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

[OhAnotherNameChange]

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

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

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

Well I would just like to say thank you to you lovely people who work in call centres. I never phone close to closing time and I know you all have a hard job.

YANBU that's crap. I don't see why they can't pay staff for staying later than they're meant to.

YANBU. I knew you worked in a call centre from the title alone. Been there myself and it's the only job I will never do again, my mental health suffered so much I would be scared of what would happen if I went back to it.

Its the same for staff in retail when customers come in 5 minutes before closing.....unfortunately people are selfish and dont give a shit that they keep the member of staff behind 20 mins after they stopped being paid.

Tinkly - thanks for making me break down in tears. I really needed that straw that broke the camels back tonight. Cheers for that.

I don't see why they can't pay staff for staying later than they're meant to.

It's because they don't want to. And there's always someone desperate enough to take the work despite this kind of egregious abuse of the power differential.

myusername I hear ya! I've worked in retail and then in hospitality and we would literally be cleaning up around customers who knew we were already closed but we weren't allowed to ask them to leave, we had to wait for when they wanted to go and then start the bulk of the clean up! That's why I was so relieved to leave my last job because I never got out on time with the ever-extending list of things I was expected to do!

Sheld0n I'm glad I'm not the only one, I literally dread everyday coming in to a snotty email telling me I've done something I shouldn't have. When I've already asked my supervisor what to do and that's what they told me! And the constant pressure to keep after call times to a minimum, with managers pacing behind you ready to jump on you as soon as you've finished a call to get on to the next one! I feel like screaming 'just because it's busy, doesn't mean I can work any faster than I'm already working!'

Jayfee I'd never go anywhere or call anywhere when I knew they were due to close, thank you for not being one of "those people"

Autumnchill I'm afraid it was not me, but I had to go into the EE shop this morning and the lady who helped me was fantastic, they seem to always have lovely staff!

If it's any consolation Weather I didn't see anything wrong in what you posted. It's not like you were saying you have it worse because you're a teacher so op should suck it up. You were being supportive to the op. Tinkly's comment was out of order

Best call centre I worked in for this rostered a small number of people for the 15 mins after the lines shut to clear down any in the queue (and you could leave as soon as it was)

And other finish times, if you weren't on a call at five minutes before the end of your shift, you didn't have to take a new one.

If you were stuck on a call more than 15 mins past your finish time you got paid or toil.

Closed down and jobs outsourced overseas for 'cost efficiency'

I've worked in retail, waitressing, teaching, office jobs, and so far no other job has been nearly as hard as teaching, Weather. Please know that you are appreciated for the work you do.

OP, that's a rubbish situation. You should absolutely be paid for the extra time you're there. I've had bosses (outside teaching) expect me to stay up to an hour late and I was steaming with rage almost every night. I think it's a really cheeky thing to do, you are not being at all U!

OhAnother I don't know anything about working in a call centre, but I know all about dreading work before I've even started the day. On that front my advice is to see if you can improve the situation, or if not, make your plans to move on. I did a year of dreading work and it was, as my mother would say, "character building"!

(I'm guessing that you work for a utilities company!)

Don't suffer fools ; I think it's ridiculous that you don't pay your staff for additional time worked. Cal centre work is demanding and generally poorly paid so the least a company can do it pay for the hours worked. Shameful

Curbside it's very similar! I'm going to stick it out until I've finished my 6 month probation and then if I still feel the same way I will look to move onto something else! I've always thought I don't care if I'm getting minimum wage if it's a job I love. My last job was just that until the situation changed, more hours and new management changed everything and I started to hate it there. It's also my first full time job so a massive shock to the system and I miss DD so much, I just need to find something that I don't resent doing for the rest of my life! (Any suggestions? ) Yesterday morning, I was contemplating having another baby just for the maternity leave until I gave myself a good shaking as that way madness lies!

start as u mean to go on. u work there now. they can't fire u for not working for free. just email your manager and say u were caught of guard yesterday but your contracted hours are until 8pm and due to public transport and childcare issues unless u already on a call (as you would not jeopardise customer service in this way) you cannot stay later than 8pm.
honestly i have worked in a call centre (24/7 so u didn't take calls in last 5mins to prep hand over, the next shift started 15 mins before the end of the next) and it's bizarre that they think lines can close at 8 and the staff can also finish at 8. if lines close at 8 then shift should finish at 8:15 imo, they should expect people to stay unpaid because they can't work out that lines closing means calls can still be queuing plus follow up notes may need to be done etc.

