Shop Talk
A New Low even for them.
So our upper management has stooped to a new low. Really, this is bad. I am completely shocked by this.
They want overtime... I'm not inclined to give it (frankly, I show up here exactly as often as I absolutely must.) They want it badly. They're offering some piddly little drawings (not really worth it even if this job didn't suck great big hairy... you get the idea) But this new line is really incredible.
Basically they've said that they want everybody go 'volunteer' for an hour of overtime today. If you're 'able' (yes they said able, not willing) to give them that extra hour they ask that you speak with your Sup or Lead ... ok, that's fine and normal right? That's where it stops being ok. I don't mind being ASKED for overtim...
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They want overtime... I'm not inclined to give it (frankly, I show up here exactly as often as I absolutely must.) They want it badly. They're offering some piddly little drawings (not really worth it even if this job didn't suck great big hairy... you get the idea) But this new line is really incredible.
Basically they've said that they want everybody go 'volunteer' for an hour of overtime today. If you're 'able' (yes they said able, not willing) to give them that extra hour they ask that you speak with your Sup or Lead ... ok, that's fine and normal right? That's where it stops being ok. I don't mind being ASKED for overtim...
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But if they get rid of all the good reps, they can pay the new ones less. Quanity, not quality. I know. It sucks. That's what is (and has been) happening at Cingular corporate stores.
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OOOhh I got you beat.. I work in a call center right? And well.. we're as usual short staffed... floor support taking calls, and supervisor calls on the floor, because we, the reps, have to wait so long for a sup to come to the line and answer taking it like good henchmen. Well, for the ENTIRE month of July, we're had to have MANDATORY overtime, an extra 5 hours a week. They get sooo desperate that they say on saturdays and sundays that they will "Pay an extra two dollars an hour to be here". Today, I, a normal rep, had to do floor support for twenty minutes because a customer started swearing, and insulting me wanting to speak to a sup... well he waited 7 minutes, then I had to get our floor suport chick to take the call... Yea.. Beat that....
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See but they don't pay the new babies less, they actually end up spending MORE because they have to pay for training and then you get a rep who isn't making them nearly as much money as I do because the newbie doesn't know how to turn their computer the hell on let along place an order that doesn't go wrong. It would cost them less to give me a raise then to train some high-school kid.
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I would have a look at those posters in the break room. You know the ones with all the state and federal labor laws on them. They will use every available word or tactic to try and get you to work overtime without actually saying those words. Its BS.
A company I used to work for has a class action suit going right now for this very thing. I haven't worked for them in over a year now but I almost fell over laughing when I got the letter from the law firm because I was in the class. I thought back to my first day when my manager told me it was part of the company's work-aholic culture and they expected everyone to put in at least 10% overtime.
I guess they thought they were entitled to make up all the time you're in the bathroom poo...
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A company I used to work for has a class action suit going right now for this very thing. I haven't worked for them in over a year now but I almost fell over laughing when I got the letter from the law firm because I was in the class. I thought back to my first day when my manager told me it was part of the company's work-aholic culture and they expected everyone to put in at least 10% overtime.
I guess they thought they were entitled to make up all the time you're in the bathroom poo...
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Part of the work-aholic attitude probably comes from the fact that you have to work for 1.6 hours of your day (20% if you're working an 8 hour day) at LEAST to even begin covering your taxes so you have to work so much make up just to break even because the freaking incompetents in our government take so much out (not like I'm going to see a penny of my social security money... it's not an investment because chances are the system will be bankrupt by the time I get old enough to retire, which by then will be 90 anyways)
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What you described is why the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed in 1938. Go here:
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/whd/whdfs23.htm »
A quick quote from the above site:
An employer who requires or permits an employee to work overtime is generally required to pay the employee premium pay for such overtime work.
I am so glad I am self-employed and have no employees. 🙂
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/whd/whdfs23.htm »
A quick quote from the above site:
An employer who requires or permits an employee to work overtime is generally required to pay the employee premium pay for such overtime work.
I am so glad I am self-employed and have no employees. 🙂
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Well yeah, they're going to pay me a pretty hefty sum to get my butt to work overtime but frankly, it's not worth it even then.
AND... I had something else to do (doesn't actually matter what... could have been clip my toenails, they can bugger off.) Actually, I had a friggen Belt Test to attend. I'd rather go to that since the guy there who is in charge... he has the right ('cause I signed paper saying so) to beat the tar outta me (I have two new bruises I can't figure out where they came from actually) around here they can... write me up... OOOH SCARY! (be a first too.)
AND... I had something else to do (doesn't actually matter what... could have been clip my toenails, they can bugger off.) Actually, I had a friggen Belt Test to attend. I'd rather go to that since the guy there who is in charge... he has the right ('cause I signed paper saying so) to beat the tar outta me (I have two new bruises I can't figure out where they came from actually) around here they can... write me up... OOOH SCARY! (be a first too.)
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at my call center they made us do at least 6 hours of mandatory overtime and f you did not it was a double occurrence, this is a crap hole!
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Ouch, I think our labor laws protect us from that... and the fact that while they don't actually like me that much (I'm too opinionated for them... can't think too much in this place or it intimidates the upper managment...) they don't want to let me go because I make so much money for them (I get a really high sales/calls average and I'm good at adding features, I get great scores on my QAs so they can't stand me but don't want to loose my income.) So they will do stupid things that piss me of but if I push back they won't do much about it, they'll have their little pet monkeys come and bug me but that's about it.
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