To be suprised we can't fill these vacancies at work?

[CatthiefKeith]

I have been trying to recruit weekend receptionists for over a year. Ideally I am looking for two people, who can work every other weekend. We have tried having someone that works every Sunday, and someone that does Saturday's, but it never works out.

The money isn't brilliant, admittedly, but it is above minimum wage, the work is easy and sometimes you get to mess about on boats on the river.

For the last 6 months, I have been working Saturdays, and we have had another woman just doing Sundays. She has recently found a full time job, and has realised that she loses most of her part time wages to tax, so has handed in her notice.

Surely there must be people out there willing to work weekends? What am I missing? Why can't I find any staff?

Surely, if you can't fill the position, then you need to give more incentive to people to want to do it...., like by raising the hourly rate.

Have sent a message Chicken

shame you to far for me.

Out of interest, whereabouts in Kent are you?

I will speak to the boss about raising the pay. Can't see it though, its like trying to get blood out of a stone at the best of times.

I've pm'ed you Tatty

This is the problem with part time/job share roles from what I've seen - 3 or 4 days a week is appealing, but 2 or less and it's not enough for people, which causes problems when people want to do 3 days PT and say 'but I could job share with someone'.

The law of supply and demand does suggest that either the pay or the hours need to be better as you can't get the right person atm. The existing staff are having it all their way. I would go to the boss and lay that out and ask for suggestions that don't involve you just sucking up the less attractive hours.

Weekend work is seldom popular. And low paid work even less. I think you'll just have to offer more money. But you would think there would be somebody who needs the extra money.

Agree with Tendon, Sunday in particular is unsociable hours to be working so should have an unsociable hours premium in addition to the hourly rate. Otherwise no one will volunteer to work it.

I was 6 weeks into being a sahm when I first took the job, and it was perfect for me then. Every other weekend I left dh with the baby and went out and conversed with real people!

And it gave me a little bit of money of my own, so I didn't feel quite so reliant on dh as the sahp.

It isn't really my problem, it is my bosses problem, but he is away until Tuesday and I know I will be asked to cover until they find someone, which I really don't want to do. Sunday is the only day I get to spend with dh and dd, plus my Dad has had a stroke so any spare time I do get will be spent at the hospital.

Could you get someone from a temp agency to cover in the meantime? Seems unfair in your circumstances that you have to do it all.

I think I will suggest that Tendon. We did have a temp for a while, but again, she only really wanted to work Monday to Friday.

I don't mind working Sundays in teh winter, as it is only 10-4, but summer hours are a killer.

And the pay stays the same in the winter (Pay is £60 per day)

Have you heard of Shaw Trust? People going back to work after being off with disability are a group that can be looking for low hours work. In some circumstances they can work under 12 hours without an impact on benefits, so a 'safe' way back into work. And, where needed, there can be support for both the employer and the employee. Might be worth contacting them to see if they can fill the position for you: www.shaw-trust.org.uk/

The office manager can put her foot down about not working weekends, so why can't you about not working Sundays?

£60 for an 8 hour weekend day?

Think about older people too Cat. I am retired but not yet 60 and would love to do something like this to stop my brain atrophying but am too far away from you. We are not all dodderers.

My 15yo DS would love a job like that. I bet it's more hours than a 15yo is allowed, though.

Funny enough I was the only qualified applicant when I applied for my job. The thing that made me qualified is probably true of 90% of the people who will read this, too.

We would definitely consider an older person Fourquenelles.

£60 for 8 hours is £7.50 ph, but on Sundays in the winter it is £10 per hour. (10-4)

I am desperately trying to find a weekend job. It's hard!

Perhaps the boss could step in and do the job and so find out why the post doesn't get filled or not filled for long enough.

£7.50 per hour for antisocial hours is poor pay IMO. Plus you want someone computer literate, accounts, clever and interested enough to learn new stuff quickly and committed and reliable.

I don't think rearranging the rota so everyone is forced to do weekends is a good idea. You run the risk of others leaving the job too.

Is weekend work essential? If it is, can weekdays be shortened to allow more money for weekends? This may well antagonise existing staff, though.

But why should one person get away with saying 'I don't want to work weekends' but not others?

Maybe if everyone who worked there did an equal share, so did less weekend shifts overall, it would be more bearable as everyone would only do 2 or 3 weekend days per month or whatever?

And it might be easier to recruit another PT position if it was, say 16 hours PW incl some weekend shifts.

If I was the boss I would restructure to make the week day roles cover the weekend, and make them redundant if they wouldn't do it,it is ridiculous.

I can see why you wouldn't want a uni student who would go home for a holidays, a 6th former would be ideal, although when I was a 6th former a lot of people I knew called in sick an awful lot because of things like parents insisting they attend family functions.