Working long hours & told not enough... exhausted :(

[KKA123]

Hello!
So my contract states I should do 9-5 and then states 'and additional hours where required'.
Since I have started every single day these extra hours have been required. If you leave at 5pm you would be frowned upon and pulled up on it without a doubt.
Anyway I have been leaving the office about 7.30-9pm for months on end. We got pulled into a room earlier this week saying we have been leaving 5pm-5.45pm and that is why we are behind on our work....
Most of my team do similar hours to me.

EXCEPT, one person. in my team does 8am-4pm due to her flexible hours since she had mat leave, and work has seen her as slacking recently which has been acceptable to them as she is the type to go to HR and she's heavily pregnant etc.. however, we are having to pick up her slack too.

Someone else in my department does his set hours, also with a kid.

Then the team that sit near us also do their set hours.

Along with most of my floor.

Basically its us that gets the short straw.

I am at a point where I am exhausted and fed up of being treated awfully. If I could say I was being well compensated I would be OK but I don't feel I am.

If I left at 5pm what could they do?? The issue is there isn't enough resource and 3 of us in particular are picking up other peoples slack. Nothing we do is good enough. My mental health is seriously being impacted and my confidence is going down too, I don't remember what it I like to receive a compliment.

I should also add I work through lunch too.

Thanks!

Why not just leave at 5 every day ? Then see what happens. I have often worked through lunch, left late, and it gets you nowhere. People don't respect you for it. They just think you're a mug.
Although I guess with hiensight I would have done a million things differently. Good luck

I would start leaving at 5, meanwhile approach your team lead about putting a plan in place to hire more staff or manage the work differently. See what happens.

In the mean time, I'd be applying to other jobs.

Yeah - I am currently looking for a new job. Hard as I am always at work, I am so tired.

I am feeling like I might as well leave at 5 if I plan to get out anyway.. I just hate feeling hated / disliked.

Also when I started they made someone redundant due to him doing his hours when he got a new born son, and said they picked him as under performing etc, his work load was ridiculous as they made 2 redundancies so was only him left. Then they restructured the teams and rehired someone for that role! So... I am expecting the same for me.

Same time though, bonus is the same for everyone its a set amount of like £1500 which is awful, and I only got £1k pay rise too so it's not really worth it. My train fares and bills go up higher.....

You could phone ACAS, and they would be able to tell you the legality of this 'arrangement' but I suspect it wouldn't cut much ice with your company.

Still, you may be able to make a stand, leave at 5, and sue them for constructive dismissal if they start on you.

OP this sounds awful! In a salaried role, I think reasonable additional hours is an hour or two here and there. Maybe more if a big projects on.

My partner works ridiculous hours but is paid for every extra... time and half for up to two hours extra.. DOUBLE time for anything more.. this is then worth it for us!

I would seriously consider stress leave and look elsewhere as they are running you ragged and having you fearing redundancy if you refuse to do the job of multiple people! Awful!

Thank you, I appreciate the kind words all. I have felt like maybe I just misunderstood the world of working and this is expected and OK.
I am aware the legal requirement is up to 48 hours so anything between my 35 hours and 48 hours isn't seen as excessive from what I can figure out.

I am looking around for a role at the moment, I have been most of the year but I have changed my mind a few times. Being yelled at Tuesday though when I know I have worked late for months made me realise how unappreciated I am and it's not worth it anymore.

I am expecting a war if I leave at 5pm I won't lie... someone in my department has registered their mental health issues with the work GP (you have to register mental health concerns with the office GP not private GP) and they leave the office at 5.15pm... I am so tempted to do the same.

Also, yeah I consider additional hours as an exception, not daily... it brings my daily rate RIGHT DOWN.

someone in my department has registered their mental health issues with the work GP (you have to register mental health concerns with the office GP not private GP) and they leave the office at 5.15pm..

To be taken seriously first go to your own GP and register your MH (anxiety, stress, exhaustion) with them first. Then take it to the 'office GP').

If you feel under threat a lot of the time and forced to do extra hours with no recognition, to the extent you are made to feel like you're on a treadmill, it's time to move from there. That isn't normal, not all companies have that culture, so I wouldn't accept that amount of pressure with no support from your line manager.

Thanks daisy chain.

Yeah, I’ve been in multiple jobs but I have got to say the culture in London has got more and more like long hours, kind of think flexible working has made this worse because now people never turn off.

I’ve worked out this weekend after tax I’m working enough hours to be losing £1399 after tax per month.

I’ve just had enough.... 2 years of this and I can’t really take it much more.

People in my department have worked there 10-12 years and they’re like well it is what it is etc and I look at their lives and think Jesus I have no aspiration to be like you though!

Have you actually raised it with your line manager? You don’t have to go from working til 9pm every night to working to rule and walking out at 5pm- there is a middle, less provocative ground, of speaking to your line manager, saying that it seems possible to work slightly less punishing hours, as some people do it, and saying while you are happy to stay a bit late on occasion, you feel expecting people to regularly work lots of extra hours isn’t sustainable.

Manager might not react especially well, but it wouldn’t be as bad as if you just suddenly started walking out at 5pm without warning.

@flowery ,
Yes. Let’s just say after the yelling at on Tuesday night as all had a word. She just says it is what it is. Tells us that it’s orders from above but she doesn’t agree then tells the other bosses etc we aren’t doing enough. She’s trying to be our friend sometimes and play us against each other it’s quite complicated, this has gone on since I started though.
My hair has started falling out again, this happened when I was 21 when I got treated badly in a job and hasn’t happened since, it triggers off my iron problems.
I have a mortgage etc on my own which is my biggest concern. However I do have enough savings to cover a decent period should I get sacked over it now. It’s my 2 years in November so I don’t mind leaving now!!

Office GP??

Yeah. Lots of offices especially banks etc have everything on site. Dry cleaners , shops, etc the idea is you have no reason to leave! Lol.
Apparently if you get signed off sick you have to use work gp for check ups rather than your own!

Basically the extra hours clause is supposed to be when there's more work than usual over short periods. It's not to be used as an every day thing. If they need a team to work all the hours constantly then that screams to me they need more staff and they are not doing their job properly by ignoring it. I'd be challenging management on that, quite frankly!

Oh and I'd skip your manager and go one level higher.. or more!

The one level higher is the woman having a go at us haha! Above her is the head of like 1500 people... I would get sacked in a heartbeat. See the problem here hahah! I either rebel and look for a new job, or keep going staying late while looking for a new job.
Problem is with option 2 you get too tired to speak to recruiters etc...

They're massively in breach of contract here.

I'd wait until you get 2 years service unless you find something else, and then discuss it asking if you can work to your contracted hours in future.

If they say no, go to ACAS and speak to a conciliator.

Yeah I am considering staying late until my birthday in 2 weeks, then I go on leave for a week so trying to get as much done as possible before then. If I can get interviews on my week off that would be great!!!

Once it’s out the way I come back to 2 weeks until my 2 years.

I won’t lie, I am currently making job change steps with a variety of employers, market is abit dry due to brexit but not many people move this time of year because bonuses are feb / March time.

I just want our soooooo BAD!!!!!!!

*out