Working Sunday

[selenay]

Would I be totally unreasonable to refuse Da Boss's request that I
come in and work a full day this Sunday because I have an assignment
to write?

And is there anything they can possibly do to force the issue?

'Cos I really want to get my assignment done and I really don't want
to treck up here six days in a row, which is what they'll be asking
next week. Plus I'd still have to get in early on Monday *sigh*

Comments

[gmul.livejournal.com]

Perfectly reasonable. Especially if not on double time. Stay home.

[selenay]

In my contract, there's a one off payment for working extra on a Sunday that wouldn't exactly cover what I'd normally get for working that number of hours...

Turns out that my contract sucks big time.

To my "No, no, no" they've said "We'll give you the evening to think about it". I'm still going to be saying no, though, because my contract doesn't state that I have comply on this and I really do have other things that I need to do that day.

[nic]

The question is... do you get paid extra for working a Sunday?

You are perfectly within your rights to refuse. I would.

[selenay]

Er...

One off payment is available, but wouldn't quite match my normal hourly rate. Great contract that one :-)

Although the contract states that I must do a minimum of 36 hours each week, there's nothing in there about having to do over that and my intelligent father thinks that clause should be interpretted in my favour rather than their's. So I'll be refusing and see what happens :-)

[paranoidangel]

Unless they can give you eg Monday off, no. They can't force you to come in at the weekend if you have something else planned. For all they know you could be going away for the weekend and it's all booked and payed for.

[selenay]

Um, day off? At this company?

One off, standardised payment with no time in lieu required. And I really do have to do that assignment.

Plus, if I let them do it once, they'll expect it every weekend and I have plans for next weekend :-)

[sassyinkpen.livejournal.com]

This is the job you hate anyway, right?

I had a job like that once, and I just took the stance that since I hated it, I didn't have all the much to lose, so it wouldn't matter if I didn't kiss ass all the time and such...so I pretty much did what I wanted most of the time, and said what I thought. And a lot of the time, it went really well for me. The boss came to think of me as someone who'd give her a straight answer.

(In the end, I quit when they wouldn't let me shift down to a school-hours schedule when my son started kindergarten. They had let another employee do that and decided they didn't like it, so they told me no. I was pretty much expecting that and it was all ok in the end)

Tell them you're not available that day.

[selenay]

This is the job I hate and I've managed to dredge up new hate for it today *sigh*

This is a large company and there's a lot of office politics - saying what you think and not kissing ass is the fastest way to sink your career that you'll find here. They hate straight answers and as for speaking the truth about something...there's the RL way of putting something and there's their. I'm not sure that I'll ever get the hang of their way.

I've told them that I'm not available, really not available, and they've asked me to think about it overnight. There's a certain amount of overtone to be read into that. I'm still going to be saying no, though, because I'll be scuppering any hope of passing my college course if I don't finish my assignment. And, quite honestly, that's much more important to me than this job.

[paranoidangel]

I've just had today's Dilbert cartoon come into my inbox (at work - it seems appropriate) and I can't tell you how much you need to read it, on this very subject.

[selenay]

*g* I've just had a look and it is very appropriate - in fact, I'm sure that's why they've asked! Except my bosses don't have pointy hair. They have the company crew cuts :-)

But thanks for pointing it out to me! It raised a smile :-)

[huffytiger.livejournal.com]

Unless they are paying you double time and giving you a day off in lieu, tell them to fuck off. There is a reason why there is European Working legislation, and it's to protect the health of the employees. Once you do it once, they'll expect it again and again.

[selenay]

Um...

My contract, it turns out, sucks mightily. I'm entitled to a one off, standardised payment for working on a Sunday that isn't quite equal to getting paid normal wages for that day. And there's no time in lieu. But there's no clause that specifically states they can force me to do overtime, just that I'm contracted for a minimum of 36 hours during the week. My legal expert (the lovely Da) tells me that would be taken as a protection for me rather than the company, although he'll be checking that out further tomorrow.

So, reading that literally, I could walk out at around 9am on Friday because I'll have done my weekly minimum :-)

They'll definitely expect this again, probably most weekends, if I give in which is the biggest reason for saying no of all of the great reasons.

[wadjet-theperv.livejournal.com]

Don't even consider it, honey. Honestly, I know you don't want to walk, and I understand the reasons why, but there comes a time when it's unhealthy for you *not* to, and I really think you're coming to that point.

They're taking the piss, and that's not right.

[selenay]

I've been considering it because I wasn't sure what my contract said about situations like this, but even though it sucks totally there's nothing in there that could force me to do this.

Even if I didn't have this assignment due, I'm just too damn tired right now to do the extra work. I can't resign tomorrow because it would be taken as a reaction to this request, but it's so tempting. Hopefully a new job will turn up very soon so that I can get myself out.

[alphekka-alpha.livejournal.com]

Tell the boss you're a deeply devout evangelical Christian, that it's against God's law to work on a Sunday, and that HE will smite you down with great smiting if you do. {VBEG}
--

[selenay]

*gggg* Mom beat you to it with that suggestion!! I'm actually considering it if they really try to insist...