No lunch break. No overtime pay. 45 hour week with expected overtime. WWYD

[Goandplay]

Interviewed for a job paying 10k over the going rate. Negotiated another 5k.

From what I was told on the interview the current team rarely take their annual leave entitlement and work late most nights, with senior members working till 10pm sometimes. Senior members also work most weekends and never take two days off at the weekend.

I was told there was no lunch break but can eat and drink at desk.

The role will stretch me professionally which would be good, giving me experience and a step up.

The office didn’t feel friendly and I was told there is not much chatting on the interview when I asked if I could meet the person I would be working with - which I thought was a strange remark.

Is the additional pay worth the conditions.

Christ, no. They want to buy your soul.

Nobody can really answer that for you.

i mean, for me it wouldn’t be. But then I already have a good income from investments and a stressful/busy home life, so I wouldn’t consider giving up my holidays etc for an extra £15k.

but if you’re on a low income at the moment and your home life is reasonably easy then maybe it’s worth it to you?

Not in my opinion.
No holiday, no weekends, no lunch break, trapped morning noon and night with a bunch of unfriendly co-workers all frantically running on their hamster wheels with barely a pause for sustenance.
It sounds grim and the offer isn't that generous when you take into account all the extra hours required. Would be a no from me.

If you have no family, no friends, no hobbies, no interest in the outside world and firm plans to jack it in, move away and do something more exciting in six months' time, then maybe. Otherwise no.

I worked somewhere like that. Lasted 2 months.
Life's for living
I have mostly been lucking that I enjoy the vast majority of my job and don't dread going to work. This doesn't sound like a pleasant work environment at all.

It wouldn't be for me.

Well they've been clear about the expectations from the start and £15k above average seems like a lot, so it's your choice to balance that against the experience you are hoping to gain from it, OP. Good luck with the decision.

No lunch break? Is that not illegal?

I wouldn't work for such a shitty company unless I had no other option and even then only until I found something where I was treated as a human being!

Surely it isn't legal that you have no permitted breaks?

What's your current work situ? Financial situ?

Sounds like economically it's better to pay less people a bit more and work them into the ground than pay more people less and treat them like humans

Are you in the UK? Some of those conditions don’t appear to be legal, if you are.

No - not for £15K over the going rate. Maybe for £50-100K over going rate (eg work in a US law firm rather than a UK one to do longer hours for way more pay for a year or two).

Well your legally entitled to a break so its interesting that they advertise breaking the law at interview!
I see no value to taking this job, except you'd get rich very quick because you will have no life outside of work to spend your salary increase!

No, it wouldn't be worth it for me.

If you are a high rate tax payer 15k isn't going to result in an appreciable amount extra per month. still it adds up per year. I do work like that and it works for me. But I don't work holidays and weekends. Miserable team is not something I'd be willing to put up with.

Experience that I can cash in for a better Job later could be worth it.

No. I reckon they're paying so much because nobody stays.

What's What's actual salary, what % is 15k?

You'll probably burn out and spend 2 years living on the dole trying to recover your mental health, I wouldn't do it.

It’s the UK.

I have two primary school aged children. I could do drop off but no pick ups.

Now the thrill of the money has settled it is starting to not feel worth it.

For me it’s the potential work environment and expectation to work overtime.

I could cope with a 20 min lunch at my desk and a couple of coffees whilst looking at something else than work.

The total salary is still below higher rate tax. Total salary is in mid to late 40’s.

Sounds like it would be soul destroying and no amount of money is worth that. Do these people simply just live to work?
I feel spoiled with my 40 days holiday and 1 hour 40 minutes break per day.

In the nicest way possible, fuck that! Completely illegal and ridiculous. Way to ruin the mental health of your staff

Which industry is it?

Wow. 40 days holiday.

They do all seem to live to work. I was told one person lower down the hierarchy only takes one week holiday and cashes the rest in (also illegal I know).

It’s in the shipping industry.

God no your mental health will be fucked

I'd expect that from a trainee lawyer at a magic circle law firm on a 100k salary.

Not sub 50k.

What would happen if people request holidays -do they just refuse??

20 min lunch break at desk seems not too bad -lots of places don't have anywhere to go d as byway so you may as well take a quick break and then back to work.