Do you do unpaid overtime?

I just about do the job im paid to do, let alone unpaid overtime.

Sometimes.

Not a chance. You wouldn't expect to be paid if you didn't turn up at work so they shouldn't expect you to work for nothing. Works both ways.

Only jobsworths and brown nosers work overtime for nothing.

No chance. I do work outside normal office hours but we have a flexi system. I'm currently 23 hours in credit. This enabled me to stagger in late this morning after a skinfull last night and means I'll be knocking off at 2 this afternoon

Wouldn't dream of it.... I get time and a half during the week and double time on a sunday. :thumbsup:

Only If It Sex, If Then Forget It.

I do occasionally if the shop's busy just to help out...

I work partly on comission as well as a wage though so I suppose if I stay a bit later to serve customers, I'm kind of getting paid through commission :)

Vini stays late all the time... A few times lately he's not finished til 9 / 10 and has gone in on the weekend too... He's getting holiday in leu though so I suppose it's not really unpaid.

Only jobsworths and brown nosers work overtime for nothing.

Not true. See the thread about University academics going on strike. We frequently have to work well over 37 hours a week but overtime pay doesn't exist.

Only jobsworths and brown nosers work overtime for nothing.

Many salaried people, or folks in the 'professions', don't get paid overtime but are expected to work teh extra hours.

Same with some people in 'vocations' such as teaching.

When I manage development teams I actually forbid my people to work unpaid overtime. If they're having to do it then we've screwed up the manageent of the project. Why should they suffer?

Joe

Many salaried people, or folks in the 'professions', don't get paid overtime but are expected to work teh extra hours.

And whilst employees continue to do this the employers will continue to rub their hands.

Joes right, if you're salaried rather than on an hourly rate you are often just expected to work extra.

My new job seems pretty good, they've taken on board some XP Programming stuff, which includes not working any overtime.
I've also heard that if it's significant overtime required, ie something on a saturday or more than a few hours in a week then they'll pay for it (which i'd expect).

And it is flexi time as well, although unmeasured.

And whilst employees continue to do this the employers will continue to rub their hands.

and any who don't will be passed over for promotion if not reprimanded for not delivering work on time.

Joes right, if you're salaried rather than on an hourly rate you are often just expected to work extra.


But why should you be expected to work longer hours than contracted to do?

Im always popin in and out of work to do this that and the other and i dont get paid for it, but i dont mind doing it becuase i love my job and its all worth it in the end :D

Every day, every every day....grrrrrr

But why should you be expected to work longer hours than contracted to do?

you shouldn't, but life ain't fair.

Yeah, if I haven't finished my work then I do unpaid overtime to finish it. Most of the time my boss doesn't know that I'm doing it. We're all on a salary here, and our dept is understaffed so we all do it.

Nah, I'm a civil servant - work to rule! (And flexi-time)

I work in a shop. We regularly have to do up to 20 minutes extra unpaid at the end of the night to make sure things are clean and tidy.

They argue that we are rewarded in other ways i.e. sales bonus and small treats.

It's blurry annoying when you're in a rush to go somewhere though!

But why should you be expected to work longer hours than contracted to do?

because then the management can employ less people, which costs less money. They know the employee will just work extra for free because the employee knows if they dont meet deadlines they will lose their job.

For those who work these extra hours without being paid cant honestly want to! i know i definately wouldn't.
With regards with being passed over for promotion that does make my point that its indirect brown nosing!
Why should workers make up for the amount of work given by higher management to deal with when they dont get paid?
your making up the short fall, when someone else could have a job!
DO YOUR HOURS AND DO ONE HOME!:bigsmile:

Not a chance. You wouldn't expect to be paid if you didn't turn up at work so they shouldn't expect you to work for nothing. Works both ways.
Ah, but a lot of people DO expect to be paid when they are off "sick" with one of those terrible 24-hour bugs that only strike on a Monday or Friday... ;) This is usually when all the other staff have to work over to make sure their work is done. Tinkers.

Brown nosing.

If that's what you want to think then you just go right ahead.
Personally I have a career and if moving up the ladder means showing willing and working a bit over sometimes then so be it.
I'm not depriving someone of a job, we wouldn't hire another developer to do 2 hrs of work a week, or even 10 hrs if everyone in the team did a few hours extra.

Never, ever. Life's too short.

