FabSwingers.com forum: working lunch hours

By *ikeC81 OP Man
over a year ago

harrow

I work for a large organisation.

I have been told that to progress i have to be seen to be working my lunch hour.....

Now this sits very badly with me...legally i am allowed to be away from my desk. Contractually I am allowed.

Now don't get me wrong i don't always take my full hour, be it 45 mins some times. I always start early and leave later than contracted hours.

I am wondering if anyone else has had the same and if so what did they do about it....

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By *ishful.thinkingWoman
over a year ago

east london

Lunch whats that

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By *iss_tressWoman
over a year ago

London

By law you're entitled to a minimum of 20 minutes break for every six hours worked.

Employers are falling foul of the Working Time Directive if they ignore that.

I can't see a large organisation sanctioning this, is it your manager telling you to work through your lunch?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Unfortunately it happens.

People are told, on an informal basis, that you need to be seen to be going above and beyond your contract.

In my profession there is a rumour that one particular firm frown if you're not seen to be going in on bank holidays and weekends.

It's not right but it happens

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

do as you you are now and if the firm doesnt appriecate that then sod them, ive in the past gone way and beyond my duties and you never get any appriecation they just start to expect it, then when you dont do it you look like your skiving.

so i say sod them

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I work 12 hr shifts and dont have lunch or breaks its kinda eat as u go in my job but hey its a job thats the way i look at it these days

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By *un_JuiceCouple
over a year ago

Nr Chester

Sounds like the person suggesting that needs a backhander. If progressing is that important it's your life. Personally I'd sooner have my breaks and keep my dignity. There are enough brown noses as it is.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

a lot depends on whether you want to progress.

we all know we have rights to breaks holidays etc etc and rightly so..

however i am an employer and i do notice people who go beyond the norm and show that they are prepared to do more than the bare minimum.

sadly i have employed a number of people who are coat off at 9 and coat on at 5 and no more and no less.

sometimes to stand out and get on you need to be a bit different.

now before anyone jumps on me about exploitation, i dont exploit my employees , i reward the ones that stand out and they progress to better positions with better pay and benefits.

the ones with the factory mentality of clocking and and clocking off dont generally go any further.

i have properties in France and often let staff use them for free, but only the ones that show commitment to the company.

its a very competitive job market and as an employer i am in a position of being able to pick the best from the selection offered me. you need to stand out for me , but if you do then the rewards are there.

just putting another viewpoint.....

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I decided a long time ago that I am too rebellious to toe the line, and can never be a brown nose in order to progress up the corporate food chain.

Hence I no longer seek positions with management responsibilities.

I like to enjoy my job, not to be too stressed by it to lose sleep and ended up being ill.

I have yet to work in a job that pays me overtime, and when I do any, it is what I am prepared to do, not because I am forced to do it.

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By *histler21Man
over a year ago

Ipswich

The sensible solution would be to record all these 'suggestions' and any consequential actions.

You could always be 'seen' to be working - but just work less efficiently. Unless 'they' monitor your work closely - how are they going to know?

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By *un_JuiceCouple
over a year ago

Nr Chester

"a lot depends on whether you want to progress.

we all know we have rights to breaks holidays etc etc and rightly so..

however i am an employer and i do notice people who go beyond the norm and show that they are prepared to do more than the bare minimum.

sadly i have employed a number of people who are coat off at 9 and coat on at 5 and no more and no less.

sometimes to stand out and get on you need to be a bit different.

now before anyone jumps on me about exploitation, i dont exploit my employees , i reward the ones that stand out and they progress to better positions with better pay and benefits.

the ones with the factory mentality of clocking and and clocking off dont generally go any further.

i have properties in France and often let staff use them for free, but only the ones that show commitment to the company.

just putting another viewpoint....."

And if you are true to your word then you are an ideal employer. A lot of people myself included can offer alot in terms of dilligence, going the extra mile, a care for the work produced etc. Going into breaks or dinners for me is not an issue and once what's complete or work in progress then a break or dinner could be taken. A few bad apples ruin peoples work lives and bad management causes those to give it the fuck it mentality, some of which is hidden under the guise of the competative market to exploit and big theirselves up. Ideally a team would work well together and benefit collectively, working smarter.

