15 Minutes expected before you begin

[ThatPearlkitty]

Inspired by another thread but a separate topic when eg the role is 9 to 5 paid hourly then why do some employers want people eg 15 mins before your actual start time why dont they pay for your time before then, yes i understand most roles is necessary eg coat, get ready for the day etc but then its free labour ?

local government employees could o to unison and get this sorted, or they could go to ACAS if not union members or send a letter themselves to tackle the situation

If this is aimed at me, I don't answer to others and don't care for sycophants either. My expectation is employees start work and get paid from when they start work

15 mins seems extreme but I’d say arriving 5 mins early is normal so you can get set up. I might be teaching a lecture at 10 but wouldn’t turn up at 10 because I need to get logged in and get my slides up.

In the UK there are very few careers where unpaid overtime is legally enforceable. So no amount of “rules” is going to help an employer here…

There are very few careers where unpaid overtime isn’t expected at some level.

In the original example , why take a job that expects to work 15 whole minutes before your shift if it is that much of an issue to you? Clearly the culture of the company isn’t a good match.

And okay if it isn’t legally enforceable, then people mysteriously fail probation (as there are usually attitude issues) or fail to get promoted.

like I said, you all crack on because you make the rest of us look good 🤣

I’m so good at my job, I don’t have to work for nothing to get attention or be highly regarded.

If you do, best crack on with that.

That isn’t actually what I said.

I don’t know any professionals
that have this insistence on only working contracted hours so I assume that the ones working to rule aren’t doing high level work.

But because I am flexible, so is my employer. I can leave early or come in late, and it’s no issue because I don’t take the piss. I have also negotiated 2 days a week from home (which by choice tend to be longer) because I don’t sound like a stroppy teenager 🤣

this one i can understand but what puzzles me is if its during working hours then why are they still late for the meeting etc ?

Our work day starts when we log into our computer so any drinks, coats, chat etc tends to be done before then. Rarely takes 15 min though.

Unfortunately, most jobs are not 'careers' they are simply a means to pay for the necessities in life (and NMW barely does that). No employee in this situation should be expected to give their labour for free - they are often already being exploited anyway. What you are describing is a completely different scenario to what many (most) of the work force experience.

If you are in a professional career that you love and are paid well for good for you, but on a national level, and absolutely on a global level, you are part of a tiny, privileged minority and in no position to lecture anybody else on their work ethic.

Ah, the good old 'go the extra mile' aka 'do extra work for no extra money.' Do you also use the term 'roll up your sleeves' to describe unpaid work?

I'm from the same generation as you. Your prerogative how you approach this opportunity, of course, and I realise these things often depend on the context of the job, but I'm assuming that by mid-50s you're aware that 'going the extra mile' is very often not acknowledged or appreciated, and doesn't always end up in tangible progression, so I'm a bit surprised you're defending unpaid work (and practices such as skipping lunch, ffs) so hotly. Your employers might think you're a mug for all you know.

Actually it had paid off in spades recently, not just working extra, it’s about having a decent attitude.

After 35 odd years in a particular type of role, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime which I wouldn’t have had anywhere else, despite not having had the experience.

By doing things that weren’t strictly in my job description and being visible, when the chance of a job came up, I was the obvious choice (Tbf I wanted to work in that role for years).

Even before the new role I was paid considerably more than anyone else who did a similar job.

I work through lunch because (a) I leave early three times a week and (b) it isn’t always convenient to stop. I also adore what I do. I’m not advocating that others do it - I really couldn’t care less.

And I know some places take the piss but I do my dream role with good pay and great opportunities.

They were massive CFs. There's nothing wrong with going without something because you aren't willing to pay for it; but expecting to still have it and somebody else to pay for it is disgraceful and exploitative.

My last job, we were expected to be in the office for an 8.30 meeting, paid from 9am, when the phones turned on. And stay until the job was finished, often working through lunch as well. A 40 hr week, quickly became 50.

jesus christ

But what do you mean by 'get set up'? In your case, the lecture is at 10, but it clearly isn't the first task of your working session if you have to get set up for it - so your working time (which should be paid) should take this into account.

Otherwise, where do we draw the line? Taking 5 minutes unpaid when your job is seen as giving lectures and not preparing for them? Taking an hour unpaid to make a big batch of sandwiches when your job is seen as serving sandwiches and not making them? Taking 12 hours unpaid to drive from Inverness to Plymouth when your job is seen as driving a coach-load of people for the journey north and not driving an empty coach south?

If 'getting set up' for some people involves grabbing a leisurely drink, sharing your personal news, chatting about last night's TV or whatever, than that obviously isn't part of your work and thus should of course be done in your own (unpaid) time.

And that's where 'showing a decent work ethic', as some people insist we should do, can often lead. It shouldn't be seen as lazy or being difficult to expect to keep to agreed timings and pay rates.

It's ironic when certain employers complain about staff taking the piss, when that's exactly what they are doing themselves in spades.

Tricky. I'm in at least 30 minutes early, bugger about downloading all the PowerPoints I need for all classes, do some photocopying, check in with the boss, make coffee etc. What annoys me is the trapped 90 minutes before Parents' Evening, although most of of ours were online this year, giving me just enough time to rush home and set up. I work straight through break and lunch, but that's my choice so I can leave reasonably promptly.

I presume you are happy for the likes of medical professionals to down tools on the dot regardless of what they are dealing with? Professionals tend to have a more or less relaxed attitude to timekeeping

excatly, seems alot of modern business needs cheap labour to make profits

15 minutes is probably a piss take, but then so is arriving on the dot and not actually being ready to start work at your start time I suppose.

So are you being forced to do this? If not, why do you care?

but then if thats paid hours then why would you give free labour by being early

So are you in this situation? I assume so, in which case perhaps consider job hunting as it clearly isn’t ideal for you