Why the question of time taken to complete O/T??

[Dalelad]

As a part time postie needing to bump my wage up, I am am constantly doing overtime as much as possible. Management see me as one of the go to guys when they are struggling, even ringing me while im out on delivery asking me to do more on top of O/T I have already agreed to do that day. I happily do this as it helps them out and increases my income. But recenlty my line manager has been asking me how long it takes to do the O/T. I find myself having to argue with her that you get an hour and a quarter for a line and 3 hours for half a walk, regardless of how long it takes. It is agreed with the manager at the start of the day. Same thing happened today, so I turned round to her and said,"Its alright for you. You're sitting pretty in a full time job, not having to make your hours up. If you were in my shoes, you wouldn't want to be questioned all the time about how long it takes you would you?" She just shrugged her shoulders and walked off. She thinks we are paid too much to do O/T. AT the end of the day, the post needs delivering and we are not prepared to do it for next to nothing. If it takes an hour to do half a walk, what does it matter? Managers get bonuses, thats just a little perk for us mere mortals I say.
Anyone else having this problem with their line managers?

[arthur was right]

Women as D.O. managers.........sorry but its just not right is it!!.....

[NewPostieUK]

You've both been abusing the system, you've been lucky to get away with it so far. I'd quit while you're ahead if I was you.

You should only get paid for the hours you work. If it takes an hour to do half a walk or whatever, you should get paid an hour at the proper overtime rate (assuming you have exceeded your contracted hours for the day).

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Women as D.O. managers.........sorry but its just not right is it!!.....

Best and worst managers I have worked under have all been female, the best outnumbering the worst.

[wannabeek]

Sorry mate, but this is the way of the future. Already been happening for at our DO since before I started. I'm one of the regular 'clearer-uppers', but only book the time it takes. Never occurred to me that I should do any different at the start, seeing as I've had decades of employment in other jobs before RM. This is just normal working practise in other companies.

[Hitcher]

How can your OT be costing too much? It's paid at flat rate until you hit 39 hours!

[Dalelad]

How can your OT be costing too much? It's paid at flat rate until you hit 39 hours!

Exactly. Its just the going rate.

You've both been abusing the system, you've been lucky to get away with it so far. I'd quit while you're ahead if I was you.

You should only get paid for the hours you work. If it takes an hour to do half a walk or whatever, you should get paid an hour at the proper overtime rate (assuming you have exceeded your contracted hours for the day).

I'd happily work all my hours if it meant I was coming in early prepping but its very rare they require me to do this. I am a fast walker and regularly am likened to a wippet! Long legs n all. What takes me an hour could easily take someone else 2. Also, to cut out the need for dragging a trolley around, I loop back to the van on regular occasions, thus speeding the process up. If I were just paid for hours I did, i'd have to start looking for a new job. Theres no way i'm gunna complete the O/T and just sit in the van for an hour or so.

Another problem I come across alot is the amount of time they hand out for O/T. I helped them out yday by delivering 2 loops that couldn't be completed. I just about managed to barter with them and get 1.5 hours for it. I know for a fact that another lad did the same 2 loops last week and got 2 hours for it, only taking him 3 quarters of an hour

The way I see it is, RM wants all its employees to be part time(really is a dead end job now to be honest). The business requirements need to be met and they cant do this when they replace full timers with part timers. So in the end, paying out O/T is the only way they're gunna meet their service level agreements. I'd snap their hands off for a full time job, but only joining RM last year, can't see this ever happeneing. So its viva O/T for me!

[coxie]

I make you right stand your ground, I'd not do any overtime if all I got paid was the hours it actually took me. Don't mind working my full contracted hours but I expect a decent deal with overtime. If you want to win this battle then you have to be prepared to tell them you're not doing overtime anymore if the rate drops, if you do tht then you'll get your normal rate back in a week or two but if you give in and do some on her reduced hours then you'll never get back what you're getting now. My office is still 4 hours for half a walk.

[datasaint]

Sorry mate, but this is the way of the future. Already been happening for at our DO since before I started. I'm one of the regular 'clearer-uppers', but only book the time it takes. Never occurred to me that I should do any different at the start, seeing as I've had decades of employment in other jobs before RM. This is just normal working practise in other companies.

Normal practise in other companies would be to reward you with an increased rate of pay for doing OT. I think they way it works now where RM pay a fixed amount for OT works and the postie can do it at whatever speed they want.