I'm happy for your staff though, hats off to you.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

sadly i have employed a number of people who are coat off at 9 and coat on at 5 and no more and no less.

sometimes to stand out and get on you need to be a bit different.

If you had left out the word 'sadly' there I may have sympathised with you to an extent, but it's inclusion shows your contempt for people who do they exact hours they are paid for, and your 'favour' for those who make you money at a cost to themselves.

Why not the reward hard workers you seem to value so much with the extra hour/s pay they have earned and then if you feel like rewarding them further let them use your villa in France.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

sadly i have employed a number of people who are coat off at 9 and coat on at 5 and no more and no less.

sometimes to stand out and get on you need to be a bit different.

Why not the reward hard workers you seem to value so much with the extra hour/s pay they have earned and then if you feel like rewarding them further let them use your villa in France.

now i knew it would be contentious... and please dont accuse me of comtempt. i dont show contempt for anyone, i appreciate that there are people who only want, or are willing, to do the minimum required to get by and some of those are excellent at their jobs and i appreciate the work they do, but is it wrong for me to favour those who are prepared to go the extra mile??? i dont think so, i think i am a good boss and currently employ 85 people all on good wages and benefits, even the 9 to 5 ones...

i pay well for the work they do and i dont ask or expect people to do more than i pay them for, if i ask them to work over i pay OT.

however i encourage a good team spirit and in doing that most of my people do go a little extra for me and i appreciate that and they appreciate the added benefits i give the ones that care.

its a 2 way street... if someone has a hospital appointment say, or are late due to traffic or family issues etc etc etc. i dont dock their pay...

so if i paid everyone for every hour they work should i dock them their pay when they need an hour or 2 off for something??

i dont think so and never would.

and sadly, yes that word again, there are people who do the bare minimum to get by and there are those that do a bit more.

if you work for me the ones that do a bit more get a lot more back from me and the ones that dont, well they dont...

as i said its good to see another viewpoint and i have been on both sides..

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By *am sampsonMan
over a year ago

cwmbran

sadly i have employed a number of people who are coat off at 9 and coat on at 5 and no more and no less.

sometimes to stand out and get on you need to be a bit different.

Why not the reward hard workers you seem to value so much with the extra hour/s pay they have earned and then if you feel like rewarding them further let them use your villa in France.

Beat me to it - I would see him as a poor employer to if if has the attitude that someone who does what they are contracted to do as a poor employee - has he not heard of work life balence - I dare say that a lot of those he regards as good employees are "presentees" only and hoping they get to stay in his villa

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

sadly i have employed a number of people who are coat off at 9 and coat on at 5 and no more and no less.

sometimes to stand out and get on you need to be a bit different.

Why not the reward hard workers you seem to value so much with the extra hour/s pay they have earned and then if you feel like rewarding them further let them use your villa in France.

i refer to my previous post, i dont look at any of my employees as poor ones. most of teh 9 to 5 pnes ar every good at their jobs and i pay all my workers well but why should a harder worker not be rewarded??

and i can see a brown noser or bullshitter from a mile away.

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By *am sampsonMan
over a year ago

cwmbran

Kenny. you are obviously very successful at what you do, but be very careful if you treat one employee differntly from another this can ofeten come back to haunt you - but I wish you well.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"a lot depends on whether you want to progress.

we all know we have rights to breaks holidays etc etc and rightly so..

however i am an employer and i do notice people who go beyond the norm and show that they are prepared to do more than the bare minimum.

sadly i have employed a number of people who are coat off at 9 and coat on at 5 and no more and no less.

sometimes to stand out and get on you need to be a bit different.

now before anyone jumps on me about exploitation, i dont exploit my employees , i reward the ones that stand out and they progress to better positions with better pay and benefits.

the ones with the factory mentality of clocking and and clocking off dont generally go any further.

i have properties in France and often let staff use them for free, but only the ones that show commitment to the company.

just putting another viewpoint.....

