Work situation - is this reasonable?

[Floofydawg]

I'm in a mid senior role in financial services. Work part time (4 days, not condensed) but still get a full time workload done. Am expected to travel around once a month for work which ends up in me doing more than my paid hours that week. I don't get that time back and I still have to get my work done.

Next Monday I've been asked to travel for a department wide 'away day' which will basically just be a talking shop. This would mean me leaving home at 6.30am and not getting back til around 8pm. I've said I'm not going and my manager is trying to pressure me. AIBU to stick to my guns?

Exactly- you’re entitled to make your own choices and it’s right that you are very well paid for the dedication you show to your career. I thought that was a big part of feminism - not putting other women down and calling them sad for making choices you wouldn’t make yourself 🤷🏼‍♀️

To be honest I don't agree with them - I think they're dishonest. I'm too straight up to do it and take the piss.

I guess it depends on the nature of the job but it sounds like it’s a fairly well paid job. I don’t think it’s unfair to expect you to do it as a one off. Some jobs just require you to be flexible. I’m also a mid level manager and I am often required to get up early and arrive home later depending on where I need to be. Given it’s not something they expect regularly, I don't think it’s unreasonable to expect you to get on with it for one day. If you are not happy then it probably is advisable to look for a job that is more admin based and set hours but this often at lower pay.

But you moan about your current situation. It was possible to solve the problem.

My daughter and husband are both on 4 day a week compressed contracts - him in the NHS, her in a financial organisation (private company).

They work full time hours! Daughter does more than full time hours but she’s career oriented whereas he isn’t so much now he’s in his 60s.

@Twiglets1 some people do work their compressed hours, others not so much.

The corrosive thing about it is that people put meetings in the diary outside a standard working pattern and then it normalises longer and unpaid working hours for those not on compressed hours.

Well I've been told this morning that I have to go. But I told my boss would be taking a half day back in lieu which he accepted.

Great update.

It's not really a well paid job considering what the OP actually does, and it is something they expect regularly.

I think now that this has brought the matter to a head, you need to sit down with your manager and discuss which 20% of work you are going to drop to warrant the 80% wage.

I think not putting down women for not wanting to work extra unpaid hours and indeed entire extra days in the week is much more detrimental to feminism tbh.

Sorry, rogue "not" in there.

It’s nothing to do with screwing anyone else. People are responsible for their own life choices. I take my career, clients and progression seriously and am rewarded according to effort. If others aren’t motivated in the same way that’s their choice.

I do not agree working crazy hours does normalise it for everyone else. Far from it.

Where have I put anyone down?

Of course it normalises it.

You've said on this very thread that anyone who is serious about their career should be putting in extra unpaid hours.

The more people behave as though these unhealthy and toxic working practices are normal, the harder it becomes for ordinary people who just want to get paid a fair salary for working their actual contracted hours to do so.

People putting meetings in the calendar outside the normal working day is an excellent point. It's always these workaholics who think, "It's fine to schedule a meeting at 8am, everyone who isn't a complete slacker will be at their desk by then anyway, and it's the only time I can do because I'm so busy."

It completely normalises it.

*It’s nothing to do with screwing anyone else. People are responsible for their own life choices. I take my career, clients and progression seriously and am rewarded according to effort. If others aren’t motivated in the same way that’s their choice.

I do not agree working crazy hours does normalise it for everyone else. Far from it.*

So say I am on exactly the same contract as a colleague.
I have caring responsibilities due to my life choices. This means I cannot work 12hrs a day, or 'do not feel motivated' to work 12 hours a day.

My colleague who has made different life choices is able to do way more work than I am, though we values our careers, clients and progression equally.

You think this is a healthy working environment - where people's life choices impact their ability to work more than the contract they signed and be rewarded in kind?

I am very glad that I do not work in such an environment.

Other than I don’t do what you’ve given as examples. Meetings are typically during core hours. The exception is if you opt into a client with a different time zone. But that’s a choice you make. Not all jobs have core working hours as you've described and if you’ve taken on a client outside Uk core hours that’s life.

I also didn’t say slacker. I said if you’re happy where you are great but if you want to progress you can’t expect to do nothing extra.

Of course that’s fair…!

OK - you think being expected to work outside of your contracted hours to the tune of 30hrs a week is fair.

As has been explained to you MULTIPLE times on this thread, the OP doesn't want to "progress", she wants to get paid a fair salary for working her actual contracted hours.

This is what most people want, and glamourising working 70 hour weeks as though it's something to be in any way proud of is deeply unhelpful and affects everyone's work life balance, not just your own.

Then OP needs to step back from her senior role because work outside contracted hours is normal in these roles and indeed the contract usually states that this may be the case.

And I have not read the whole thread, but I didn’t see anything about 70 hours a week or an extra 30 hours as another recent poster had mentioned. But yes an hour or two a day is normal and certainly the odd day from 6:30-8:30 to attend an event would be normal too.

I think it’s a separate issue people putting meetings in the diary very late or early in the day. Neither of the people in my family who work compressed hours would do that, in fact they complain about people who do because it’s insensitive to people working a standard week.

You haven’t, sorry if not clear.

I feel like people have tried to put you down.

I need to step back from my 'senior' role do I? My original OP said I'm mid senior - not even that senior. Not director level. £65k fte salary in my mind does not sell them my soul. Any one of us (and I'm including everyone on this thread) could be made redundant next week. And the company would not give one single shit. So I will do my hours, do a good job and then forget about it.

That’s a good outcome 👍