On a side-note, I think any OT hounds are the least likely to get bumped up to FT hours because the managers know if that happened they'd be less inclined to do more hours.

[dvbuk55]

So stop rushing numpty and take the 2 hours it would take any other mere mortal. You should only be paid the hours you work and your manageress should be sacked for going against current practice.

[clashcityrocker]

I'd not do any overtime if all I got paid was the hours it actually took me.

And then they would have to properly resource the office and create jobs.
Creating jobs and taking people off the dole, they are trade union values I can respect.
Expecting to be paid 3 hours overtime for 45 minutes work isn't.

Incidentally when people are asked to come in early to prep, do they ask for 2 hours if they are asked to start 1 hour early?

[coxie]

I'd not do any overtime if all I got paid was the hours it actually took me.

And then they would have to properly resource the office and create jobs.
Creating jobs and taking people off the dole, they are trade union values I can respect.
Expecting to be paid 3 hours overtime for 45 minutes work isn't.

Incidentally when people are asked to come in early to prep, do they ask for 2 hours if they are asked to start 1 hour early?

Maybe the union should get is a etyer eye for overtime pay then like most other jobs get. Plus I care about my colleges but people on the dole are not my concern, my family are. The duties are so long now and at the end I'm tired so if I'm going to do overtime then I'm only doing it if it's worth my while, I'm not going to mess about for £7 after tax. People on the dole are better off there than being treated like crap by Royal Mail with their pathetic contracts that they give out now, if the union were so bothered they'd never have agreed to part time temp workers and insisted on permanent.

[bustedflush]

I'd not do any overtime if all I got paid was the hours it actually took me.

And then they would have to properly resource the office and create jobs.
Creating jobs and taking people off the dole, they are trade union values I can respect.
Expecting to be paid 3 hours overtime for 45 minutes work isn't.

Incidentally when people are asked to come in early to prep, do they ask for 2 hours if they are asked to start 1 hour early?

Maybe the union should get is a etyer eye for overtime pay then like most other jobs get. Plus I care about my colleges but people on the dole are not my concern, my family are. The duties are so long now and at the end I'm tired so if I'm going to do overtime then I'm only doing it if it's worth my while, I'm not going to mess about for £7 after tax. People on the dole are better off there than being treated like crap by Royal Mail with their pathetic contracts that they give out now, if the union were so bothered they'd never have agreed to part time temp workers and insisted on permanent.

I know where you're coming from - I've even taken a loop (paid fixed at an hour) and completed it 45 minutes BEFORE the time of my normal round ended. I took the p!ss basically by going fast on a light day. I didn't use the trolley, and I cut corners. Since then I've learned to do it in the allotted time paid, and keep things looking respectable. You see, once you have been observed repeatedly doing this, the going time will be cut as the DIMs will believe hence that they've been overpaying the o/t. Then somebody else doing it properly when you're off say, will encounter arguments as to why they took so long (doing it correctly.) I know it's natural to try and get as much pay for as few hours as possible, but this behaviour is creating the p/t jobs like yours that you bemoan.....I know because I was exactly like you.

[redneck]

When you think of all the money they wasted on GeoRoute a few years back which was supposed to iron out these round times once and for all, what a farce. In our office it seems to come down to a bargaining procedure which always usually ends in management being fleeced as the ones who are available most are the ones who will only do it for the right price, a very dark art is overtime. Again, management from the desk only allows this.

[coxie]

Sorry mate, but this is the way of the future. Already been happening for at our DO since before I started. I'm one of the regular 'clearer-uppers', but only book the time it takes. Never occurred to me that I should do any different at the start, seeing as I've had decades of employment in other jobs before RM. This is just normal working practise in other companies.

Normal practise in other companies would be to reward you with an increased rate of pay for doing OT. I think they way it works now where RM pay a fixed amount for OT works and the postie can do it at whatever speed they want.

On a side-note, I think any OT hounds are the least likely to get bumped up to FT hours because the managers know if that happened they'd be less inclined to do more hours.

I don't cut corners either, all I'm saying is when it comes to overtime I wouldn't do half a walk that takes me 2 hours for 2 hours pay, I'd expect 3 or 4 hours or they can find someone else to do it. Never do overtime in my duty time, in fact I hardly ever do overtime. I cut off 90% of the time so I'd do overtime legit but the rate is crap so in my office the agreed rate is 4 hours for half a walk. They tried to cut it to 3 but everyone refused to do any overtime and after just 2 hours the managers put it back up to 4.