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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think it's a bit shit I'm expected to stay late with no extra pay?

55 replies

OhAnotherNameChange · 04/01/2017 20:24

I thought I'd left this all behind with my last job where I'd only get paid for staying late if it was by half an hour, but apparently not!

I work in a call centre and all day has been non stop calls! I manage to finish up my last call at 7:59pm so finish off writing my notes (not in a great hurry) and log off at 8 (when we close!)

I'm in the great battle of throwing all my stuff together so I can run for the bus which is due at 8:06 and the supervisor comes running over to me and 2 other people and tells us we have to answer all the callsleft in the line Angry

Obviously it's shit that people have waited for ages but I'm not paid to work past 8! If I do get out late because I'm already on a call then I can live with that, but to be expected to stay until all the calls are gone when I'm not paid for it? And when it means I will miss my bus and have to wait for the next one at 8:36 in the freezing cold?! Pfft!

Luckily by the time I had managed to log back in there were no more calls and I just managed to catch the bus, but if my DP wasn't home looking after DD and I had missed the bus, I would have been 30 minutes later than agreed for our babysitter Angry

I probably am BU but I'm going to stew over this and curse call centres and my decision to work in one!

OP posts:
PinkSwimGoggles · 04/01/2017 20:26

yanbu

OohNoDooEy · 04/01/2017 20:28

Yanbu. If you're contracted to finish at 8, you finish at 8 unless your contract stipulates otherwise (mine does in exceptional circumstances but this is rare)

SarahOoo · 04/01/2017 20:31

I work in HR and it will depend on how your hours of work are worded in your contract and also how you are paid, are you salaried or hourly paid? Does the payment section of your contract state if you have payment for additional hours?

Even if your hours of work mention a requirement to work additional hours or any flexible wording, you technically are permitted to leave at your finish time (different for different industries for example a nursery.... nursery assistant can't just leave if there are children in their care, that kind of thing).

If you can come back on here with that information we could give you more help. The other way around it is to deal with it head on and say no, my finish time is 8pm and leave.

ChasedByBees · 04/01/2017 20:31

What if you just said, that's not possible for transport and childcare reasons and just left? You're not being paid, they can't tell you what to do.

EmmaC78 · 04/01/2017 20:32

YANBU although it might be worth pre-empting this happening again by saying to your supervisor that,unless the call has already started, you need to finish at your allocated time due to your childcare arrangements.

JsOtherHalf · 04/01/2017 20:41

If it takes you under minimum wage per hour, they can't do it.

JsOtherHalf · 04/01/2017 20:47

www.gov.uk/overtime-your-rights/overview

Original poster
OhAnotherNameChange · 04/01/2017 20:47

I don't mind so much when I finish earlier as my bus isn't until nearly 20 past but after 6 I need to get a different one which comes earlier! And it takes longer to get home as well! It's times like this I wish I could drive Sad

I would have to look at my contract and see what it says in regards to staying late, I'm paid hourly! And any overtime I do sign up for I'm not paid until the next month!

I just feel like this is another of the many reasons I hate my job, I'm still relatively new and every day I still dread going in!

I'll stop now before I go into full on rant mode!!

OP posts:
harderandharder2breathe · 04/01/2017 20:49

I work in a call centre too, we're given toil in 15 minute blocks, so a call taking me 5 minutes over my shift end is enough to make me miss my train for nothing in return. But to be fair, most of the managers round up so if I know I've missed my train and drag out my note writing a little, I get 15 minutes. Still shit though.

Some cunts colleagues are notorious for finding ways to dodge those last minute calls, depends how busy your call centre is as to whether a well timed trip to the loo puts you to the back of the queue. Personally I feel like I'm rubbish st things like that and would probably end up with the 7.59 call I was trying to avoid rather than the manageable 7.50 call!

There is a very special corner of hell reserved for people who phone call centres less than 5 minutes before they close. Especially on a Friday or Saturday. Especially with a query that is not remotely important even to them.

(I have sympathy with the urgent ones but there's very little I can actually do to resolve it at that time as everyone else has gone, no more payment runs etc).

expatinscotland · 04/01/2017 20:52

I'd just leave.

