i’m stil in work…
it’s now 18.11 and i’m off at 17.00
I’m not getting paid for this overtime, but it is essential as the work needs to be done before the weekend, or we could lose a potential big client.
So, should I be doing this overtime? (my boss didn’t ask me, I stayed late voluntarily)
Should I ask for payment?
or should i keep it as a card that i can play out when salary reviews are due?
'd’love to hear your take on this
Are you salaried or paid by the hour? I think that’s an important factor here. What kind of work is it?
For example, my full time job of teaching obviously requires daily work beyond work hours. No overtime pay there, as it’s a salaried (low, but still a salary) position.
My part-time job in a frozen warehouse, on the other hand, pays by the hour. Any extra time over eight hours there is counted and given time-and-a-half. That’s a “time clock” job, so you are paid for how long you are there.
That’s my two cents.
I’m on a salary
The company is a market research company that specializes in customer care tracking for the hospitality industry.
It involves designing cards with questionnaires on them, which the customers then can fill in.
The design part and printing part of the cards obviously involves a lot of third party involvment, and these sometimes can completely mess up your timetable, which can lead to you working overtime to keep to your deadline.
It’s all supposed to be part of the job, but sometimes it makes me feel like I’m being taken for granted, or that I’m being soft.
that’s really what I’d like to know. Am I being too soft? Should I demand compensation for the hours I put in?
Or should I be happy to be having a job and keep my mouth shut?
I agree with nineiron that how you’re paid would influence my answer. I am paid salary. I stay until the work is done. Sometimes that’s 5:30 and sometimes it’s 8:00.
Since you said"
I would guess no one is expecting to pay you. My bosses are aware of the hours I work because they look at the times we log on and off our computers. As long as your employers are aware of your dedication (and aren’t complete jerks) you will be rewarded, eventually. It might be a bonus when the deal goes through, or it might be that you’re at the head of the line for the next promotion. If you find yourself working extreme hours on a reguar basis you might want to negotiate some maner of compensation at your next review. My sister just worked out comp time with her boss so that she routinely works 11 or 12 hours on Tuesdays when her department is buzzing and gets to leave early on Fridays when it’s slow. She says leaving before rush hour on Friday is better than money in the bank.
It is more important to determine if your position is exempt or non-exempt than if you are paid salary or hourly. You can be paid a salary for a non-exempt job. My last job, for example, was technically non-exempt and hourly, although to simplify accounting they paid everyone in my position a salary (whether we worked the 35 hours or not). But every hour over 40 was paid OT.
If you are non-exempt, it doesn’t matter if you stay voluntarily - even if you say, “That’s okay, you don’t have to pay me” - they do legally HAVE to pay you if you are non-exempt and covered by OT regulations (many jobs are not subject to overtime pay, even if they are hourly-paid jobs - I believe long-distance truck drivers are one, for example). Obviously not all companies abide by the Fair Labor Standards Act and they get away with it because employees don’t know any better or don’t want to make a reputation for themselves as troublemakers.
If you are exempt, then they can have you work whatever hours they deem necessary to the function of the business.
Is the work taking a long time because it’s complicated, because you suck at your job, or because someone is screwing it up for you?
If it’s because of 1 or 3, you should be compensated somehow-- either by having time off later, or through extra pay. If it’s 2, you’re bolloxed. 