My bosses like when I work for free

May 6, 2009 2:23 PM

How can I politely ask to go back to my original work schedule?

Due to budget cuts, a few of my coworkers’ hours have been cut. My bosses asked me to work an extra half hour a day for “a couple of weeks” to help with the transition. They hinted that, since my hours had not been cut, I should be willing to help out a little. Ok, fine. Note, I’m not getting paid for that extra time. Its totally just me being nice and trying to help out.

But now its been four weeks and they’ve made no mention of me going back to my original schedule. I know working an extra half hour a day seems like a really petty thing to complain about, but this makes me miss my connecting bus so I actually get home an HOUR later every day. Which makes it too late for me to do other work, like tutoring, etc. that I do to bring in extra money. It makes it too late for me to make any of the writing classes/meetings I usually go to. It makes it too late for me to meet up with my family every now and then for dinner, etc. Basically it’s a pain and I don’t want to do it anymore, especially since I’m not getting paid for it. My job pays me peanuts to begin with.

So how do I let my bosses know that I would like to go back to my original hours, without sounding like a whiney brat? Which I guess to some extent I am…

posted by silverstatue to Work & Money (12 answers total)

You are not a whiny brat, to any extent. Once you realize that you are not one, it should be easier for you to justify speaking up to your bosses.

I think a straightforward "A few weeks ago, you asked me to take on an extra half-hour every couple of days -- I would like to go back to my regular schedule" will work.

You likely should be getting paid for your 1/2 hour of work. Typically, it's illegal to not pay you for it. The justification that "we spared you your job, so you must work more hours for less money" is an age-old employer extortion tactic that gave rise to labor laws and unions. I am not accusing your employers of any such thing, as I do not know the entire situtation.

Hopefully, your bosses will understand your desire to work a normal shift. Good luck.
posted by jabberjaw at 2:31 PM on May 6, 2009

Could you come in 30 minutes earlier?
posted by Faust at 2:33 PM on May 6, 2009

Here's a very deferential way you could ask:
"When do you think I'll be able to return to my original schedule? I want to help out while I'm needed. But I'm asking because I had to cancel plans to take evening classes, and I'm wondering if I'll be able to sign up for the next round of classes, which start in four weeks. Do you think we'll have gotten past the hump by then?"

But whether deferential ("I want to help, it's only that..."), assertive ("I just wanted to let you know that I will only be able to work this unpaid extra half hour for three more weeks before other obligations require me to go back to my original schedule"), or something else ("C'mon now, Jim, you didn't expect me to do this forever, did you?") is a better approach with your particular supervisor is something that only you would know.
posted by salvia at 2:35 PM on May 6, 2009 [4 favorites]

You are not a whiny brat for wanting to get paid for working, or for wanting to get paid extra for working extra. They tried to blackmail you into unpaid work.

Consider telling them you are going back to your regular schedule, and not asking.

In my opinion, one way to stop sounding whiny is to not list all of the reasons you listed above. I understand why you told them to us, but they should not come into the conversation with your boss. Be straightforward when you ask/tell them you are going back to the hours you get paid to work. It's none of their business if you like to stand in a corner and stare with that extra half hour. It may be against the law for them to ask to perform unpaid work.

I have a coworker who always overexplains his case, citing numerous reasons he can't do X or why he should be allowed to Y. To me he ends up sounding insincere and shady, if not whiny.
posted by soelo at 2:39 PM on May 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

I agree with all those who say you're not a whiny brat; your employer is taking advantage of you (whether that's what s/he intended to do or not). I sense from the way you hemmed and hawed in your question that you're a woman. As a fellow woman who used to be too afraid to make waves at work, I say face your fears! They didn't cut your hours for *some* reason -- maybe it's because you're better or paid less than those whose hours were cut -- but that reason still exists whether you work the extra 1/2 hour or not. I sense that you want to be conciliatory and helpful and by all means, do, but be conciliatory and helpful by pointing out that you've been pitching in for the last x weeks, but you will have to go back to your new schedule starting on y date. Good luck!
posted by Maisie at 2:55 PM on May 6, 2009

Did you consider that your bosses might expect you to return to your original schedule on your own after a couple weeks have passed?
posted by sexymofo at 2:57 PM on May 6, 2009

How about a happy medium.

"Hey Bossperson, I am letting you know that I can extend this overtime for you for another 2 weeks to help you out, but I will be needing to go back to my regular hours starting x/xx/xxxx."

That way you have a deadline, but you also will seem like you are playing along and giving them more time.
posted by Vaike at 3:15 PM on May 6, 2009

The passive-agressive thing to do (of course) is to just go back to your regular schedule.

Not that I'm advising you to do that.

Anyway, is this 'extra' on the books, and you just aren't paid for it (like with time cards and everything)? or are you expected to clock out and continue working? because that second one sounds awfully illegal to me.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 3:19 PM on May 6, 2009

I'd go with jabberjaw's "A few weeks ago, you asked me to take on an extra half-hour every couple of days -- I would like to go back to my regular schedule."

Short and simple, direct and professional. Put it out there and see how they respond.
posted by kprincehouse at 4:03 PM on May 6, 2009

FYI: If you're an hourly employee, and you're working this time without pay, they're doing something illegal. If you're salaried, its a little more of a gray area.

Jabberjaw's language is good. Also, the suggestion that if they need you for an extra half hour a day (which you must be compensated for if you're hourly, otherwise they're breaking the law) why can't it be in the morning rather than at the end of the day?

They shouldn't be able to get work for free. Either they pay you (and pay you at an overtime rate if you're working hourly and more than 40 hours) or they pay someone else.
posted by anastasiav at 5:09 PM on May 6, 2009

The thing is that (in my experience, anyway) business folks will quite happily take from you every single ounce that you can be compelled to give - not necessarily because they're "bad," but because there is so much that always needs to be done in the business world that having someone you can pile more things on means that you will pile things on that person. Think of it from your boss's perspective: if you're not pushing back on your current work load, what incentive does he/she have to lighten things for you?

I think the advice you've gotten so far is very good; the only thing I might add is the recommendation that you frame the situation as if you and your boss both already agreed that you would be going back to your originally agreed-upon hours and thus were "teamed" together to figure out how to make this work in a way that's good for you and the company, rather than approaching the situation as one in which you're asking for something it was their right to give or deny. In other words, I would advise something more along the lines of "Here is my plan for scaling back to my normal work hours over the next (week/month/quarter - whatever seems right to you). I would love your feedback on it so we can make sure this occurs as smoothly as possible." Such a position can leave you far better-suited than if you approached asking "Can I drop that extra half-hour now?". Make it clear that you're still concerned with working things out in a way that was good both for you and the company; make it clear that you may be willing to negotiate on specifics so long as the overall goal (i.e., you going back to your regular work schedule) is achieved within a reasonable time frame.

Good luck to you, I hope you can work things out in a way that feels good to you.
posted by DingoMutt at 6:41 PM on May 6, 2009

To add to sexymofo's answer...depending on how many people your boss has to supervise, I wouldn't be surprised if you've simply been lost in the shuffle and they've assumed you've gone back to a previous schedule, or that your manager thought they communicated something to you about this already even if they haven't.

In other words, I would avoid assuming that you're being taken advantage of until you know for sure, and the only way to know is by being direct and open with your boss. Good luck!
posted by fishbulb at 11:56 PM on May 6, 2009