SarahOoo · 04/01/2017 20:58

As someone stated above, your hourly rate cannot go under NMW/NLW so if you can tell us what the rate is that will also help us advise you. It really does come down to what your contract says though. Please write this word for word so you can get correct advice on here rather than a lot of opinions on the subject.

goose1964 · 04/01/2017 21:07

I've worked in call centres and if we worked substantial time over we got paid or if it was a short time say 5 or 10 we could start later or leave early thenext day

HarryPottersMagicWand · 04/01/2017 21:08

I'd state that childcare issues and public transport means you need to stick to your contracted hours. This would seriously piss me off.

19lottie82 · 04/01/2017 21:10

Yes shit but fairly normal I'm afraid. Have a look at your contract, chances are it may say you need to work extra hours when required to meet business needs, or some crap like that.

Weatherforecaster · 04/01/2017 21:11

I'm a teacher and I've just finished for the night. People assume I finish at 3.!5. Haha. This is 9.15 and that's not a bad night as it's only the first day back. I was at work 7am on the dot. Yanbu. I am sick of my average 70 hour+ week. Nobody should have to do unpaid overtime unless it's a very rare occurrence or you do it to help others out who would do the same for you.

Hellmouth · 04/01/2017 21:12

I've worked in a call centre, and I thought it was common practice to have all calls answered before clocking off. If someone's been in the queue for 20 minutes, and then everyone goes home at 8 and the lines closes, that's just poor customer service. It's not ideal, but if you don't like it, don't work in a call centre. . .

PinkSwimGoggles · 04/01/2017 21:21

but then the working time should be 'start date' - 'lines close + 15 min'

magoria · 04/01/2017 21:21

Lol I have been in a call queue for a place that closed at 5.00

Got through about 4.50. Person started to go through my problem, realised I wouldn't be a quick call and done by 5.00 said I am just going to put you on hold to check and hung up on me pretty much exactly on the dot!

zzzzz · 04/01/2017 21:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SingaSong12 · 04/01/2017 21:26

Depends on your contract. Some PP are suggesting you tell work that you cannot do this due transport or childcare. Are all your calls very short? If not then I can see a bit of a conflict saying that you can always finish a call you have already started and if you say you must leave at 8 due to these reasons. I'm not in HR so maybe another MNetter in HR can say if I'm talking rubbish, (which I might be!)

dontsufferfools · 04/01/2017 21:28

I manage a call centre and its the nature of the beast. I don't give TOIL or overtime if my team stay on late because they have to answer all in the queue.

But I am incredibly flexible in other ways because I appreciate the time they do put in "unpaid".

I also performance manage those who try and get out of those last calls by sneaky means because its just crap.

TinklyLittleLaugh · 04/01/2017 21:30

Surely Hellmouth there should be a recorded message telling late callers to try another day as the queue was too long for them to be answered before closing time? Or someone should be rota ed, at a good rate of pay, to stay late and cover those extra calls.

Weather you have been such a teacher cliche with that post. Nobody has it as hard as teachers do they?

Original poster
OhAnotherNameChange · 04/01/2017 21:31

Hellmouth I've never worked in a call centre before so no idea if this is common practise or not!

zzzzz I logged back in and by the time I got there there were no more calls, so I was able to log out and run out the door at 5 past. If I had taken another call when I finished most likely after going through security I wouldn't have been out in time to catch my bus!

Generally if I'm already in a call I don't mind so much as I still need to resolve the customers call. Like the time I had a call at 7:50pm from a man who said he knew we were closing soon and he just had a few questions. Who then went on to ask that I stay on the line while he opened an account online, which I agreed to because it's good customer service, and that call didn't end until 8:15.

If it were me and I knew I was phoning somewhere 5 minutes before they closed I would probably accept that my call may not be answered in time!

OP posts:
Original poster
OhAnotherNameChange · 04/01/2017 21:41

dontsufferfools I haven't really been there long enough to know what it's like in terms of whether they actually appreciate me staying late or not, I've stayed later on a few occasions and it's never been mentioned. I don't think I'd mind if you were my manager! Does your call centre seem to have a pass the buck culture? Maybe it's just the place I work but I find lots of people in other department never want to take the work even though it's their department who deals with those requests. Or snotty emails from other departments that make me dread signing in at the start of my shift! Is it just where I work this happens?!

Singasong it depends really, sometimes it can be a simple query or some info they'd like give , other times I can be on a call for up to 45 minutes depending on what the customer needs or if I need to get in touch with other departments.

OP posts:
Autumnchill · 04/01/2017 21:45

Oh, if you were the lovely EE woman I spoke to and finished talking to just before 8pm, you were lovely more than likely not but you never know! Smile

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