Justcol

but again the question has to be asked "Why would someone do that"
In my mind no job is worth that, I wouldn't care what the pay was or how prestigious people considered the position to be
no job is worth doing for nothing for so long that it eats away at family time

Boopy

I totally agree. If I work 15mins extra, I would expect to be paid for it. However, if employees are willing to work overtime for free of course the employers are going to encourage it. What's wrong with collective bargaining as many employers do get away with it.

Bo-Jangles

Which is exactly why nobody in the private sector wants to employ anyone with public sector background - there's stigma in timesheet mentality and bureaucratic thinking that makes it difficult to transfer from public to private.

Even public sector try their best to employ from the real world and explicitly try to recruit more flexible / less militant thinking from the commercial sector.

davros1984

Pom - I am surprised that you are surprised. I know colleagues down in Wellington (at Datacom) who do exactly the same thing there. So maybe CHCH is different, especially after the quake and all? Certainly all of my closer friends here in the private sector do that. 1 works for Rivera, 1 works for The Warehouse, 1 works for a Charity org, 2 work for Datacom, another 1 works for DHL - but they refuse to join in, so is labelled as lazy and not a team-player. Where I work, us in the Unix team, those in the Vmware team, those in the SAN team especially, those in the Windows team - they are all doing it regularly, yet the company is making good "coin" out of the client in question. There's probably quite a different attitude in Auckland to CHCH as well, I'm willing to bet that greed is far more prevalent here in AKL than there.

My advice to you and your partner and friends is to stay in CHCH!

Col - I agree with you, hence I am leaving (my last day of work is May 15th - woohoo!). I have a rule, a 3-strike rule where if I end up working more than 3 weekends unpaid in under 6 months, I leave. Unfortunately, with the lack of job security - and this is a big issue in AKL, it appears people will do this to keep their jobs and thus not default on their ridiculously sized mortgage payment. When I question my fellow Aucklanders about this - that is their response. This is a very big reason as to why I am leaving the country, really that isn't living and its not why we moved here.

Bo-jangles - useful link - cheers.

Pom_Chch

I'm surprised you're surprised that I'm surprised I guess it's because I've not experienced the kind of working conditions described in previous posts (ignorance is bless ay!?) Not just us as a couple but our friends and colleagues too.

I think you have a point with Chch being a bit different. Lots of people have left taking their talent with them. Then add into the mix more and more businesses opening again after the quake it seems a lot of companies are coming up short when hiring skilled IT workers. A lot of IT workers have either gone to Ozzy, Europe or other parts of NZ. My partners job was advertised for 6 months in NZ before it was advertised overseas and he was the first applicant to fit the bill. It was a bit of a shock for him because his skill set is two a penny in major UK cities. It feels in Chch like any skilled and talented people are held on to by offering good salaries, benefits etc particularly in IT. There's not such a feeling of being disposable here, but more like "what can we offer to make you stay" rather than "oh well, if he leaves we'll find someone else". Well, there is no one else here!

Working in Auckland sounds similar to working in London. Something that my partner and I do not miss!

Mrsbrightside7

Love your blog Pom_Chch! And what gorgeous pics too

LauraNotts

I don't think it's unreasonable as an employee to expect your employer to abide by the terms of your contract i.e expect you to work only the number of hours you signed up to and to pay extra if you are requested to and do work over that. Afterall, we as employees are expected to abide by the contract we signed and turn up on time, abide by working regulations etc.

You say yourself that you are burnt out. I don't think there's anything heroic or worthwhile in burying yourself in your job to the detriment of your health and quality of life. At the end of the day you can't take it with you. This isn't a race to the bottom to see who can work the most for least.

I work as a nurse in a hospital. If I need to stay a little late to finish up a chat with a patient or assist with unexpected emergencies/incidents then I do so happily and without a big song and dance or expectation of pay. However, if my boss decides to schedule me in for shifts which I know will lead to me being exhausted and unable to perform well in my role I will highlight that and expect that reasonable adjustments will be made so that I don't end up off sick and no use to them. If that's a public sector mentality then I am happy to have it.

Pom_Chch

Thank you, I'll be posting another update soon

Boopy

I've worked in both private & public sectors & found it the same. When salaried, yes of course I've been more flexible to working unpaid hours. When not salaried I am also very flexible, however I'm no push over.

