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AIBU?

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Original poster

Anyone work excessive overtime for free?

101 replies

Itsjustlife · 10/12/2018 14:38

Last month there was a very busy period at work, I worked many hours extra.
Firstly I wasn't asked if i could do this i was put in a position where i had to. I get paid (salary) for 35 hours a week however worked in excess of 70 for 3 consecutive weeks. This was also away from home.
Its now a quiet time in the build up to xmas and have suggested getting some of the time back. The response has been its part of the job and not how the company operates so in fact NO!
I see this as unreasonable. Does anyone else do this? i have a strong CV and would pick up another job. This situation at work looks like it will not change and extra will be required going forward

OP posts:
HelenaDove · 11/12/2018 01:09

Ta.... will have a read I was curious after reading the Boxing Day thread.

Purpleartichoke · 11/12/2018 05:28

I have minimum billable hours each week. When I work long periods of overtime, i have some flexibility in subsequent weeks, but can’t drop below my minimum.

My current job, overtime is rare, but does happen. It is definitely unpaid. My previous job has no respect for workers. We were expected to work late week after week. I did the job because it I needed it to build my resume, but once I had the skills I needed, I moved on to a place with a better work life balance.

Jimdandy · 11/12/2018 05:31

No. Never. And I’m a Solicitor.

I physically can’t as I have to pick the kids up etc ( I re-trained after I had kids)

shesaysgoes · 11/12/2018 05:36

Construction professional here. I'm salaried and just have to accept the huge amounts of unpaid overtime.

But then my salary reflects this and there are weeks where I probably only work 4 hours a day, it's a bit of give and take

GrammarTeacher · 11/12/2018 05:57

I think most salaried people (like teachers) have a 'get out' clause in their contracts implying that you just have to get the work done usually with the rather subjective word 'reasonable' thrown in for good measure. So, you would indeed be hard pressed to find a teacher who only works their directed hours but no one is breaking their contract. What I find frustrating is the lack of TOIL in teaching even when classes have left on study leave. And the 'unfairness' of some 'overtime' as some people do loads of extracurricular activities and others do none.

Poodles1980 · 11/12/2018 06:24

My dh regularly workes 80+hours. Week as a legal professional and never gets any time off in lieu. I regularly get asked to take on extra work in my job but my view in it has always been - if you stop putting coins in the meter, it stops working.

SinglePringle · 11/12/2018 06:37

Absolutely standard in my field. In fact, In fact, for the last four weeks (and for this one coming) I’ve been in work by 8am and not left before 8pm, sometimes after 9pm. But salary reflects this and next week, I’ll be able to say I’m not coming in for a couple of days / get in for 10 and leave at 5 if I want and it won’t be questioned.

stopfuckingshoutingatme · 11/12/2018 06:39

I do
All the time
But I earn a lot so feel
Like I have to really

kktpj · 11/12/2018 06:39

Teachers......

Canibuildasnowman · 11/12/2018 06:43

My DW works 12 hour days and most weekends for 6 hours a day. But she gets a very high salary ( top 1%). Not worth it in my opinion and I have begged her to get a ‘normal’ job like mine.

SilverDoe · 11/12/2018 06:50

Basically yah, you have to judge it based on your circumstances. If you’re a minimum wage retail worker and they’re expecting you to work unpaid overtime because they’re short staffed, you’d be an absolute mug to stay.

If you earn a fair but not huge salary then they should have a compensation scheme like flexi time so it’s fair and you can earn your time back elsewhere.

If you’ve got a huge salary and a specialist role then I would expect it as part of the job, but the real problem is your boss’ attitude. Regardless of your pay scale, if your employer can both expect you to work unpaid overtime as well as freaking out if you want to leave an hour early one day (work load permitting) then that’s a problem with your management’a attitude and I would not be happy working in that kind of culture.

AllIWantForChristmasIsTomHardy · 11/12/2018 06:51

I'm on an average salary. Frequently work an extra hour or hour and hAlf in the office. Sometimes also log in at home. Last week until 11pm every night. No overtime. My manager is good with time if I need it but I can't just decide to finish early like op wanted. I know others are paid more than me who don't work extra. I'm hoping for a promotion and pay increase to at least what my colleagues get.
No shiny pension either like privileged public sector workers with their overtime and flexitime

BobbinThreadbare123 · 11/12/2018 06:52

I have a reasonable salary and I am paid for every minute of overtime I do and can also build up TOIL. I am a 'professional' but this is science not finance or law. It's not an expectation, at my grade, to go over hours each week. I'm not the bottom of the heap, either. I've also taught and I know it's 1265 hr + extra as needed, but I sure as shit considered anything that wasn't lesson planning to be OT!

