To get to work at 9?

[forgeti]

My contracted hours are 9-5. Aibu to get to work at 9?

There are 2 unpaid breaks that we generally have to work through. IE when colleagues are off (which is daily, loads on long term absences but full caseloads attached) we are expected to work through breaks and take a short lunch to cover them.

lunch is 30 mins paid, 30 mins unpaid so manager expects you to work through the 30 minutes unpaid.

therefore aibu to get to work at 9? I’m being told that I’m not a team player by not getting in any earlier.

be at your desk, fired up and ready to go at 9. Take your unpaid breaks. Don't work unless you are paid.

If your manager wants you to work through your unpaid breaks get it in writing and ask your union for advice (you are in a union, right?)

Salaried or paid hourly?

I’d claim any unpaid breaks you work through as time off in lieu. As long as you’re in and ready to start at 9 I wouldn’t get in earlier

I agree at 9 you should be working

Your legal entitlement is:

Arrive at 8:55 on the dot.
Take 20 minutes paid lunchbreak mid shift at a place away from your usual workstation/desk

You should not be working any unpaid breaks

That’s sounds like a shitty but not unusual work culture. What’s the sector?

So if they want you in early can you do 8.30 to 4.30? You should be paid for your time not come in early for 'goodwill'

I think 0845 is a reasonable time to be in for 0900.

i do feel that any job (like the bank pp mentioned) that requires you to be actually working at 9 (or whatever) on the dot - all set up and ready to handle clients/customers/calls - then they should pay you from 8:45. Setting up time is work time. My personal feeling is that 5 minutes to set up is ok, and I'll give them that, fire up the laptop, (make a tea in that time tho) and look at my schedule.

I take breaks - which where i am are legally mandated and come off your hours/pay - and i will also take a tea break if i want to step outside, that i don't log as working hours. But i don't have the school run rush any more so i have the leeway in my personal schedule to do that.

Salaried jobs, and management is a little different - the theory is that a little sacrifice of your personal time is why you get paid the big-bucks. But even then they shouldn't take the piss.

OP, speak to your manager and say that you appreciate it's all hands on deck due to staff absence, but that you can't work to breaking point all the time or else he'll be covering your work as well. Prioritise what needs to be done (yours and others) and handle those first. Let manager set the priorities, and be realistic if you think you can't manage them.

Join a union.

Well that all sounds ridiculous

I've always got to work at my start time and logged off, made my tea and had my breakfast on work time.

We usually have canteens on site (construction) so everyone does that.

Agree with this. Look for another job is my advice.

It’s not a very family friendly culture. It’s really common to have an ‘early in’ culture where managers work extra hours and start early which creates an implicit expectation of others on lower grades to do the same. In these cultures managers need to be reaching out to reassure people that they are valued and appreciated and do not need to be following suit. In your cases the expectation has been made explicitly about coming in earlier. Ultimately you will find those who oblige probably get promoted ahead of you.

probably time to leave. Not everywhere is like this.

just about to leave my desk for my unpaid break - my manager had the audacity to ask me to do some urgent piece of work just before I left. I bet she didn’t even consider it was my break or that I would be taking it. Ridic

I worked for a government office where we had 2 ladies off on Mat leave two of us working full time and one mat cover role. The other full timer went on mat leave and the view was we are have 6 contracts out on a three person team, we aren’t getting another mat cover role.

we were both expected to start an hour earlier and finish an hour later (8-6:30) to cover the extra work. Needless to say I soon found another job.

I think it is fine to come in early or stay late if there is a project or deadline looming. When it is the norm then you must absolutely push back or push off.

just about to leave my desk for my unpaid break - my manager had the audacity to ask me to do some urgent piece of work just before I left. I bet she didn’t even consider it was my break or that I would be taking it

but what did you say? did you say "no it's my break" or "I'll handle it when i get back from my break?" or "ok, I'll do that now and have my break later"?

I just said “oh right”, waited until the minute my break began and left. When I returned I got the manager herself to deal with it as frankly it was a management-grade task she tried to delegate out incorrectly. Something that would have taken 15 minutes to properly read through. I just took a 30 second glance and bounced it back. Sorry but no extra mile for me now!

excellent, OP!!

I’ve almost always either got in for 9 or 5-10 minutes before then. and I’ve deliberately not started work until 9 so made tea, browsed Hotmail before then, all my admin colleagues did the same.

I’ve always been a PA/team secretary etc and people like bosses and colleagues on the whole have been rarely grateful if you do work unpaid overtime or through your lunch break, I had one ex colleague who every Friday would be late with work meaning I stayed 10-15 minutes late if not longer myself, he did it because he was unorganised.

I wasn’t that well paid in 2 of those jobs too.

I’m on £28k - with unpaid overtime, it probably averages out to being not far from minimum wage. Definitely don’t earn enough to be expected to work any time. It’s not a senior role either.

That's good perspectives