Justcol

Always always always family first. Sunshine, scenery and family are nothing if you only ever
see them through an office window.

Good luck with the move, I hope it gives you the life you want.

Boopy

Well said Laura, I am also a nurse, & there are times when we would stay longer without any hesitation, even though we may not have had a meal break throughout the shift.

Assanah

Would you also stay longer without pay and without hesitation if the emergencies would not be a sick person but that the dividend payouts of the shareholders are sinking?

Blade Down Under

I agree with this

My first job working for the NHS was fantastic. A great company that expected you to do your hours, but would always pay overtime. It had to be valid overtime mind, not stay in the office just to let the rush along Euston Road die down. The online data system upgrade I was part of, I think I ended up working 50-60 hours a week, always got the top up... Once I finished and the project system was delivered, I had a few thank yous from NHS seniors and even the health minister.

When I left the NHS and moved to SunGard, it was a culture shock. I'm used to it now, but it took a while. Overtime doesn't exist, no day in lieu if you work weekends, nothing. It was ok for the first 3 years until the financial crisis hit, since that it's been hard. I did consider leaving for a new position in another company until they requested I took this project on. It was probably the one thing that kept me with them. I was doing 50-60 hour weeks, all to satisfy our clients and customers. When your working to provide a service for big buck customers (US and German banks), they expect it to be done in a budget given. Customer, Clients, Shareholders - it's a pain in the backside working for people that have no idea of working life.

I would always recommend the public sector for working conditions and work life over the private sector.

BEVS

So do I. 35 yrs+ in office environments both private and public sector.
My experience of local government was that everything ran to the clock. You worked over, you got paid.

In a private sector office environment it is usual & expected. The hours may seem set but you get salaried for what the content of the job entails. Time is money. That means pressure. That report is not ready first thing in the morning for whatever reason , you are accountable. You don't meet the targets several times , you may find yourself facing a disiplinary or asked to leave or step sideways from your job because you don't meet the 'standards' of said job .
Yes. you could move jobs but that would be a mark against your credentials & you will likely meet the same again.

"Go that extra mile"
"Deadlines"
"Work as a team"

All sorts of guff Col.

So. Forget clocking off at the end of your working day. Lunch on the hoof. Reports at home.

I worked in office environments for a good 35+ years. The culture has become worse and worse. I have been a person still in an office at midnight trying to fix issues not of my making, to ensure a huge amount of employees got paid next day. I've been the person completing management reports late into the night to help safeguard the future of a company with a financial deadline to meet.

In the end I had a burn out . Just as Capp

I also agree Col, that no job is worth your health and well-being. That is why Capp has re-evaluated her life and why I stepped out of employment.

Not everyone is in a position to do that though & we have to respect that. At the end of the day most all of us need an income to meet our outgoings. Those outgoings can be adjusted but if a family has a mortgage and children, it may not be possible to step off the wheel easily.

TommyLuck

Personal experience;

I was told by my manager on starting my job "we don't clock watch, just get your job done".

I usually start around 9am, though I do try to get in earlier and usually finish at 5:15pm to go get my daughter from Kindy.

I may work from home from time to time, but I would've done this in the UK so that's no different.

I happen to be working this Saturday in Wellington, but with out hesitation my manager told me to have a long weekend in Wellington and have the Monday off. Work are paying for my return flights.

Whilst I work in a sales role, in theory, the more I work the more $$$'s I get. There isn't any snide comments or expectation. Simply being at work and as long as you're contributing you will be seen as being a team player.


Having said this, I've just taken a call from a friend who until recently had a job and we're talking minutes and hours;


His whole team we're asked on Friday whether they wanted to take 6 weeks pay to leave, or stay and be put on performance management - they were asked this at 10am on Friday, with a 5pm Friday deadline.

My mate took the later. He got fired this morning, by telephone as he was at home - he's already been on to a lawyer who is very keen to take this case up.

The cheeky gits also wanted him drop his company car off at the office 30kms away!! The lawyer told him that as it's their car, the relationship with him is now non-existent, so he shouldn't use his time and expense to return the car. It's up to them to retrieve the car.

Obviously these are vague details, but you couldn't make this up!!