Am I doing too many hours or should I just shut up and get on with it?

[Evvy543]

I work 8:30am till 8:00pm mon-fri but always get out around 8:30pm-9:00pm. I am really exhausted most of the time and I have started waking up at 4am for some reason and can't get back to sleep.

My work is really short staffed hence the long hours but I'm really fed up and keep getting emotional because I'm so tired and feel like I don't have a life or enough time with my family.

I don't have kids yet but bf and I would like to.

Xxxxx

Depending on the industry you work in the working time directive of an average max of 48 hours work per week might be relevant. Did you have to sign anything to opt out when you started?
How much break do you get during your shift?
How long has this been going on?
How many hours does it say in your contract?

Contract is 37.5
I get 30 mins lunch
Work in the NHS

yes that is way too many! 60ish hours a week! do you choose to do the extra hours on bank, do you get extra pay or just hours owed for them? waking up at 4am is a sign of stress because you're clearly exhausted. you need to say something.

Are you being paid for overtime? If not, stop!!

Yeah I get paid overtime.
I don't want to do it but we are so short staffed that I feel like I have to.
I've mentioned that I am really tired from it and I don't want to end up making mistakes at work but my manager said it shouldn't be like this much longer. I do feel like myself and another colleague get taken advantage of in the way that we both have no kids (no commitments) and are both young. I'm 25 and she is 19.

Xxx

As well as the 48hr per week rule the WRT also stipulate a minimum break in between shifts of 11 hours. Are you definitely getting that? Did you sign up to opt out of the 48hr per week rule?

Sounds excessive though, you must be exhausted. Can I ask what industry this is? Doesn't sound very reputable.

I would imagine it's a carers type roll.
Op. you need to stop doing theses extra hours.
They are short staffed and won't change this because you and probably others are filling the shortfall.
You will end up ill and as you say your sleep is now affected.
Either go see your GP or talk to your line manager.
If you don't have your health you cannot function properly.
I really feel for you. You must be exhausted.

Your willingness to do OT is masking their resourcing issue. It's their problem to solve, not yours. You've done enough to help out and I would advise a meeting straight away with managers to say that you are no longer able to sustain that level of work as you are now at risk of burnout. Say you need to start doing your regular contracted hours ASAP. You can help out in a crisis occasionally but not everyday. Be clear that you need to stop these hours now or they will have a bigger problem (you off sick) x

I'm a health care assistant but I am covering admin as well.
I love my job but yeah I think I need to pluck up the courage and have a word with work.
I feel awful about it though :(
I didn't opt out of anything.
no just get the one break as no one else to cover breaks x

It will be more compelling if you can create an accurate log of what keeps you at work until 8-9pm.

Keep detailed notes for at least 2 weeks before you escalate it. Present your log of activities as a "sample" over a 2 week period, and also mention this has been going on for X months.

It means they cannot deny that you need to work that many hours.

I am ex-frontline NHS. Even for the NHS those hours are insane for a
HCA. They will bleed you dry if they can as the NHS is in such a state. It relies on staff goodwill but you have to think of your own health and safety.

As BrownEyed says, I'm afraid if they know you will do the OT they do not have an incentive to fix this. Also agree with keeping notes. Contact HR or a union rep. I am no expert but in my Trust you would have been told to raise this with your manager in the first instance. If you are not in a union, join one.

Evvy check your Contract of Employment to make certain about the 48 hour opt-out clause, as it is very likely you may not have specifically noticed it in there.

Btw, it isn't that your employer was trying to pull a fast one on you, it's just that it tends to be something that is covered contractually when you first started working there.

It should also mention that you have the right to opt back in, ie that you want to be protected by the maximum of 48 hours. People often decide not to especially if they want to do overtime. Trouble is, it can be a slippery slope, where you find yourself being worked into the ground

YY to the 48 hour thing. I've been encouraged to opt out of that for every NHS job I've ever had.

You could check the 48 hour thing, but they are not forcing you to work those hours as such, by the sounds of things, so while they might be technically in breach by letting you work them, the simplest way of dealing with it is for you to stop doing them.

I would suggest deciding how much overtime you are able to do each week (none, occasional, a fixed amount of an extra x hours), and tell your manager that you are no longer available to do more than that. It is optional, and as previous posters have said, you continually doing it is masking the actual problem/allowing them to not deal with the actual problem.

I used to have a job where I did those sort of hours, but for no overtime, just my basic salary. It was miserable.

The work never stopped coming and people knew I'd do it. I don't now, and I am far more senior and it is not a problem. In fact I think I get more respect for it than I did when I was being a doormat of all hours.

You need to draw a line and say enough is enough.