Ah, but a lot of people DO expect to be paid when they are off "sick" with one of those terrible 24-hour bugs that only strike on a Monday or Friday... ;) This is usually when all the other staff have to work over to make sure their work is done. Tinkers.
If an employer thinks someone is 'swinging the lead' then they should investigate it and take action. Not expect others to work for nowt to make up. :thumbsup:

To each their own some dont mind working for nought some do!
Guess i'll never get it.:huh:

Im lucky in the overtime department, even if i work over 5mins its getts added on, no questions :thumbsup:

My late grandfather used to have a saying that went:'Any silly bugger that works for nowt will never be out of work'

He also used to say 'Never trust a man who doesn't drink or smoke and talkes about God a lot'
He would be in for it now with the anti everything brigade but I kind of understand what he meant.

An interesting thread. And I think those who say they watch the clock and never work overtime are just showing that they clearly don't have a job that requres much responsibility.

It's all very well sitting in an office selling insurance, but with some careers you can't just down your tools and leave when the clock strikes five. How would you feel if you were being treated by a paramedic who suddenly looked at his watch and said: "Sorry mate, I'm knocking off now," before driving away in the ambulance without you?

The fact is that in many careers overtime is an unpaid requirement, not just an option to earn a bit more cash, and these are usually the jobs with higher levels of responsibility.

In my profession overtime is simply expected of us, and has been wherever I've worked. In fact, it's usually written in into the contract that we should expect to work outside normal working hours and not be paid for it. Generally I need to work about three or four hours extra, in one go, not acrued over time, before I can expect to claim any time off in leu.

Sometimes it's annoying, but I'd rather do my job than sit in an office all day doing telesales. No offence to those who chose that sort of career - that's your choice. But I don't think you can smugly label those of us with responsiblities in our jobs as brown nosers!

Brown nosing.

If that's what you want to think then you just go right ahead.
Personally I have a career and if moving up the ladder means showing willing and working a bit over sometimes then so be it.
I'm not depriving someone of a job, we wouldn't hire another developer to do 2 hrs of work a week, or even 10 hrs if everyone in the team did a few hours extra.
I think people are talking about more than "staying a bit over sometimes". There are jobs where each individual is expected to do about 2 hours extra work every day. Employers who expect this are nothing short of thieves.

A department of 4 (not counting boss) each doing 10 hours unpaid overtime a week means there is more than enough work to require another full-time staff member. Making the others do that job for nothing is stealing their time, yet people put up with it. The company would take stern measures against a worker stealing time off, so why should the workers have to put up with their free time being stolen?

I work in the motor trade within the Sales department - All overtime (and its a lot!) is unpaid...
Well, it is and it isn't. Of course, 80% of my wage is commission, so the more work I do - the more commission I get.

doing unpaid overtime moving offices tonight and saturday!!!

but i get the last laugh as i'm leaving in a month haha!

I think people are talking about more than "staying a bit over sometimes". There are jobs where each individual is expected to do about 2 hours extra work every day. Employers who expect this are nothing short of thieves.

A department of 4 (not counting boss) each doing 10 hours unpaid overtime a week means there is more than enough work to require another full-time staff member. Making the others do that job for nothing is stealing their time, yet people put up with it. The company would take stern measures against a worker stealing time off, so why should the workers have to put up with their free time being stolen?

Because in some of these departments, particularly in goverment jobs (talking about teaching and academia here again) there is no funding for an extra staff member and the other members of the department are doing the jobs of two or three people.

Because in some of these departments, particularly in goverment jobs (talking about teaching and academia here again) there is no funding for an extra staff member and the other members of the department are doing the jobs of two or three people.
Doesn't make it right.

If there isn't enough money to employ enough people to do the work, then somebody somewhere is at fault - whether it be those who allocated the budget, those who pay the management disproportionately high wages, those who designed an inefficient system, maybe those who aren't doing enough work during their normal hours, or whatever.

I'm not saying that spending a month or two working all hours when there's a big project on is unacceptable, but it shouldn't be the norm.

I have no problem doing a few hours bit here and there...if it becomes everyday then there would be something to talk about with my boss.
But I am lucky in my management, if I do a bit extra from time to time it isn't a problem when I chose to have an extra hour or so in bed...it goes both ways.

Working only the exact hours in my contract would not help me progress my (career) prospects.

Could this be the reason so many staff at HSBC are pigged off? Any 9-5's are immediately identified as such on their frequent reports!

Nah, I'm called upon around 3 or 4 times a day to do extra calls, but I very rarely do them unless I'm already in the vicinity. You see I get paid hourly, then I have a mileage rate, but the mileage is calculated per round, from the first house until the last house, so when they call you up to do two calls, I'm not really going to drive from Brincliffe to Handsworth (unpaid) to get paid for an hour and about 1/2 mile in petrol going from the 1st job to the second... :loopy: No chance!

