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?

Seriously ??? you earn a HUGE salary and are complaining about one day where you have to work more hours !!

You could try reading the full thread, or at least all of my posts, and then make a judgement.

Yes you absolutely have to go.

Suck it up buttercup! Par for the course in Financial Services.

@Kevintheminion I have read all the op’s posts. Is it financial services: cannot see where that’s stated? Op works remotely. I’m failing to see why this day is such a big deal. She’s not wanted to go full time and work compressed hours. Everyone is against her and she has little colleague support as she works remotely and cannot get another job. Has tried.

I’m in a similar role and I’m away two days next week in London. Sadly I don’t really have much choice and would rather not go…. but I will be taking time back for getting home very late on day 2 and I suggest you also take some TOIL.

You can take time owed though. The OP normally can’t

Seeing so many comments to the effect of if it’s a senior role then this is expected. When did we all slip into the mindset of - we should be working for free. At the least we should be entitled to time back.

You all need to try living off minimum wage
and ssp of £108 a week give you a einthing to moan about

Not really the point of the thread though 🙄

Least helpful message I've seen on here in a long time
Totally irrelevant to the Ops issue.

Can you tell your manager that you just can't afford to lose a day away from your work right now because its so busy ?

I don’t understand your reasons for not requesting 0.85 or 0.9 fte over 4 days. You say you’ve a full time workload and are working longer than your hours, so why not get paid more for it?

You refer to some colleagues who you suggest don’t work the full hours and are ‘taking the piss’. But assume that wouldn’t be what you’d do.

Like another poster I am not a fan of ‘full time’ over 5 days, for either the employe or company, but have found that compressed hours can work well for part time work patterns.

It says Financial services in the first line of the opening post.

So are higher salaries than the one the OP is on.

She really doesn't. Not for the sector she is in and the experience and qualifications she has.

It’s deffo seniority. When I worked for a company and did 4 days I would say at least once a month had events/requirements to travel to other offices that didn’t fit in with my working hours per se. Certainly didn’t get paid more.

@Floofydawg I’m seeing this so much these days at my own work. Senior women in their fifties holding up the business and their goodwill being completely taken advantage of whilst younger men are given all the opportunities and presumably pay rises. I’m in your position, probably 10 years away from retirement, no real desire for promotion, but fed up of being taken for granted. They would be seriously screwed if I suddenly left but I guess they are just banking on my inertia. Too depressing.

@rookiemere Yes. You are correct. Obviously I need a sight test!

Hoeever there’s financial services such as high street banks and banking high flyers in the City. Clearly salaries vary. The op has not negotiated well for herself in my view. Not on salary or job design. Now thinks everyone else has an advantage. I guess they negotiated more effectively.

I'm in a not dissimilar situation to the OP I suspect. 53, similar FTE salary, also work 4 days a week 0.85 - although I'm going to up that soon as we are no longer allowed any compressed hours at all.

I have a degree and all the relevant qualifications for my role and indeed some other roles in this area. I don't think the OP has said what her qualifications are - it varies widely in the bank some people have worked their way up from school leaving positions and some have come in with degrees, it's honestly more about ability to do the role.

I actually don't think outside of London £65k is a bad salary at all. In my organisation it's the level before all the politics begin and you line manage people. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect attendance at an in person team meeting, particularly if the role is WFH the rest of the time.

I do agree that at this age and stage you're getting paid for your experience and ability to get the job done, not working long hours.

0.85 or 0.9 over 5 days isn't really the done thing where I work - it's either FT compressed over 4 days or PT. I don't really want the commitment of HAVING to do those hours every week in order to get my day off.

But if you're doing those hours anyway you might as well just commit to it and then get paid a full time salary.

@Floofydawg Just don’t worry. You have stated you have a LV bag for your many away days on the other thread. Plus a Gucci camera bag. Your poor salary is buying you luxuries to travel with. Count yourself blessed!

Huh?

How is this relevant to whether the OP should be doing all this unpaid work?

She doesn’t need to do the work unpaid if she did compressed hours. She’s also complained about being underpaid for her experience if you read the thread. She gets £65,000 fte but could get up to £110,000. She states she’s not on a great salary. Others disagree. However she’s got enough to buy luxury bags and tell others how great they are on away days that, apparently, are all too much! So she’s obviously got enough money and is able to enjoy the fruits of her labour. So it’s not all doom and gloom is it? Possibly her DH earns £1m of course!