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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

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

108 replies

Deadcatbounce · 09/10/2020 18:33

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

OP posts:

DynamoKev · 09/10/2020 19:20

YABU stop doing it.

LaurieFairyCake · 09/10/2020 19:20

You're mad - you don't work Thursday, never mind Friday

JUST STOP

Ellmau · 09/10/2020 19:20

So you need to tell them you are now working 5 days a week and your pay needs to be reinstated. They are taking you for a ride.

ChikiTIKI · 09/10/2020 19:21

Yabu to do the hours when you don't have to. I've been there though and it's not fun.

What if you got another job those two days, one that actually pays?

Burnthurst187 · 09/10/2020 19:22

You're boss must love you, pays you for three days work but gets five!

You really need to stand up to him/her. I finish work at 4:00 and my work phone is switched off at 4:00 and left there

WhereverIGoddamnLike · 09/10/2020 19:23

What's the point in posting for help when you're clearly not going to do anything about it?

ZebraSpotts · 09/10/2020 19:28

Block out your calander for thurs-fri.

Sciurus83 · 09/10/2020 19:29

An inability to manage your time and being constantly available doesn't make you a good employee. You need to draw boundaries and stick to them. To be honest at this point it's your own fault if you're saying you don't mind working Thursday when you don't get paid and are responding to invites on your day off. Value yourself more. Why do you accept this treatment? Are you afraid of losing your job?

ithinkiveseenthisfilmbefore · 09/10/2020 19:34

You're cheapening your own value. Stop working on days you don't work. Tell them you'll switch working days to Fridays and drop Monday if that's easier for them. but you're only working the days you're being paid for.

Otherwise, go back to fulltime pay.

PanamaPattie · 09/10/2020 19:36

Stop being a muppet and block out your calendar.

Choice4567 · 09/10/2020 19:37

Another one chorusing ‘but why are you doing it?!’ Just say no. Don’t turn up to the meetings and don’t do the work

cansu · 09/10/2020 19:37

As it was your employer's decision to move to the three days, you need to ask your employer in writing whether they would like you to increase your hours to four or five days instead of three. If they say no, then you need to put some boundaries in place. Put an out of office reply on your email. Be clear that you will not be available on these days and stick to it. They are taking the piss because you are allowing it.

caringcarer · 09/10/2020 19:40

Your mistake was going to meeting. You should have stayed away and if anyone at work mentioned it you should say you had alternative plans for your day off. Block out your calendar and switch work phone off on days off. Do not respond to emails EVER on day off. You are enabling your employer to exploit you.

Original poster

Deadcatbounce · 09/10/2020 19:46

Thanks, all very helpful comments!

Last person who complained about being paid for 3 days and doing 4 or 5 got sacked and I'm the breadwinner so a rock and a hard place right now

They got no pay off nd a weeks notice

OP posts:

Kaiserin · 09/10/2020 19:47

YABU for working more than the hours you're paid. Seriously, what's wrong with you? Why are you letting your employer rob you?

Sobeyondthehills · 09/10/2020 19:48

You got cut down to 3 days, assuming there was not enough work in the business, but kept working a day for free for them, and now because you are doing that day, they have decided to up you to 5 days a week, 2 of those for free.

Can you not see how mad that is? And if you are working evenings and weekends, your business has effectivly got a full time worker for a part time wage and you have gone along with it.

Kaiserin · 09/10/2020 19:49

Oh, just saw your update. Your employers are crooks. I know times are hard, but don't work for crooks... look for a new job ASAP

Smallereveryday · 09/10/2020 19:50

So if they got sacked for that I would be taking them to a tribunal for unfair dismissal if I had been there over two years.. or suing them in the small claims court for unpaid work.

Depends on your pay rate - but if all your extra brings hourly rate below NMW then report them to the ACAS !!

Stop being passive. They put you in three days. Tell them your are working somewhere else for two days and are now unavailable. Sort out your OOO and turn off your work phone / laptop .

CheetasOnFajitas · 09/10/2020 19:51

I work 3 days a week. On one of my days off I have childcare and I sometimes use it to catch up in an “under the radar” way. On occasion I will agree to a meeting on that day if it will help someone out/keep a project moving/be in my interest. However on my other non-working day I am looking after my son and completely unable to work, so I never ever do so. Perhaps you should think of your situation like that- on days you do not work you are entitled to make plans that cannot be dropped if a work thing comes up, and those plans may involve commitment to other people so you are entitled to say “sorry, I can’t work”. Full stop. The business chose to give you those hours so they absolutely cannot complain that your unavailability is making things difficult for other staff/the objectives of the business.

Like yours, my job is one where working extra hours now and again is expected and reflected in the pay. When I was 5 days a week this manifested itself as late evenings and occasional work at weekends. The problem is that if you work during office hours on an NWD the full timers don’t realise you are doing extra unless you tell them. (Unless they are your manager-yours is taking the piss).

I have worked 3 days a week for 3 years now and every single week someone will propose a meeting on a day I don’t work. Full timers are incapable of remembering what days you are in, or that you are part time. I now have it on my email footer, make sure that my calendar is completely blocked out and have my out of office message set so that it pops up as soon as anyone starts to draft an email to me I.e. they don’t have to press send to find out I am not available. (not all versions of Outlook enable that though)

Umbridge34 · 09/10/2020 19:52

@Deadcatbounce

Thanks, all very helpful comments!

Last person who complained about being paid for 3 days and doing 4 or 5 got sacked and I'm the breadwinner so a rock and a hard place right now

They got no pay off nd a weeks notice

So basically your company knows exactly what its doing. Getting free labour out of you.

How long have you worked there? Surely if its more than 2 years they can't just get rid of you like that.

I'd be looking for other work anyway. No way I'd be working for such a piss taking company.

namechangenumber204 · 09/10/2020 19:53

Why are you checking your work laptop on your day off? Grow a pair and turn your laptop off on Wednesday evening after putting on your OOO. They are taking the piss and you are letting them. If there is enough work for you to work 5 days they should be paying for them.

CheetasOnFajitas · 09/10/2020 19:54

@Deadcatbounce

Thanks, all very helpful comments!

Last person who complained about being paid for 3 days and doing 4 or 5 got sacked and I'm the breadwinner so a rock and a hard place right now

They got no pay off nd a weeks notice

Do you know this for certain? Possibly there was another issue re performance and the person has said this to save their face, or it’s just a rumour.

Porridgeoat · 09/10/2020 19:55

The likelihood is that the sacked person was sacked for another reason. Don’t make a big thing of it and instead just turn your work phone off Thursday to Sunday and put your emails on out of office over this period too. Accommodate work meetings by changing your work days or getting the minutes. That will make you sound flexible whilst protecting your days off. Make up some random hobby - walking or whatever

Original poster

Deadcatbounce · 09/10/2020 19:58

Hi, people gone were vocal.about being taken the piss out of, no.perf issues and in my role.i would know. Company is only.18 months old so no protection and owner manger at top so governance is shite

OP posts:

WhereverIGoddamnLike · 09/10/2020 20:07

Dont make a big deal out of it. Just dont appear for anything they put in on your days off. When questions just be breezy and say "oh, where you trying to get me on my days off? I was out with the family".

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