"Its the same for staff in retail when customers come in 5 minutes before closing.....unfortunately people are selfish and dont give a shit that they keep the member of staff behind 20 mins after they stopped being paid."

Your problem is with your employer, not the customer. Your employer should be paying you for all your work. If the shop is open then of course customers are allowed to come in.

|t's very tight if your bus is at 8.06 and you finish at 8.00. I think in most jobs you aren't just allowed to down tools the moment the clock strikes the hour. But if they can't get the work finished by 8 then I agree they should pay people overtime to stay late.

dontsufferfools 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.

you sound like a shit manager tbh

Not a very kind comment Pink - there are lots of jobs where you don't just 'knock off' on the dot - I don't think I've ever worked in an environment where you can just leave because it's 5 o'clock or whatever.

As dont says - it is the 'nature of the beast' in most customer focused environments and it sounds as though dont is flexible in other ways - a point you left out of your quote.

I think that the problem is that as managers don't expect to finish exactly on time, they don't realise that staff on low salaries expect to (and should do). Your finish time should be 15 minutes later if you are expected to finish calls. The same thing should happen in retail -I'm sure customers don't realise that you are only paid until the moment the shop officially closes.

Not a very kind comment Pink - there are lots of jobs where you don't just 'knock off' on the dot - I don't think I've ever worked in an environment where you can just leave because it's 5 o'clock or whatever.

I haven't either but I'm not paid a minimum wage or low wage. Those that do should be able to leave on the dot. In fact, if they are on minimum wage e.g. retail I think it would be illegal to make them stay if they are not being paid.

Mary - well I have worked in retail (on NMW) and you don't just walk out at the end of your shift if you are in the middle of serving a customer.

A good manager (and I have worked in management as well ) will recognise that employees are working 'extra' and will try and offer flexibility in other ways - ie: letting people leave early when they are not busy, coming in late, take a longer coffee break ... etc.

I remember working in Tesco and having a clock in card....

First we were told to put stuff in lockers etc, THEN clock in. Then it was our shift only counted when we reached the till. So you needed to arrive ten min early to clear locker areas, be stopped for quick manager chat and walk across the store trying to avoid customers asking you where an item was and potentially a colleague to sign off a till for you by serving a customer. 2 min late= 15 min pay dock on clocking in, overtime paid in 15 min blocks so 14 min over didn't count. Try getting off a till in time with a queue of customers! So you frequently arrived early, left late and lost pay for your efforts.

When you finished at 10pm (24hr store)hardly any checkouts were to remain open after that and managers hid to avoid the angry customers. I'd once actually had to climb out over the bagging area at 10.30 to avoid two customers blocking our till exit and trying to make us serve.

I learnt well.....I became a teacher after that

Mary - well I have worked in retail (on NMW) and you don't just walk out at the end of your shift if you are in the middle of serving a customer.

Obviously not (I've worked in retail too although not on NMW). However, in all the shops I've worked in the staff on NMW did all leave no more than five minutes after shop closing. If the shop expects them to stay longer they should pay for it not only morally but legally (if the staff are on NMW).

I used to work a Sunday shift at a supermarket and we were paid for half hour after it closed to give us time to close the tills and tidy up after the last customer. Thats what should happen everywhere. If you are working you should be paid for it. You aren't volunteering ffs!

OhAnother I'm in the charity sector now and it's great