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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Who was BU? Manager or Colleague - Time And Pay

214 replies

Notss · 22/05/2019 14:08

Hi all,

I’d welcome thoughts on an issue that happened in the office last week; as I can see both sides and wanted others thoughts:

We’ve just gotten a new manager. Before he joined, the unwritten policy was that as long as you didn’t take the P you could leave the occasional half hour early for appointments, childcare whatever as long as your work wasn’t behind and you would made it up at some point when it was needed.

The new manger however isn’t keen on this; last week a colleague asked if she could leave half an hour early for an appointment. The manger asked her to email him with a written request. She was then allowed to leave half an hour early but was docked half an hours pay. (We’re salaried)

Yesterday, we were in a staff meeting lead by this manager. It got to got to the end of our directed hours; and we were about two thirds through the agenda. My colleague stood up, said see you tomorrow and walked out. She said this morning it was in response to being docked pay — if that’s the way the manger wants to play it, she isn’t working a second beyond her contract hours.

What are people’s thoughts?
Thanks!

OP posts:
ChicCroissant · 22/05/2019 14:39

It is unusual to be salaried and paid overtime IME. My DH has that kind of contract currently as well.

If she would have been paid extra for staying (I doubt this, though) then it probably wasn't wise to walk out.

Sparkles07 · 22/05/2019 14:41

Completely agree with the colleague and wish I had the balls to do this!

BlingLoving · 22/05/2019 14:41

Entirely depends if you were being paid overtime for the meeting.

Her approach was fairly unprofessional, bu tit certainly got the message across.

I've always found this frustrating - bosses who expect you to work late/ come in early/ respond to calls and emails on weekends etc but who give you the evil eye if you take an extra 10 minutes at lunch or leave five minutes early.

RussianSpamBot · 22/05/2019 14:42

Haha good for your colleague!

CuriousaboutSamphire · 22/05/2019 14:43

OP said overtime is paid for contact with clients so I don't think meetings would be covered.

I am also certain that if you are salaried you can't be docked like that especially for a medical appointment.

HOWEVER, with words like 'gotten' and the other info, maybe OP is not in the UK???

FinallyHere · 22/05/2019 14:44

What does her contract say?

Mine says I am contracted to work for xx.x hours, or as long as the job takes. I have always looks for roles where there is some flexibility on both sides.

I think I would have had a conversation to put my point of view before walking out of a meeting, she may well already have done this.

The new manager may be incompetent or he may have been brought in in order to run a tighter ship.

Ultimately, the outcome will depend on the balance of power. How easy is it to find jobs in this area, how many empty positions are currently available.

NeatFreakMama · 22/05/2019 14:44

Cariadne

Do you think it’s likely to make her happy if she stays beyond her contracted hours to help out a manager who docked half an hours pay when she had to leave early? Who is made happy by working for free for a jobsworth who doesn’t appreciate you?

Well it depends it she wants to do well in this job or move jobs. If she wants to keep the job then walking out of a meeting in front of everyone with her new manager there is a terrible career move and thus she'll be unhappy because she won't get anywhere.

She should have behaved in a manor that suited the work environment.

Calltheguards · 22/05/2019 14:45

🥂 for the colleague. The more employees take abuse, the more they will be abused. She did the right thing for all of you.

cstaff · 22/05/2019 14:45

My old firm used to pay overtime but the first half hour never counted so if you were just finishing off or getting something urgent done before you left then that wouldn't count.

So you could be there up to 6pm and claim nothing and even if you were there until 6.30 it wasn't really worth it to put in for half an hour. The other side of that was that if you were running late or needed to leave a bit early they were quite good about it once you didn't take the proverbial.

AryaStarkWolf · 22/05/2019 14:46

I'm with your colleague, the manager can't have it both ways.

Jebuschristchocolatebar · 22/05/2019 14:46

I do the leaving meetings thing regularly. We are on a salary and I work full time but we have to apply in advance for overtime hours. If someone schedules a meeting and it runs over I leave. As one of my friends says “I stop working when you stop putting coins in the meter”.

FilledSoda · 22/05/2019 14:48

Yep the Colleague

FilledSoda · 22/05/2019 14:48

Is right Smile

justasking111 · 22/05/2019 14:49

There is a new manager in the charity I used to work for who according to ex colleagues is causing chaos, threatening redundancy all over the department at a national level. He is also bringing in his own team from his old charity. Not a happy ship at the moment. They are all scanning situations vacant. This in a charity fundraising department where they should be concentrating on raising money.

I would be very careful he may have a hidden agenda OP of which you know nothing.

Nearlythere1 · 22/05/2019 14:49

Haha thank you @cstaff, and no, he had no comeback, which is evidently why he never spoke to me again :)

amusedbush · 22/05/2019 14:49

HOWEVER, with words like 'gotten' and the other info, maybe OP is not in the UK???

I'm Scottish and hear "gotten" a lot...

H2OH20Everywhere · 22/05/2019 14:49

Something similar happened to DP.

When he started, things were flexible. It turned out the place had no tools to use for his job (no idea what the previous employee had done), so he brought all his up from his mother's house and put them in the workshop to use. It wasn't in his contract that he had to supply his own he just did to make it easier for himself and to stop the place having to buy any. He'd also work extra hours in return for taking the time off another day, and if he needed to use his car for a job he would, but would then use a company car if his was in the garage. It all worked find and the top boss was happy.

In came a new intermediate boss who put his foot down. Wanted everything to benefit the company (and ultimately himself - he was taking over in a year) and not the staff. So unpaid overtime, use of own cars if necessary and woe betide someone for borrowing a company car, even if nobody else needed it. DP packed up his tools, refused to do anything in his own vehicle and would always leave on the dot, even if he was in the middle of something.

The new guy hated it, especially having to spend money hiring or buying tools which had been there the week before. It was his own fault though. When the top dog got wind of what was happening he spoke to DP, resolved the issue and gave him a pay rise. Idiot boss eventually lost his job, not just for this but I'm sure it didn't help matters.

dadshere · 22/05/2019 14:52

Your colleague is a star! I wish I had the courage to do that sometimes!

DarlingNikita · 22/05/2019 14:53

Good for her! Yes, possibly walking out of a meeting without a word was unprofessional, but she was making a point. Which I trust won't need to be made again.

AryaStarkWolf · 22/05/2019 14:53

I'm Scottish and hear "gotten" a lot...

We use gotten in Ireland too, I only realised the English don't use it about a year ago

Cariadne · 22/05/2019 14:53

She should have behaved in a manor that suited the work environment.

She did. Her behaviour was perfectly suited to the work environment created by her manager.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 22/05/2019 14:55

I only realised the English don't use it about a year ago being English it always stands out, sounds wrong somehow. I didn't know it was common in Ireland and Scotland!! Yet another school day Smile

missbattenburg · 22/05/2019 14:56

She should have behaved in a manor that suited the work environment.

Which manor?

Worktorule Manor?

Leavontime Hall?

Cannothaveitbothways Castle?

Grin
Original poster
Notss · 22/05/2019 14:56

To clarify further;

Yes; we’re in the UK - England.

Overtime wasn’t paid for the meeting. We only get paid it if we do extra face to face, billable client time above our contract.

OP posts:
Bluetrews25 · 22/05/2019 14:57

What's the betting that the colleague will be jobhunting now? I would not want to stay in that environment.