I teach and my contracted hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm with an hour for lunch. I don't know a single teacher who works only within those hours.
Personally, I get to work at 8, have about 30 mins for lunch and leave between 5 and 6 (most days, nearer to 6). Obviously, I also do work at home - planning, assessment etc and work in the holidays - making resources, cleaning classroom etc.
I do this because I wouldn't feel satisfied that my job was being done properly otherwise and I take pride in the fact that I am doing my best for the children I teach. It is annoying though when these efforts go unappreciated by parents and management!

For those who work these extra hours without being paid cant honestly want to! i know i definately wouldn't.
With regards with being passed over for promotion that does make my point that its indirect brown nosing!
Why should workers make up for the amount of work given by higher management to deal with when they dont get paid?
your making up the short fall, when someone else could have a job!
DO YOUR HOURS AND DO ONE HOME!:bigsmile:

What do you do 4U2NV??

I sometimes work over but more often start early. It is unpaid and i can always take the time back. I dont do it to get promotion and as a manager i dont do it to brown nose. The staff i have occasionally work over and i encourage them to take the time back or claim overtime. Those who wtach the clock tend to be the worst performers anyway so can get off when they're ready. :D

I won't do paid overtime, let alone unpaid. I get paid more than enough, and I work to make sure everything that needs to be done, IS done. I find that in a lot of places where people end up working more hours than they are contracted to do, it is either that the member of staff is not managing their own time effectively, or that the management are not managing their resources properly. Applying project management principles should mean that there is flexibility built in to any task, and plans in place for when delays do occur. But many places either do not use such techniques or else are simply exploitative.

I left a damn good job as we had a snotty note round one day stating that 'unpaid overtime was a feature of the modern workplace'. Not for me it aint. And before anyone says it, my work is extremely timebound. What I do is be flexible, working longer on a day it is needed, and having short days when it's not. Working a few minutes over is nothing, it's when it becomes hours that it's wrong.

Jobs such as teaching and nursing are very different, and pay scales are actually designed to take longer hours into account.

Unpaid overtime left my father ill with angina due to the stress, and I'm not going to go down that route for the sake of a 'career', but luckily nobody expects me to. I feel sorry for anyone stuck in that culture.

For those who work these extra hours without being paid cant honestly want to! i know i definately wouldn't.
With regards with being passed over for promotion that does make my point that its indirect brown nosing!
Why should workers make up for the amount of work given by higher management to deal with when they dont get paid?
your making up the short fall, when someone else could have a job!
DO YOUR HOURS AND DO ONE HOME!:bigsmile:

I guess as one gets higher up the career (and thus the money)-ladder, one realises that 'the hours' you work are in fact what you are paid for.

Whatever it says in your contract, you accept that you will do 'the job' whatever it takes. It's what makes the world go round, matey.

As you'll know, when and if you get to those dizzy heights. :thumbsup:

Isn't it the case with some companies that staff is pared to the bone to enable the company to make huge profits, satisfy the shareholders, with the result that staff have to do what would be somebody else's work on top of their own? Then they wonder when mistakes happen, as members of staff scurry round like BA flies to cope with the ever-increasing workload.

If it got to the point where I was being expected to do several hours extra every day then firstly i'd be asking for it to be paid and secondly... well, i wouldn't let it get that bad in the first place.

A few hours here and there i don't mind, and i'm sure when the current rush of projects are over i'll get to take them back sometime.
But i'm not a senior manager, I'm a developer. I am contracted to 37.5hrs/week flexi with reasonable unpaid overtime on an irregular basis.
I determine what is reasonable for me though and beyond that i'll not do anymore until it's paid for.

Most managers are sensible people who've come worked their way up, they know the score and aren't out to cheat anyone.

Not in my current job. We are encouraged, by each other mostly, to 'book time' for everything we do no matter how small because if the management can get away with not paying you then they will. Tight b*****ds!

When I worked as an illustrator for a large appliance company a few years ago we were always told by the more experienced members of staff to not let the supervisors intimidate us into working past 5pm as we wouldn't get paid for it and the more we did it then the more they would expect it. Just because the supervisors do it doesn't mean that you should be guilted into staying on past your contracted hours. Go home and have a life. :thumbsup:

If I got paid hourly I wouldn't dream of doing extra unpaid work. But then if you need to take time off and you don't want to take holiday, you're employer wouldn't pay you!

However, I'm on a salary and the way I look at it is I get paid to do a job and if working an extra few hours a week means I can do my job better then so be it. Similarly I get full pay when I'm sick, or need to take a day off for whatever reasonable reason.