Can my employer make me do this?

[thedoginthenighttime]

I'm a regular but have namechanged.

I work in a role with 'normal' office hours. I'm responsible for quite a large budget, of which a considerable amount is spent at a weekend (involves retail without being too outing).

Lately I've been having to log on and do a little work on the weekends, which is unpaid. Today my employer told me they are not happy and want to formalise weekend working.

This will be in the form of two hours each weekend day. It will be every other week alternating with another colleague.

In exchange for this they have offered four hours off during the week. There will be restrictions on when I can take this.

My concerns are:

1 - I already work lunchtimes, late nights to get my work done. The weekend workload will be an addition. I cannot foresee any day where I would be able to take back four hours.

2 - I don't see the weekend work can be completed in this two hours and worry I'm opening myself up for constant requests for work all weekend

3 - It means I'll work 7 days a week

4 - If will mean my whole weekend is disruptive and four hours back doesn't seem enough compensation.

When I raised these points today I was told
I was being difficult. I requested my manager set up a meeting with HR and was told to stop being disruptive.

WWYD? Is this fair?

[Missingstreetlife]

She can ask the union, they will give her info how to join
Loads of people join when they need help

[Tipsntoes]

I've had two thoroughly unpleasant work situations in my career. Having paid union subs all my life, I found that they were completely useless and had no interest at all in helping.

I "won" in both cases because I was in the right. In one I got great help from ACAS and the other from Working Families

I still pay the union membership because I believe in the union movement and am grateful for all the collective rights they have gained us, but for individual cases I have found them to be rubbish.

[Moussemoose]

Don't assume HR are correct. They are often misrepresented by management and/or they are just wrong. Scared people do what they are told.

[JaneEyre70]

I'd get professional advice on this, either from ACAS or a union. It sounds shit tbh.

[eddielizzard]

but but but...

2 hours each weekend day is not the same as 4 hours during the week in my view. i'd want a better deal than that.

i can see why you're upset. i would also not be happy. at all.

i would go to hr. i also think they're bluffing that they've got sign off for this.

if they insist on it, i'd be looking for another job. outrageous.

[Moussemoose]

@Tipsntoes local volunteer reps sometimes aren't well trained but you always have recourse to full time regional officials. You should be able to get specific help for individual cases.

[Moussemoose]

Posted too soon.....

ACAS do have a range of really good materials though.

[PramWanker]

They obviously don't want HR involved so that in itself tells you something. What do you think would happen if you asked if you could see HR's sign off on this?

[DerelictWreck]

Is it necessarily a change to your contract?

Mine just says 37.5 hours per week - it does not say Mon-Fri.

I agree with others on speaking to HR, who know's what they've been told if anything!

[oblada]

How long have u been there for? Under 2yrs and you may not have much to go on... Over 2yrs and they need a good business case to back it up...

[Tipsntoes]

I did speak to the main office, Mousse, not the workplace rep, but I didn't get any help at all. Two different unions because of a change of career too.

Working Families were brilliant when I was being asked to change my hours and it didn't work for my family.

[BewareOfDragons]

I would say no and start looking for another position. They are absolutely taking the piss, and that schedule would really fuck up my family life!

[Allaboutthatcake]

So much crap advice here. Please call Acas OP.

[thedoginthenighttime]

Sorry it might not have been clear.

It's not in retail as in a shop, I work in the head offices - it's a skilled budget management role that can't be done by either my colleague or I. Hence I have been working through lunches etc because that's kind of the norm.

It's not a role where you would normally expect weekend working.

[thedoginthenighttime]

Sorry can't be done by anyone other than my colleague or I!

We are both very competent in our jobs.

Basically it requires an element of reacting to live sales. I can see that there is a need for the work. But previously we had managed this through weekdays with careful forecasting and planning.

[oblada]

How long u've been there tho OP?

[MamaNell]

Are they proposing that you get 4 hours off EVERY week, and you work the weekend hours EVERY OTHER week? If thats the case it would be a much better deal.
I know that with a busy job it can be hard to actually claim the 'half days' and leave at lunchtime. In which case you should ask if you can roll them together every 2 weeks to get a full day off. Which is practise would be better. Work the 7 day rota, then work the standard 5 day rota (which would be 12 days on the trot) and then get you normal weekend off, and then your 'extra' day off so a 3 day weekend. Which should help recharge your batteries.
Even if thats not possible ask to take the 4 hours back by going in at lunchtime on a Monday so its impossible to work too late.

[Viviennemary]

Just say you are not prepared to formalise this weekend working and are unable to commit to it. No wonder they don't want you to tell HR because it's probably illegal what they are trying to do. I'd just say no you're not prepared to do it. You won't be able to relax at the weekend knowing you have this two hours to fit in. I'd be looking for a new job.

[TittyGolightly]

It’s not illegal.

FFS.

[Moussemoose]

If you have been doing it for a while they could argue it is already implicit in your contract through 'custom and practice'.

GET ADVICE

Join a union or contact ACAS.

[FrostiesMum]

I think you need to ask them to formalise in writing what they are proposing. There will be lots of factors that you reasonably haven’t included here - like whether weekend days are considered as normal working days by your organisation, which will be really relevant to this - so it is hard to advise. However, on the whole I would advise you to consider what’s offered and see if you can meet them part way; that way HR will most likely tell your manager to suck it up. It won’t feel like it, but this is a change, the ball’s in your court. See as an Oportunty, not a threat, if you can.

[Sprinklestar]

What happens if you want to go away for the weekend? Or have a break from work? Who’d want to work 7 days a week? I’d call their bluff!

[GU24Mum]

Do you think that the need for you to work at weekends is real or because the weekdays are too busy already? I'm guessing the former as you do it off your own bat at the moment? If so, it sounds as though the weekend work will need to be done and if it's only by you or your colleague then the job does need to be changed. If you think it can be done but not at a weekend, could you go in with a proposal for how that could work? Alternatively, can any part of the work you do during the week be given to someone else which would at least mean that you are working different but not more hours?

I think it's much better to formalise it else you are working the extra hours as a complete freebie.

It's completely reasonable that you don't want to work more hours. Where it's difficult is if you know that the work to be done at weekends needs to be done by the people doing your role and your colleague's role but you don't want that work pattern (which isn't what you originally signed up for). Longer term, that's likely to be a redundancy situation if the weekday role is redundant but the role with weekend working needs to be filled.

I'm not remotely saying that you should let your employer walk all over you but I'd have a think about what you think you want to achieve and what is workable then go to them with suggestions that work for you.