Just curious, I've worked at a centre for 6 years and have always come unpaid to staff meetings, concerts, busy bees etc unpaid. We are told they are not compulsory but and expectation and expected to have a medical certificate or death in the family to avoid a written warning for not coming. Is this normal? Also is it okay for our commitment to our jobs to be questioned because we do not want to go to an event? Ie. Social event? I love my job and just feeling a bit disheartened that my commitment is being questioned because I want to be able to have time for my family
Thanks in advance
Out of work hours commitments
Re: Out of work hours commitments
Hi, that sounds really rough.
Where I work we get paid for a one hour staff meeting - I think these are usually once or twice a term (I'm only new) and if they exceed an hour we don't get paid.
There is also the expectation that we attend things like open nights, concerts, mothers & fathers day nights, etc without pay or perhaps sometimes it's time in lieu - this is very unclear to me but I do think it's mostly not paid... I have already missed a couple of these events due to other commitments and have felt guilty for not attending but haven't been required to produce a certificate, though have needed a good excuse.
I was reading in our policies that any training done outside of regular work hours is not paid, anything that you may attend during your regular work hours is paid... I have noticed that when a staff member has professional development on their regular work day if they can still get a one hour shift out of them in the morning they will. For example they might open the centre at 7am, then go to the training from 8am.
It does sound like they are being unreasonably tough on you, and it certainly would not sit well with me either. I strongly believe in work/life balance & are usually get quite upset when I am just expected to do things outside of work hours... it's your time! & as someone who finds work very physically and mentally draining I need all the me & family time I can get while still being able to pay the bills.
Goodluck! It's not easy to stand up for yourself, I myself am struggling with other aspects of my job that are hard to say "hang on that's not right or fair!".
Where I work we get paid for a one hour staff meeting - I think these are usually once or twice a term (I'm only new) and if they exceed an hour we don't get paid.
There is also the expectation that we attend things like open nights, concerts, mothers & fathers day nights, etc without pay or perhaps sometimes it's time in lieu - this is very unclear to me but I do think it's mostly not paid... I have already missed a couple of these events due to other commitments and have felt guilty for not attending but haven't been required to produce a certificate, though have needed a good excuse.
I was reading in our policies that any training done outside of regular work hours is not paid, anything that you may attend during your regular work hours is paid... I have noticed that when a staff member has professional development on their regular work day if they can still get a one hour shift out of them in the morning they will. For example they might open the centre at 7am, then go to the training from 8am.
It does sound like they are being unreasonably tough on you, and it certainly would not sit well with me either. I strongly believe in work/life balance & are usually get quite upset when I am just expected to do things outside of work hours... it's your time! & as someone who finds work very physically and mentally draining I need all the me & family time I can get while still being able to pay the bills.
Goodluck! It's not easy to stand up for yourself, I myself am struggling with other aspects of my job that are hard to say "hang on that's not right or fair!".
