Made to feel guilty for not working over contracted hours

[jaykay34]

I work in an office and am the only person who is part time. I am also the only person with young children.

Boss employs lots of family members and friends - who she favours quite outwardly over everybody else. Some are good at their job, some are crap. The only people to get a promotion (unadvertised and unnecessary) are people from this circle.

If we have some major deadlines, I will always come in to help on my days off. I manage my work time well, and exceed my targets every month. We are salaried so get no extra pay for this.

Boss and her entourage often stay after work, apparently doing unpaid overtime (when any time I have done extra hours, I have realised they aren't working - just having an extended social meeting and chatting).

Now boss keeps making remarks about how she "hates lazy people who rush out the door the minute it's home time".

I am definitely in that category as once work is done, I want to get home and spend a few hours with my children.

Is it fair that I should be expected to stay and join in the after work chats, when I would rather be getting home. I always make sure everything is done by the minute I leave.

I am starting to feel very uncomfortable and could understand if I was being "carried" by the team, but I am actually one of the most consistent staff members and am getting fed up with the backbiting. I have a few "allies", who are also getting fed up - but we don't know where we stand with this.

It doesn't really come down to what is fair in this situation.

Some workplaces have this type of culture, and if you're the type that rushes home (and that's perfectly fine), you won't thrive there. They won't see that you're getting everything done within your hours and don't need to stay - because that would suggest it's a fault with them that makes them work later - they'll just see it that you're being lazy and not a team player.

There's little you can do, although I think it probably means you're less likely to be promoted. I'd look for a new job. I used to work somewhere like this and it was horrendous, even if you did stay late, it wasn't enough if unless you were consistently the last person out of the office. Now I work somewhere that appreciates people who stay late but encourages everyone to leave on time and go and have lives.

Thanks anchor, I thought as much.

I definitely need to find a new job, I never used to let work issues bother me but lately I have felt very niggled.

Unfortunately I agree that you need to find a new job. Even if you stay and "work" late (or chat over the water cooler or whatever the rest of them are doing) you are still not going to be part of the owner's inner circle so you will just end up with extra hours at work, less time with your children and still not being appreciated. This can be the problem with small, family-owned companies.