FormerlyFrikadela01 · 11/12/2018 06:58

It's a sorry state of affairs that so many people have answered about how normal and expected this is in so many professions.
I used to work loads of unpaid overtime when I first qualified as a nurse. It was pointless putting toil down becasue you could never claim it. I saw sense when I realised I'd not seen my family for literally months due to working so much. I now record every second of overtime I do. Thankfully out new eroster system automatically gives you a toil day once you've accumulated enough hours.

Ladymargarethall · 11/12/2018 07:03

Teachers.

Comtesse · 11/12/2018 07:03

Yanbu but they are. Some unpaid overtime, ok fine. Working 70 hours a week 3 weeks on the bounce but no flex in return? Nope, not on. I work in one of the Big 4 so no stranger to long hours but that’s rubbish. I might have an 18 hour day one day but just 4 hours another day (average about 9) so figure I get a lot of flex. Also bill and laid on the timesheet is just fine. Might be time to look for a new job OP?

scatteredglitter · 11/12/2018 07:04

Of you have worke d that much OT you have essentially saved your company a second salary (and pension etc)
I do work OT to get the job done at times but never feel taken for granted and have flexibility and an understanding boas who let s is take an hour here or there (especially at Christmas leaf up )
I wouldn't stay though if that level of OT is expected - dose enough the odd hour or two, but anything over 3/4 hours a week extra - as I said that s a whole other story.
Leave. (I have left a similar situation in the last because of that expectation, and my current situation even though it demands a bit now and again is totally different )

HumptyNumptyNooNoo · 11/12/2018 07:05

This sounds terrible to me. If I work long hours it's because it's all chargeable and means I make more pay. I wouldn't ever expect others to put in extra hours without extra pay. Time to move on I'd say !

guineapig1 · 11/12/2018 07:08

All well and good for other’s to say move on but finding another job isn’t always so easy. As pps have said sadly this is the norm for many salaried professional roles - lawyers/teachers/medics/engineers/architects etc etc

Biggreygoose · 11/12/2018 07:08

I generally work way more than my weekly hours (average about 50) but to balance that:

I make very good money

My career has excellent prospects

No toil as such, but where I don't have work to do (or it can wait) I don't. Often have days where I roll in at 10:30 and leave at 4. After a stretch of crazy hours I can just decide to take the time.

Uber flexible employer, never worry about taking doctors appointments at whatever time, picking up the kid, black Friday shopping spree, pissing off early to get to the beach.(as long as work does get done!)

My only hard and fast rule is that my phone goes off on Friday when I finish and doesn't go on until 9pm Sunday evening.

To me it's worth it.

OliviaStabler · 11/12/2018 07:09

I think it depends on the industry / profession you work in and what is common practice.

Last few permanent jobs I've worked you'd do extra time when necessary but then take time off in lieu. You'd never get paid overtime, but you could take time back when it is quiet / quieter.

LellyMcKelly · 11/12/2018 07:12

I regularly work well over my full time hours, and in busy times can go for a month without a proper day off (I’m a lecturer). However, and this is really important to me, as long as I’m not teaching my time is pretty flexible, so I can still collect the kids from school a few days a week and work from home when I need to.

toriap2 · 11/12/2018 07:13

I used to. Many many hours, and one of the perks was on a Friday, sometimes the boss would come in and say, go home early. Other departments complained. So we got an email stating our hours are 9 to 5 . So now I stick to it. Their loss

eddielizzard · 11/12/2018 07:14

Unless your salary reflects the overtime I'd be looking for another job.

If none of us put up with this crap, companies would be forced to change working practices.

When you resign make sure to make it very clear that this is the reason why you're leaving. It won't help you now, but it may help your future ex-colleagues.

Seventytwoseventythree · 11/12/2018 07:21

Yes all the time unfortunately (junior doctor). I try to keep it to a minimum because even when I only work my contracted hours it’s around 55 hours per week with lots of shifts which gets tiring, so doing more is not ideal, but usually it’s about 1-1.5 hours per day over.

If there was an option not to then I would switch employers for that reason alone, even if I was paid less I think.

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