profits are up, but hiring isn't. How many of you are working longer hours for no additional pay?

[peacebird]

I am working 10 - 12 hour days for my 8hr paycheck. Logging in at home to complete tasks, just totally exhausted. Manager says "This is nothing - back when we put out (blank) project, it was really intense for 18 months". They *expect* 10 or more hour days, and look askance if anyone slips out at 5pm.
And they know with the job market as tight as it is they have us right where they want us. Just read a fascinating article at MoJo about this.

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/06/speed-up-american-workers-long-hours

I want to find a company like Mule Design to work for...
From the MoJo article: (Take the policies of Mule Design Studio, a web-design shop with a number of blue-chip clients: "Our office hours are Monday through Friday 9-6. We do not hand out our cell phone numbers. On the weekend, we cease to exist.")

[ejpoeta]

1. my husband's company keeps changing things around.

they are on call every 4th week which means they work 10-7 but have to be available to work whenever. this last stint they expected him to work his regular day, go out and do an install that night and then go in to work his normal day the next day. he went out and worked his normal day and then went out and did the install and got home at like 8 in the morning. he told them he wasn't working that day. he often comes home from work and sits at his desk closing calls for an hour. mind you, his normal schedule is supposedly 8-5.. he will come home at 5:30 or 6 sometimes and sit there closing calls and doing other work. that is besides the stupid rim going off all the time. he should shut it off. and usually he does but he forgets.

the whole thing is messed up because they won't hire more guys in the area and they have one guy off mon and tuesday as scheduled day off before their on call because they have to work on the weekend. so then they end up backed up because they don't have enough work. they tried getting everyone to just work those days instead of taking their shift days off thus working two straight weeks without a day off plus having to be available any time. but don't get any overtime either. but get overtime and run the calls. and then get yelled at for running overtime but then get yelled at for NOT running the calls. catch my drift?

[peacebird]

3. sounds like they want him to WORK the overtime and get the calls done, just not get OT for it

That is SO wrong.

(actually they would probably like him to work it out of the goodness of his heart and not get paid for it at all)

and I absolutely HATE the idea that you cannot plan anything because they can call you in at any time!

[ejpoeta]

4. well it's once a month so that's ok. the problem is when they keep changing the schedule.

like they used to work regular m-f and just be available to go out if there was a call at night and be available on the weekend. then they switched it so they worked straight time on the weekend and that screwed everything up so they were constantly playing catch up all week. yes they pretty much want them to work without having the overtime. i think bob said they are going to split the schedule now so there will be 3-10 shift which is the case on the financial side. you had people that were going out and working all kinds of overtime and instead of just dealing with those folks and telling them to cut it out they screw everyone by messing with the schedule like this. bob has been putting his resume out. he works his ass off and they treat these guys like crap for all their hard work. they have had two votes to try to get a union in this company unsuccessfully. just amazes me.

[etherealtruth]

2. Oh, I hear you

That's been my story for the last 5 years ... 10 -12 hour days, working on the weekends (mercifully from home) ... a 40hr/week pay check.

I worked like this in my "youth" (read prior to kids) .... but I didn't really mind, I worked for some great non-profit health care companies (they did a lot work for the indigent and uninsured). Most folk that go into a career in health or human services aren't looking for the "big pay-off." One chooses those careers because (hopefully0 that is what one feels a passion for/ a calling.

When I got divorced I chose to earn an other degree ... I didn't want to work weekends/ holidays/odd hours.

I now work for true corporate overlords ....what I did not mind doing for altruistic organizations .... pisses me off beyond belief when doing it for corporate profit.

They tell us we live in Michigan ...we're lucky to have jobs :sarcasm:

[HipChick]

5. All the time....but I take comp days...and pretty much just take long weekends

I haven't worked a Fri for about a decade..

[givemebackmycountry]

6. It's not all gloom and doom...

We just hired 15 people and we could hire 15 more.
All of those jobs started at 52-56k with full benefits and 2 weeks vacation.

We're shutting down our India presence and moving those jobs back home.
I work a pretty normal schedule week to week, and I work 8 hour days and I take vacation when I feel like it.
I'm seeing projections out to 2016 and at 56 years old I'm thinking I may be around that long, gainfully employed.
Unless Rick Scott fucks everything up, and then I'll have to kick his bald criminal Rethug ass.

[peacebird]

8. good to hear that!

i'm hoping to hold on to my job for another 4 or 5 years, then retire. Do some volunteering, expand the veggie garden, add a flock of meat birds in addition to my egg layers....

[ellenrr]

7. My student was offered her job back at less pay.

She worked there for 10 years, was let go.
Recently called back. Instead of the $16.00 an hour she used to make, they offered her $12.00 an hour, part-time. She talked them up to $14.00/hour and full-time -
good for her. She is an immigrant, and they also use her to translate which they do not pay her more for.
She decided not to take their offer, but to continue her GED studies, then go to college.
Very brave of her. To follow her dream.

We often talk in class about these ^^%^%^&@# corporations/businesses.