Requirement to work overtime - do you have to?

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losttheplot

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Are you obliged to do overtime? Employment contract has the usual statement that overtime may be required from time to time. But some managers have put rotas in place (ie your rostered to work every 3rd saturday) without consulting people, if you can't work when your rostered you have to find a swap.

If you don't work it, what can they do. I assume they can only give a negative appraisal at your annual review. Or can they interpret it as a breach of contract?

Thanks
 
It sounds like overtime is required from time to time, and you signed up for it when you signed the contract. Every third saturday isn't that bad, is it?
 
Not really, but it would have been nice to be asked. It seems to be an open ended rota - no end in sight. In the long term I think it's doing more harm as it's demotivated people and an exodus has started. A vicious circle really, as more people leave everyone elses workload increases - more overtime and so on.
 
Of course a guy who works ot will do better than a guy who never does ot in reviews as a general rule, what about been more of a company man, I remember working all the hours god sent for my company and I never moaned , when they needed me I was there and in return I could buy a nice house go on nice holidays etc,
 
losttheplot said:
Not really, but it would have been nice to be asked. It seems to be an open ended rota - no end in sight. In the long term I think it's doing more harm as it's demotivated people and an exodus has started. A vicious circle really, as more people leave everyone elses workload increases - more overtime and so on.
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Why, can they not find people to replace those who leave? Of course they should have asked people before they roistered them, or at least told them that it was going to happen and why, but why is getting paid extra to work extra hours de-motivating people? Most people work overtime so I don't think that's the real issue.
It sounds like it's more a case of ham-fisted management and the resentment which it causes. If your boss had explained why it was necessary and given reasonable notice of when it was going to happen, or apologised for springing it on people, do you think you would feel the same way?
 
I'm assuming that the overtime is unpaid? I wouldn't be happy about having to work every third Saturday if it was unpaid, but would be happy enough if I was getting overtime rates for it.

As for the contract, I guess once every three weeks is covered by the phrase 'from time to time', it doesn't seem to be excessive. It may depend on how long you've been in the job and if this has just come in.
 
I gues my main point is this - who defines what "time to time" is and can you say no.

The overtime is paid and there are some happy enough to do it. Others have long commutes and are getting fed up. To be honest. it's more the approach of managers than the work that irritates people.

Originally a roster was in place where it was one week in five. This lasted for about 7 weeks. Due to the high staff turnover it's now 1 in 3 for the last 6-7 weeks.

To think there was a time in this country people had no work and here I am complaining about having too much. Make hay while the sun shines I suppose, can't help it I'm Irish - I love to complain.
 
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