I'm happy for your staff though, hats off to you. "

i agree about the bad management bit and bad apples. i will be honest and say i expect people to deliver and pay well for it. the ones that dont, dont get past the probation period and i can spot a bad apple too. I have some exceedingly good employees who have a 9 to 5 mentality and i value the work they do, and pay well for it but they dont get the 'extras'. is that unfair??? i dont think so.. if i treated everyone exactly the same then the place would, as you say, develop a fuck it mentality and nobody gains from that. i am in a very competitive sector and my business is bucking the trend showing year on year growth,which cant be done without the teamwork of everyone, the 9 to 5 ones and the others and everyone benefits from a profit related bonus scheme on top of their salary.

i dont run a sweat shop by any means. my pay scales are on average 25% above the norm and there are a number of extra benefits.

do i make more money out of it??? of course i do and i am proud of that but i pit a hell of a lot back investing in my staff and working conditions and giving gainful employment ot a lot of people.

i certainly wont apologise for rewarding the ones that go the extra mile.

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By *un_JuiceCouple
over a year ago

Nr Chester

I wish we'd have had the idea of a dwarf porn business. I guess you have it boxed off now

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Kenny. you are obviously very successful at what you do, but be very careful if you treat one employee differntly from another this can ofeten come back to haunt you - but I wish you well."

i now where you are coming from but my partner is a lawyer and i know we are on very firm ground.

i reward hard work with good pay and benefits, and i reward even harder work with extras which is my perogative to do so and is totally discretionary.

have never had a claim against me in 20 years of running my own company and i have had to sack a few on the way, but as long as you follow the rules you are on solid ground.

i hate sacking people because i see it as a failure on my part that i havent managed the situation properly, but unfortunately it is fact of life that there are workers and shirkers. and the shirkers dont get on in my company.

a contract is a contract its a 2 way thing. if people honour their side of it as employees, then i honour my side and more.

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By *ikeC81 OP Man
over a year ago

harrow

Problem is I do at least an hr of overtime every day anyway.....

So I do not shirk overtime....I am more than happy to do a bit extra but why should I be branded not giving more to the company when others are asking the piss

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Mike - keep a diary of all the comments that are made and all the breaks that you do take and then see what happens in the next 12 months with regards to promotion....

Kenny - you sound like a spot on boss/md

of course you should reward those who go the extra mile.....anyone saying otherwise isnt in the real world

I very seldom had a proper lunch break where i work (recruitment) - got offered a job elsewhere for more money - handed my notice in and got an immediate 50% payrise, promotion and i'm due to start getting monthly bonuses kicking in in the next week or so....happy days!!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"a lot depends on whether you want to progress.

we all know we have rights to breaks holidays etc etc and rightly so..

however i am an employer and i do notice people who go beyond the norm and show that they are prepared to do more than the bare minimum.

sadly i have employed a number of people who are coat off at 9 and coat on at 5 and no more and no less.

sometimes to stand out and get on you need to be a bit different.

now before anyone jumps on me about exploitation, i dont exploit my employees , i reward the ones that stand out and they progress to better positions with better pay and benefits.

the ones with the factory mentality of clocking and and clocking off dont generally go any further.

i have properties in France and often let staff use them for free, but only the ones that show commitment to the company.

just putting another viewpoint....."

Are you looking for staff by any chance!! I always used to stay late/start early (without extra pay), cover the odd weekend if someone was off, and help out with stock checks but when you don't even get a thank you it gets a bit disheartening and so now I do my contracted hours and nothing more. The final straw for me was getting grief because I couldn't do one of the monthly stock checks after doing 4/5 in a row on a friday night after work (there were other things that pissed me off too, but that just did it for me...god forbid I have a life!).

If I thought the extra would be appreciated and I would eventually get something back from it then I'd have no issues continuing to do the extra hours but when I watch others getting their arses kissed just for doing their job right every now and again it really gets on my wick. I work hard in the hours that I'm there but I've stopped going above and beyond as it is expected not appreciated, and certainly not rewarded...hopefully my current job hunting will prove fruitful and I'll be back to putting the extra effort in.

