Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to stop working extra hours?

11 replies

Snowfire · 03/02/2012 17:27

So, this is the situation, I'm a single mum working in the nhs. My contract is for 25 hours and we are supposed to do 2 on call per month. For quite a while now we've been short staffed and I've been doing a bit extra to help out. The full time staff don't get asked to do extra as they would have to be paid OT rate so it is always the PT staff who are asked to do more hours. Several times recently I have done an extra on call to cover sickness or swapped shifts to help someone out.
I was in work yesterday and the boss called me into the office asking me to work an extra shift during my annual leave. I said I didn't really want to work during my holiday & she made a big deal of saying how short we are and all need to pull together, so I said I would have to think about it. Then she throws in 'oh and are you still ok to cover the on call for Saturday?' I'm on call today (Friday) so that would mean I would be on call for 36 hrs. I hadn't agreed to do this at all and I had worked and been on call last weekend as well as doing 10 hours over my contract! I pointed out that I had hardly seen my daughter all week & wanted to spend some proper time with her, she asked someone else saying 'Snowfire won't do it because she needs her 'family time' (in sarcastic voice)'. Then she comes back saying 'it's ok Snow, Supernurse is going to do it. I'm letting her go early for helping out!'
AIBU to just say no to future requests to help out?

OP posts:
samandi · 03/02/2012 17:30

YANBU at all. Your contract is for 25 hours and you should not be expected to work over that. Your boss sounds very unprofessional.

Groovee · 03/02/2012 17:32

I'd say no too in future!

IUseTooMuchKitchenRoll · 03/02/2012 17:38

I think this is quite common unfortunately. One if my friends is a nurse in a private hospital, and I wouldn't have believed the pressure on her to work overtime if I hadn't heard it for myself. On the rare ocassions we see each other I have heard she has had phonecalls asking her to come in a 5.00am the next morning when it's already 9.00pm, they will ask her to be on call at very short notice, they will change her shifts around forcing her to cancel things she has been looking forward to. Its ridiculous.

DoingTheBestICan · 03/02/2012 17:43

I have this a lot in work,we are all p/t workers & i am contracted for 15hrs pw,there are a few others who work dead on 16 because then they get wtc,they all point blank refuse to do even 1 hr over.

It falls to me & 1 other lady to do the extra hrs,the money is nice as i am using it to pay off our holiday but like you i am missing out on family time a lot.

I sympathise op because i know how hard it is to say no.

floatinglotus · 03/02/2012 17:43

YANBU. I totally understanding wanting to help out and not minding to work extra from time to time, but they are taking advantage of you. If your boss can't remember that you offering to work extra hours is something she should be grateful for, you should stop working them.

Tortington · 03/02/2012 17:46

no, there are a few issues here

your manager is cearly rubbish at managing people

if the system is broken and she is furiously reading water to keep it afloat, she needs to tell someone

you are absolutley right.

IvanaHumpalot · 03/02/2012 17:55

Could you talk to your union rep?

iliketea · 03/02/2012 18:00

YANBU.

I hated this when I worked shifts. I used to not answer my phone when I wasn't at work because I got fed up being asked to come in and it's worse if you've said yes in the past, because I find those who normally say yes get phoned first. And if they're that desperate, the manager could surely request bank or agency staff. Problem is that managers like her know that you feel bad to 'let down colleagues' and uses that to pressure you.

I would say the only way you could be being slightly unreasonable is if you ask for extra hours when you want them, then refusing when you are asked may mean you miss out if there is overtime that you want.

Original poster
Snowfire · 03/02/2012 18:00

Oh I've been to the union before when I first started and she didn't fill out my paperwork properly so I didn't get paid for 2 months!!! Her suggestion was that I could borrow money off of family or failing that sell myself on a street corner! I went to the top with that one and I had a cheque in less than 24 hrs. Needless to say I had crap rota for the next 6 months for causing trouble Angry

OP posts:
Original poster
Snowfire · 03/02/2012 18:16

I've never asked to do extra, I can make ends meet with a little left over on 25hrs. The extra money I earn just reduces my child tax credit.

OP posts:
AMAZINWOMAN · 03/02/2012 20:19

I think I'd be tempted to say "I'd love to, but I have childcare problems"

It's just so much hassle having to deal with all the tax credits etc but it's hard to say no.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread