Missed 3 hours of lunch break

[ThereIsNoLeftFalangie]

AIBU to feel quite pissed off that I've missed out on 3 hours of my lunch break.
Work in a school, have been on quite a few trips for the last term. On trips the children get 30 mins lunch with staff eating alongside and supervising. Normally at school staff will get an hour lunch which is not paid. I don't mind missing out 30mins on the odd trip but it's taking the micky when im owed 2 hours. We're all expected to do things out of goodwill but thoses favours are never reciprocated by management. If they had to pay me for all the times I've worked passed my finish time they'd be in for a shock. Should I mention the 3 hours im owed?

Walkaround - well in my opinion, your job being your identity is pretty sad. I don’t mean YOU but people who feel that way.

A job is easily lost. A company can soon go out of business. On my deathbed I will regret how much time I spend at work. We are a long time dead...

I say all this as a teacher. Do I like what I do? Meh. If I won the lottery I would be off! It’s still just a job to me, not a vocation that God called me to. Working part time really helps! Oh and at my school, the staff room is full at lunch time! As far as I can see, teachers and TAs take at least 30 mins out.

Biggobyboo - I don't think it is always sad. On the rare occasions where it works out and someone has a lifetime in a job they love and is hugely respected and loved for it in return, it can be lovely. That's rare though, of course - the reality is, more often, that people who do this ultimately realise it was neither really noticed or appreciated, but actually just taken for granted while noisier, more ambitious people played the system around them and ended up better paid and more appreciated for considerably less work.

You do know that it’s JUST a job right? Your employer would easily get rid of you if they could

Agreed. My days of making myself ill and working crazy hours for work are over. I still do the job to the best of my abilities and of course sometimes it’s mega busy and I need to go above and beyond but running myself into the ground for a job that would replace me in the blink of an eye if I dropped dead tomorrow - nah.

Oh and once you leave a job...within days or weeks you are forgotten. I’ve bumped into people from previous jobs who I have no idea who I am.

I have a friend who worked for Thomas Cook as senior cabin crew. She had worked there for 15 years, was really passionate, volunteered for extra hours etc, took part in PR work. She’s now understandably quite bitter about all that. I think she’s got back some of the money they owed her and sold her uniform on eBay. Not sure what happens to her pension. As she said to me “what was it all for?” Do all the passengers she smiled at and sold drinks and food to remember her effort? Or the times she agreed to work over her hours (unpaid) to work a flight after a delay when technically the crew were out of hours?

She’s working as a Christmas temp in Debenhams now. Nothing wrong with working in a shop but she feels like it’s a huge comedown for her.

Oh and once you leave a job...within days or weeks you are forgotten

This is true too.

So many people proud of working for little or no money

I think in a number of schools at present if a TA left she/he may not be replaced because of the school cannot afford To do so.

Ugh those ‘you’ll be replaced if you die’ responses are so tedious! Of corse you’ll be replaced if you leave, die blah blah BUT if you don’t like your job find something else don’t come on Mumsnet to moan about three measly hours. Say no to the next school trip or choose a different job? Perhaps a shop where breaks are rota’d - competition for jobs now is fierce which is why a lot of people put unpaid hours in. I work for a charity so if I work outside my paid hours I’m not going to ask for more money or play the martyr because it’s my choice and I can quite easily leave if I don’t like it

I guess it depends where in the country you are. I’ve just counted 18 TA jobs being advertised in my local area. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Retired65 - true. That's not an excuse to abuse existing employees' goodwill, however. You cannot be sacked or made redundant for asking for something to which you are entitled.

MrsBadcrumble123 - well that’s up you. 🤷🏻‍♀️

We can’t get teachers where I live. Nobody applied for the last vacancy we had. 15 teaching jobs in my local area being advertised. 90 registered nurses vacant posts at the local hospital.

MrsBadCrumble123 - what a silly argument. It is as easy to leave a paid job as it is easy to work for absolutely no pay whatsoever. Are you willing and can you afford to do your job as a volunteer, 100% unpaid? Because that could easily be arranged.

You would also be doing a favour to someone who needs to work for money.

And TAs are not easily replaceable! When my school advertised for two TAs, most of the applicants were school mums who said they wanted a nice easy job to fit around school hours.

Some of the application forms were appalling. In the end we gave the roles to a lady who had had a career in the City who wanted to retrain as a teacher and had been volunteering in a school for a year. And a qualified teacher who wanted to step down as she neared retirement.

The TA in my class is amazing and very experienced. I think she earns around £10 an hour.

Ugh those ‘you’ll be replaced if you die’ responses are so tedious!

The point is why should people skivvy around and work for free when employers on a personal level don’t give a fuck about you.

Maybe you are in the wrong job

Rubbish. There are NO jobs where it is justified to make people work long hours without a break. Stop accepting it.

I resent the unpaid marking / preparation I do at home. It’s not like the government / parents / children / SLT care about me or thank me for my efforts. I don’t feel a sense of pride or humility in doing it! Just annoyance.

I also have no plans to become SLT myself.

As I keep saying - I’m not a nun. I’m not called by God to teach. It pays my mortgage and gives me a pension. When I retire or win the lottery I won’t look back!

Even shop assistants have to wait until the last customer leaves after closing time and often then wait to cash up etc

I've worked in retail and whilst this is true, they also get proper breaks and are expected to take them.

When I worked for John Lewis (this was years ago, not sure how it's changed now), we got a 45 min morning coffee break, 45 min lunch break and a 30 min afternoon tea break! We were treated well so you didn't mind too much staying behind for a short while here or there.

Not providing proper breaks just leads to dissatisfied staff. Look how many teachers are leaving the profession in droves.

Yeah sure. Email them. See what they say. . All the teachers I know are in more time deficit that you. Career change for you I think - it’ll only get worse.

When I temped in an office, I took my 30 mins or hour lunch (unpaid) and so did all the other admin staff.

DH is military and regularly takes two hour lunch breaks and goes to the gym and leaves at midday on a Wednesday and Friday!

@Biggobyboo exactly, I completely agree with you.

I'm a nurse. I usually only get one half hour break in a 12.5 hour shift!

Fgs I miss lunch almost every day at my job... I worked 3 hours past my finish time yesterday. your work is a package deal not timed.

You absolutely should be compensated in some way. You are not paid for lunch breaks, therefore should not work for free. When I worked as a TA (I left because the pay is so awful), our school gave it back to us in time. So every time we went in a school trip, we were allowed to leave a half hour early.

Don't understand all the comments about 'you don't work with children for the time off'. It's a job like any other job, and one that pays badly enough to begin with.

TAs are not paid salary like teachers, they are paid are paid only for the hours that they work, and should stick to those hours (and duties as outlined in their contracts).

LemonPrism - would you like a medal?

You’re a long time dead...