAVE!

I really hate the 'im not paid to do that' attitude. We have a few guys at work (around the age of 24ish) who keep going on about moving up to third line. They have NO qualifications, NO experience, and worse are unwilling to do any third line work before being offered the job (and money). Guess what, they will be sat on second line!

/thread
 
glen8 said:
and this is the problem with an increasing number of employees (more so between 18 - 30).

You have a job - YES
You are doing IT work rather than boring shop work - YES
You will be keeping your skills fresh, up to date - YES
You will be making your CV look better for your next job - YES

Don't like the job.....LEAVE!

I really hate the 'im not paid to do that' attitude. We have a few guys at work (around the age of 24ish) who keep going on about moving up to third line. They have NO qualifications, NO experience, and worse are unwilling to do any third line work before being offered the job (and money). Guess what, they will be sat on second line!

/thread
Click to expand...

And getting paid £6.91 with a crap title. Definitely going to help isn't it! :rolleyes:

OP, I'd find another job to give yourself leverage. Then go back to him and state that you are leaving if you don't get a rise.

Alternatively just have the balls and say no.
 
glen8 said:
and this is the problem with an increasing number of employees (more so between 18 - 30).

You have a job - YES
You are doing IT work rather than boring shop work - YES
You will be keeping your skills fresh, up to date - YES
You will be making your CV look better for your next job - YES

Don't like the job.....LEAVE!

I really hate the 'im not paid to do that' attitude. We have a few guys at work (around the age of 24ish) who keep going on about moving up to third line. They have NO qualifications, NO experience, and worse are unwilling to do any third line work before being offered the job (and money). Guess what, they will be sat on second line!

/thread
Click to expand...

And then we have the opposite end of the spectrum like your thinking which is "Oh I'm so grateful you've taken it upon yourself to give me a job therefore I'll let you get me to do whatever you like above and beyond what you actually employed me to do and the level you pay me at because lets face it I quite obviously owe you a favour for keeping me off the streets."
Letting people walk over you gets you no where in life.
 
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