Someone needs to go into work on a Saturday

[BecomeStronger]

It's to let a contractor in for some emergency works that can't be done during the working day.

We have no staff contracted to work weekends and weekend overtime is not generally a thing, although obviously this would be paid or they could take time off in lieu if they prefer.

No one wants to do it. Who "should" do it? Do/can we "instruct" a junior member of staff or is this one of those occasions when senior staff need to step up?

What would happen where you work?

I think a member of management should be doing that.

Absolutely management. No question at all of instructing a junior member of staff!

Definitely management.

Senior management definitely.

It’s a job for management, the buck stops with them.

The manager goes first: never ask a junior member of staff to do something you're not willing to do yourself.

I'd say that a senior member of staff should do it. It's part of the responsibility (and pay) that comes with a management position.

We would usually have a volunteer as we’d offer overtime but if not it would be senior management. Who is the key holder? They should be doing it.

Oh thank God! I'm not geographically close to the site in question so it won't be me but I agree the manager of that site needs to do it.

She is having the mother of all tantrums. It's probably a culmination of lots of stressors but she's so upset about it I wondered if it was me!

Management.
Sending the junior staff who are presumably on a much lower wage is pretty bad form.

Senior management who normally are responsible for facilities and the building.

Who sorts out the cleaners? PAT testing and makes sure the air con/heating is working? It's their job.

@MoreDrunkThanBlessed

We would usually have a volunteer as we’d offer overtime but if not it would be senior management. Who is the key holder? They should be doing it.

Most of the staff have keys

Offer whoever goes in gets the following Friday or Friday afternoon off, depending on how long they are there. Management should step up this once as they get paid more. If several management could then names in a hat

I’d do it because it comes under my jurisdiction. I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone else to do it, and anyway, I’d want to be there to make sure it was done properly.

I might consider this if there's a huge financial gain though.

You could offer it out first and see, someone might want the pay/time off
Could you do it as go in on Saturday but we will give you a weekday off? I would happily do that (at my job if we work Saturday morning we finish at 11am one weekday)

@whatnow41

Senior management who normally are responsible for facilities and the building.

Who sorts out the cleaners? PAT testing and makes sure the air con/heating is working? It's their job.

The admin staff at that site deal with daily stuff, there's a caretaker who covers a number if sites who does PAT testing etc, but he's probably the most junior, in terms of pay, of all the staff. The manager at the site has overall responsibility.

In ours, we'd ask for a volunteer and pay overtime/time off in lieu, and if nobody volunteered the managers would come to an agreement who'd cover. But we're normally not short of volunteers for overtime out of 8 people as it's paid time and a half (a more old fashioned company), I know a lot of companies now it's just time.

either management, or make it really, really attractive for someone - call it 4hrs lieu if it's an hours work, or a full lieu day if it's half a day? I'd do it then .

Whoever does it will only be there an hour or so and we've offered a morning's pay or a whole day in lieu but it is an early start and with the whole Covid thing everyone, including the manager, is exhausted.

I don't think anyone should be 'instructed' and absolutely not junior people. Ideally someone would feel incentivised.

What sort of company is it? I.e who owns it/ who is in charge?

My gut reaction is manager, but actually if she is also a salaried employee, albeit the most senior, I wouldn't be happy if that was me.

The manager is having a tantrum? Wow. I’d like to know why she thinks it shouldn’t be her? It’s surely in her interest to have the problem fixed.
She really does need a dose of reality I think. Now is not the time to be throwing a hissy fit about a few extra hours. I would expect the compensation to be fair though - I would probably expect to be given 4 hours overtime at least even if it only took a couple of hours.

If nobody is willing to do it for (generous) pay or TOIL, then the site manager does it and stops being hissy.

This would fall within the duties of the office and facilities admin role and they'd get time off in lieu at my work. But if they couldn't do it they would ask for volunteers.

Should be at least a middle manager but not necessarily the most senior person on that site.

But I'm very about a site manager having 'the mother of all tantrums'. She either must be very unwell/under a lot of strain or completely out of her depth in the job.

After all, it's her job to make sure the site runs safely, legally and the task in hand gets done, preferably without anyone having tantrums about it, least of all herself.

Does she have a deputy or other person in a supervisory role who can do it? The day in lieu for an hour or two of commitment is more than generous.