Overtime Rates

[dmsjps]

I'm wondering how many people get paid less for doing overtime than their basic rate and then have their boss insist they do the overtime when it's busy. Is it just me or are there others out there? I feel cheesed off about it and I'm just wondering if I'm justified in feeling like that or if paying in this way is normal business practice.

[Chillum]

Normal practice is time and a half, sometimes double time for weekends and holidays.

[undercovers]

Think yourself lucky i don't get paid over time but am expected to work for free when we're busy - generally have to put in about an extra 8 hours a week. thats an extra day a week for free how rubbish is that - and they don't pay me very much in the first place

[Dom Tuk]

Among all the businesses that i know of academia is one where there is no overtime pay whatsoever. Technicians and reseach scientists are expected, nay demanded, that they work very long hours (upto 14 hrs days) including weekends with no recompense whatsoever. Any leave is scoffed at and if you go on holiday you must be losing it!!You are meant to do it for the love of science and research. The basic pay is ***** in any case.

[kempie]

I presume you have signed a Contract of Employment that sets out these draconian demands, to which you have agreed.

If you have, there's not much you can do legally to remedy the situation apart from speaking to your boss.

[dmsjps]

undercovers, my problem seems like nothing compared to yours, it's terrible. I don't get fantastic pay either, which is why it peeves me when I'm told to work sometimes all weekend on top of my Monday to Friday working.

kempie, I've worked for the company now for over 6 years and have never been given a contract of employment. When I first started working there, I was told verbally that my overtime would be the same as my basic, which I agreed to, but the last two pay rises I've had have been for my basic time only, not overtime, although the boss didn't tell me that at the time and I only noticed it myself from my payslips. When I queried it though, the boss said it was right.

Trouble is, those of us who aren't on fantastic incomes, who rely on the wages so that they don't lose their house, etc, the bosses know it, don't they?

[Emily Ball]

The following website contains information both for employees and employers. It gives you info on what your rights and obligations are.

www.dti.gov.uk.

Sounds as if your boss is exploiting you although that's nothing new!

[Hgrove]

I totally sympathise.  I have worked for uscrupolous employers too, who would not give anything in writing.  One employer said if he paid overtime, we (secretaries) would take advantage of him.  In fact, it was his way of giving a perk to the (male) staff:  they were encouraged to get us to do their personal work after hours in addition to the office work.  This was a perk at no cost to the employer.  One guy used to get me to organise his cricket tournament for his friends (they were all public school boys).  I had to return his children's clothes to the Boden catalogue when his wife wanted to return them... etc etc... all after 6 pm in my own time. One employer, a French company, kept offices in this country so as to save on wages. They would never have got away with that in France!  I lasted nearly 5 years but most people lasted about two.  They virtually told my at my so called induction that they squeezed as much as they could out of people for two years and then did not care if they left. Unfortunately there are many unscrupolous dishonest employers around.

[ursula62]

House doctors in the NHS have to do overtime at one third of their hourly rate (no, not time and a third) and they have no choice about when they are on call.

It is unusual for office workers to be treated like this, but it is relatively common to have to do overtime for fixed rates in support positions, e.g. medicine, emergency services, or IT.

[tubeway]

many of us do not get overtime at all

[snoteater]

House doctors in the NHS can look forward to very fat salaries when they become registrars and consultants, so lets not feel too sorry for the poor little things. Many of them also exploit the NHS 9/10ths contract to do shedloads of private work thus making even more money. Abd remember, the private work they do is using the skills and experience paid for out of the public purse when doing their training and residencies.