So I guess in reply to the OP...if you think it genuinely will get you where you want to be, then maybe eat at your desk, but find other ways in the day to get away from it for 10-15 mins at a time. I know it's not ideal, but if you're looking for a promotion and you feel it will help then surely it's of benefit to you? If you think you're just being put on to do more but get nothing back out of it then fuck em and continue as you are! x

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By *_midland_cpl_xCouple
over a year ago

birmingham

I never have a full lunch break usually 15 mins even on a 11 hour shift but hay not much can be done if the work needs doing it needs doing

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

It's really down to work ethic.

Some people have it, some don't.

The fact you're asking makes me think you don't.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

All employment has its pros and cons. Weigh them up and if you feel you are short changed and undervalued, use that value to find something better.

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By *am sampsonMan
over a year ago

cwmbran

"It's really down to work ethic.

Some people have it, some don't.

The fact you're asking makes me think you don't."

Wow that's one hell of an assumption to make

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Presumption, really, from an employers perspective.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

People tend to work their lunch hours thinking it makes them look good.

However its unsafce to do so and is a detriment rather than a positive.

People need a break to refuel throughout the day and not to get over tired. If you have a break it keeps the mind fresh. Working all day with no switch off time makes an employee tired, lack of concentration, leading to sloPpiness or bad decision making.

So I feel its not actually beneficial to work all day in order to progress. Someone who takes time out will be more b eneficial in the long run as their concentration levels will be higher and they arfe less likely to make mistakes when they are working

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

A good manager would insist that staff have sufficient breaks and would see the benefits of people retaining their concentration throughout the day which will produce quality.

its time effective in the long run.

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By *ovedupstillCouple
over a year ago

mullinwire

i often work through my breaks, as to not do so would mean i dont get home at the end of my shift, which doesnt sit right with me moreso

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"A good manager would insist that staff have sufficient breaks and would see the benefits of people retaining their concentration throughout the day which will produce quality.

its time effective in the long run.

Spot on...!!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Are you looking for staff by any chance!! "

oh, if i was i would be in touch...

to be honest i havent hired (or fired) anyone now for 18mnths and that was hiring an extra 8 people.

i have a core of people who have been with me for nearly all my 20yrs running my own firm. i have a very small staff turnover due to the fact, i think, that i am a good boss to work for.

companies with 'big stick' mentality hget poor moral and high staff turnover which leads to inefficiency and poor customer service.

staff are the companies biggest asset and we invest in our staff, but we do expect them to deliver results but they get rewarded for it.

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By *ovedupstillCouple
over a year ago

mullinwire

Are you looking for staff by any chance!!

oh, if i was i would be in touch...

to be honest i havent hired (or fired) anyone now for 18mnths and that was hiring an extra 8 people.

i have a core of people who have been with me for nearly all my 20yrs running my own firm. i have a very small staff turnover due to the fact, i think, that i am a good boss to work for.

companies with 'big stick' mentality hget poor moral and high staff turnover which leads to inefficiency and poor customer service.

staff are the companies biggest asset and we invest in our staff, but we do expect them to deliver results but they get rewarded for it."

sincerely wish there were more bosses that live by your ethos.

unfortunately, in a cut throat business world, it seems the employees throats are the easiest to cut.

we have had maybe 100 drivers fill 25 slots (ooer missus) in the last 6 months, due to unreal expectations and bad working practice.

moral is low and those upstairs couldnt give a flying one because the work is being done.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

So many lefties on here by the looks of it what happened to pride in your work? The 9-5 attitude is what fucked this country, if you are half way through a job to walk when the clock hits 5 is not showing commitment if you are in a white collar role. If you are on the shop floor, or paid by the hour then its one thing to clock off but if you are on a monthly salary then you need to be flexible at times if you want to progress. An employer needs to have trust in people with responsibilities after all.

To the OP you will have to think long and hard about your position if you are being put under pressure to work your lunches. You need to work out if you want to progress, if you want to stay in the environment you are in or move on to one more suited. Remember though you are entitled to breaks and point this out to them and keep a record of what has been said to you by whom and when just on the off chance you need to refer back to it.

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