To be fed up of doing a 2 full extra days of work for free a week

[Deadcatbounce]

I took a pay cut and went down to 3 days a week earlier this year , will be or rest of this year at least , tend to do 4 days min to Thurs just to keep up but don't work Friday.

I'm finding constant meetings and email requests for work now on a Friday so I am doing 5 days plus sometimes a day at the weekend all unpaid

I'm not.getting irritated as it seems to have become the norm, I know I am.lucky yo have a job but equally.dont take the piss

Out of office reply from Wednesday night. Do not check email or answer phone until Monday. Have a line under your signature saying my working days ar M T W. Done.

Why are you checking messages, work and meeting requests on your non work days? Set an out of office

I have a 4 days a week job. I am happy, within reason, to flex those days to fit with work, so will sometimes work Friday rather than Wednesday, for example.

But that flexibility on my part has meant the assumption at work is that I am available every day. So now when I am asked to do something on a Friday, and I am available and don't mind doing it, I say 'Well, that's not a day I work. Do you want me to work that day and swap it for a day in December? I'll confirm that in an email'. Then I do.
I now have the last three working days before we finish for Christmas confirmed in writing as days off in lieu. If the workload continues similarly over the next few months, I should be able to isolate for 14 days before meeting family, if that is allowed by then.
So decide what you are prepared to do, and what you are not, bearing in mind that you are only employed for 0.6 and paid for that. Then just be calm, firm and factual.
If I have something else on, or don't want to swap my days, I just say, 'Sorry, I can't do that Friday'. Followed by ' I only work 0.8, if you remember'.

What will happen if you continue is that your bosses will see that they pay you for 3 days and you are still doing the same amount of work as when you were 5 days. They won’t put this down to you working unpaid now but rather that it is possible to do it in 3 days and you must have been slow before!! There is no incentive Dow them to put your hours back up. Be firm. Turn off your work phone and lap top on your days off and leave it until the Monday.

Hi, it's normal.for people to work a lot of extra hours which I why I work Thursdays, but Friday no, and yes we all do evening work as well at times

YABU for not standing up for yourself. Just tell them you dont work Thursdays and Fridays and be firm. Also if your having to work Thursdays just to keep up then you need to talk to your boss about lessening your work load.

Stop being a martyr and speak up.

Why do you keep working on your days off?

Stop being a mug!

I can’t vote because YANBU to not want to work Thursdays, Fridays or weekends but YABU to actually agree to do it

Your boss is part of the problem but to be honest you’re the main cause here. Tthe only person that is actually going to be able to change this is you. Unless you stick to your working hours they’re just going to keep booking meetings in - there’s no incentive for them not to.
Sorry if that sounds harsh

Every time they ask you to do something on Thursday or Friday, tell them you don’t work those days, and if they need you those specific dates, you’ll take Monday and/or Tuesday off instead. When you’re asked to do additional work on a day when you don’t work, ask what your boss wants you to drop to make room for it, and tell him/her the time you’ll be taking off on Mon-Weds instead. You have to get into the mindset that they get 21(ish) hours of work from you a week, and to do extra OF COURSE you need to drop something else, and OF COURSE if you’re asked to work on a day you don’t work, that’s not possible, so you won’t be there. Then your responses will have the right tone.

Don’t forget you’re doing yourself a real disservice by working any extra at all - you’re not paying your national insurance or pension contributions for those extra days, so your retirement pay will only be based on the time you’re contracted for, let alone your current pay.

If you start from the premise that OF COURSE your employers wouldn’t be asking you to work for free, then you’ll effectively be asking them to justify it every time they ask you to do it, and since there’s no justification, they’ll end up either looking like fools to everyone else, or realising how ridiculous they’re being. Be your own best advocate here.

I said YABU as you need to put your OOO on and not work your days off.

Fuck that. You took a pay cut for a reason.

YANBU

But yabu for not using your words and saying this isn't on. If there's enough work for you to fill 4 or 5 days then they shouldn't have cut your hours to 3 days!

They have 2 choices - you work the 3 days you're being paid for (with a bit of goodwill overtime on those 3 days as you see fit). Or, they reinstate your contracted hours.

They can't pay you for 3 days and expect 4 or 5 days of work. That's not reasonable in any industry.

Most companies expect their staff to work extra hours for free sometimes, especially in busy periods, but most companies don't expect their part-time staff to work full-time continuously?!

Your company is having a laugh OP and exploiting its employees. Disgraceful.

Stop being a martyr, I would put money on it the men who’ve dropped 2 days, take those 2 days off

Depending on how much you earn if doing extra hours unpaid puts you below NMW overall that is illegal.

On your calendar block your non-working days as "out of office" called "non-working day"

Decline meetings on those days.

If your boss needs you to work on either of those for a very specific reason just say "ok well I will swap it with a week Monday then"

Confirm in email...

I worked 4 days Mon to Thu but on the understanding if I was needed Friday then I'd have a Monday off.

I have voted YABU, but only because it really is up to you to put a stop to it.

Lots of people will take the mick, including employers. However, they get away with it if you let them.

They know what your working days are. If they choose to hold a meeting on your day off, they can't expect you to attend it.

As others have stated, include in your email signature the days that you do not work and who to contact if something is urgent on those days. Then don't log on on your days off. I know it's hard sometimes not to. But if you do slip, make sure you only do it to check what work you will need to do on your next working day, not to do any actual work.

It's entirely up to you to manage people's expectations. It will help you in the long run, by not feeling so aggrieved.

Tell your boss that if they don’t start paying you for 4 or 5 days again you’re going to take another job on those days and be entirely uncontactable.

Just decline. Or at least make an excuse " I have an appointment at [time of meeting] as it's my day off.

When I had non working days I took my child swimming or to the farm or beach and stuff - I was definitely not answering my phone or checking email at all.

What the heck? This is MADNESS just say 'sorry we'll need to do that next week as I no longer work Fridays, after I had my hours cut'

Honestly OP, just say no

Stop working on your days off
Stop accepting meetings for your days off
It’s really that simple. I don’t understand why people put themselves through this shit.

Block your calendar every thursday and friday. Your out of office auto reply should go on at 4pm on Wednesday.

Turn the laptop and work phone off at the end of Wednesday.

Invent a new commitment (volunteering? Second job to cover your pay cut in March) that you've taken on on Thursday and Friday. Explain that as your hours were cut, you can't continue to do the full work load. You are happy to come back at full time, but of course on your orginal rate.

Yes your boss is taking the piss, but as you seem willing, why wouldn't she. What indication have you given her that you don't want to work the hours you are working?