What to do about this set up ?

[Gremle]

I work across 7 departments in a support function (IT), so I have to be available to them during core hours (collectively), and for some out of hours evenings specifically with individual depts when work won’t effect business (like IT upgrades etc). These are at the request of the individual Dept Managers. Happy to do all this, no problem there.

My LM is one of the dept managers. He is sort of aware of the workload from the other depts, but doesn’t really care so long as he is prioritised even though all pay equally for me.
My LM is a horror, to everyone including me (I could write a book 😂).

The current issue I have is that he wont authorise my time off for any of the evening work I do. I don’t get paid overtime so I am just building up extra hours which are then lost. When I ask for the time back he gets very huffy like I’m not due it, and says I’m not entitled to flexi as he has never approved it, which I kind of see his point, he didn’t !

I can’t carry on like this - should I tell all the other Managers to start putting requests for my evening work through my LM ? Or any other suggestions appreciated ! TY x

Can you go to HR to say you are being told to work more than your contracted hours?

HR is a one woman band who wasn’t terribly helpful. It’s a family company and she is family.

I’d tell the other managers that your line manager has told you evening work is not authorised when they ask you to do any future work. Tell them you are happy to do it but he has said no to paying you so you can’t do it any more. They can take it up directly with him. If enough of them get annoyed by it they may go to HR themselves or a bigger boss and overrule him.

I really don’t want to get the other Managers involved as we all have good working relationships, plus it feels a bit unprofessional given that I’ve put up with it up to now, but I can’t see an alternative option ☹️

You're being taken for an absolute ride!!! Don't do work you're not getting paid for that's madness.

By authorising time off do you mean you get time off in lieu for the evening work?

Is that documented in your contract?

if so, then I think your only option is to start refusing to work the evenings if your manager hasn’t signed them off in advance. And unfortunately you will need to explain to the other managers that that is why you can’t cover their evening needs - it’s because your own manager won’t sign off the TOIL

Only other option I can see is to agree some other mechanism for approving the TOIL. For example:

• HR woman signs it off
• Any of the managers can sign it off for their area

By authorising time off do you mean you get time off in lieu for the evening work? - yes, I can’t just take it off when we’re quiet, it needs to be authorised by my LM on our time system as TOIL/FLEXI.

Some of these evening updates are taking hours but I still need to be in early the next day, and I don’t get paid overtime.

It’s the attitude from my LM that’s triggered my resentment of being flexible for them (in-line with business need), but I don’t get anything back.

It’s tricky with your LM being a horror, but I think you need to get him to agree a system / process and rules for authorising the TOIL/FLEXI in advance. So what proof does he need, what notice to approve it, how are you recording the extra hours etc…

Agree how you will record:

• who requested it and when
• what hours extra you worked / are owed
• how you can claim those hours and get them signed off

It might also be worth checking whether the extra hours worked takes you below NMW, the manager will soon sort himself out if his behaviour tips the organisation into acting illegally.

I appreciate the HR person is not that useful but it's a pretty simple situation so you do need to raise it to her

You are being asked to work evenings etc which you are very happy to do. You either want to be paid overtime or have TOIL but your LM won't do either. Please can she advise what to do, should you refuse to do the work or can she provide some other guidance

And see what she says