To think this is hell?

[TimeAtTheBar]

I have posted variously about my job, sorry. This is a bit of a vent and I am taking steps.

I worked Friday 17:00-03:00 (10hrs)
Yesterday 15;00-03:00 (12hrs)
Today 12:00-23:00 (11hrs)
Tomorrow 08:00/;18;00 (10hrs)
Tuesdsy 09:00-17;00 (8hrs)
Weds 12:00-23:00 (11hrs)
thirsday 09:00:18:00( 9hrs)

I’ve had about four hours sleep and I feel sick at the thought of my week. This is not unusual but I don’t often do both 3am finishes which has compounded it. I honestly feel like walking out right now but obvs can’t do that.

I think I’m just after a bit of sympathy, or maybe the wisdom of MN will tell me to suck it up? I’m in bed still, slightly shaky at the thought of getting up and in the shower. I also have a million things to do today, Sunday and Monday are stock and orders so not a gentle day. I earn £10.45 an hour in case anyone wonders.

You need to be careful about strolling into “martyrdom”

Things like commute need to come into account. Also I used to work evenings and would finish at 11pm, it's very hard to get in and go straight to bed, I needed to wind down.

I wish it was that easy. I’m contracted for 48 hours. There are two of us on salary and a reduced wages bill so HO are doing our rota for now and cutting hourly staff wherever they can.

Fuck that for a laugh

That's a really awkward shift pattern.

Finishing at 11pm tonight and starting at 8am tomorrow sounds like a killer and quite possibly illegal. Do you belong to a Union?

Can you talk to your manger about needing at least 10 hours between finishing one shit and starting another?

If you had to sign the WTD why is your workplace not honouring it?

I would just quit. Seriously. Walk away. Never go there again.
What would your family prefer - having to make a few financial cutbacks for a while or you either having a total nervous breakdown or dying of a heart attack?
Your family would have to survive on the one wage (£90 thousand 😳) then wouldn't they?

You got a disciplinary for taking a break?!

I can see a lot of people are talking about working time directive but your shift patterns have you starting less than 11 hours after your previous shift.

This is a uk working time regulation and is illegal.

Your shift pattern is illegal.

WTD is irrelevant - you must have 11 hours between shifts and either 24h rest in a week, or 48h rest in a fortnight.

The 48 hour week thing is separate - and even if you choose to work more than 48 hours you're still entitled (by law) to your rest periods.

You can also opt to go back to working no more than 48 hours per week by giving your employer 7 days notice.

Yeah! ‘It’s been brought to our attention that you disappeared off the premises on Saturday night for a while’. I took a twenty minute break in a 12hr shift (1hr unpaid is factored into my rota), left a supervisor in charge and some scrote of an 18yo weekender ‘grassed me up’. And the culture is so toxic that rather than a conversation this was a minuted meeting with a head office rep. I nearly walked there and then.

You will be seriously I’ll if you continue like this.Why do you need to work so hard if your DH earns so well.You say you will have 2 children in University they need to work which is how other students survive.Can you sit down together and really look at you finances.Are they so awful and why and how can you change this?They must be ways around this.Good luck.

Well that’s your problem.

at least stick to your contracted hours op

Honestly we have cut back everything we can apart from housing. Mortgage and council tax are most of it. Gas and electric just gone up to £400. Both adult kids work, ironically with me, but earn fuck all. Both looking for more hours but even in hospitality it’s mad out there. Business are both understaffed and can’t afford more staff.

The only thing we have left is downsizing but unless we move areas we wouldn’t save much, we need 4 bedrooms (also have an 11yr old).

It seems mental to me when I look at our spreadsheet. I know it sounds like a huge income but it all goes. Please don’t flame me for that. And I’d rather work these hours than live in a cramped house with dh and me on a sofa bed before anyone suggests that.

These ARE my contracted hours. It’s just we could usually have better gaps between shifts or duck out early by mutual consent. There’s no wiggle room now to put an hourly paid supervisor on to bridge a gap so we are having to do all the management time.

Op

48 is not what you listed in your op

So why don’t you at least do the contracted hours rather than an extra 26 hours on top until you have found a more suitable job.

if I was your dh, I’d be close to breaking point

Op just walk. It's dangerous to your health and wellbeing. These people do not care about you. I was in one of these jobs until three months ago, lone working in a shop every day of the week extra hours added all the time because everyone else was off "sick". In the end I handed my notice and walked and guess what? They replaced me literally two days later. These companies honestly don't care if you drop down dead on shift they would have your role on indeed before the ambulance arrived.

I work a 60 hour week with few breaks. Strong union, too, but nobody gives a fuck.It’s just expected.

However, the unsociable hours you’re working on top of the long hours are what make it horrendous. I’ve done it before, and that was before I had children - and it wasn’t sustainable long term. A year of it made me really ill.

Keep looking for something else. Have you got skills that could work outside of hospitality? That’s a particularly brutal industry.

the week runs Sunday to Saturday. Last week I had tues/thurs off, this week I have fri/sat.

This is breaking you and can't continue. This is not a good company to work for as it seems no-one cares for you as an employee, and they do have a duty of care.

Can you take a look at your family expenses? Write a budget and work out where the £90k + £27k is going. Cut anything out that's not necessary for 6 months or so to give you breathing space?

When is your next holiday booked?

These ARE my contracted hours. It’s just we could usually have better gaps between shifts or duck out early by mutual consent. There’s no wiggle room now to put an hourly paid supervisor on to bridge a gap so we are having to do all the management time.

They can't do that. It's illegal. Either you go home and they cope without a manager or they pay someone to step up between shifts.

problem is the more you earn the more you need to earn.
take a step back - off the treadmill

Your DH earns £90k and you're putting yourself through this?

Isn't the NMW £9.50 and you're working through the night for £10.45!

I'd work your notice even if you haven't got a job lined up. Surely with DH on £90k you'd be okay whilst you look for something, could just be some agency stop gap work to tide you over whilst searching

Get yourself out!

You can’t opt out of test breaks. Only the 48 hour limit.