Reasonable Request.

[raged1999]

Our afternoon callers office man is on leave in a weeks time. We have people that are qualified to do it, but, do not want to go onto afternoons from their regular job on delivery. Is 2 weeks notice required for a change of hours in this situation? If they refuse, would they be open to a charge of refusing a reasonable request? I would not consider it a reasonable request to make someone do afternoons with less than a weeks notice.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

Are any of the people who may be moved reserves?

[raged1999]

No, They have duties. There is a bit of sting in the tail in this one. One of the people had been in the role for 2 years and wanted the job permanently. When the same job was lost at a different office in the region, the current incumbent was parachuted in and the person that had been doing it for 2 years was moved. Now, understandably, they are against helping out after being treated like that.

[POSTMAN]

Once you are trained for the room of doom,they have you for life.
My place they have no choice,although tbf the attendance times are the same.

[bogstandard]

they can give you all the notice they want if you don't want to do it don't do it. If your not good enough to do it in the first place you're not good enough to do it any place. However be warned you can never ask to go in there again

[coxie]

If they have duties I would approach with caution, forcing someone to do it could open up a case for bullying someone into it, people might have child care issues etc. I would offer some sort of incentive to anyone who would volunteer. It would be a lot easier if it was a reserve but if someone's got a duty they signed for then all hell could break loose.

[Mezza]

I always thought that if you were trained for a duty then you could be asked to cover it without any notice as per reasonable request.
Don't think it matters if you have signed for another duty since.

At least that's how they do it in my office. They usually bung an incentive in though such as Saturday as a day off - depends if they can cover that though, else will be offered OT to cover all 6 days.

[wannabeek]

At our place they can put you on any duty you've been trained on at no notice but they can't change the hours you work. I think that's the prob in this case described.

[SpacePhoenix]

The DOM could just use the "as directed" part of your 318 to put you in there

[TrueBlueTerrier]

The DOM could just use the "as directed" part of your 318 to put you in there

So your manager can tell your Mail Centre colleagues to move shift temporarily without warning. Thats the issue - not the duty.

[SpacePhoenix]

@raged1999 how many people apart from yourself are there who are trained up for the "room of doom" and who aren't either off sick or on holiday?

[bogstandard]

reasonable request or as directed, so long as you are trained it is not an unreasonalbe request and you will be working as directed. The problems or issues start when these directions or requests take you out of the times you have signed to work. You, or i at least, signed for times. What we do in those times is for RM to fill. Yes we have 318's but these are only an indication really of what we would most likley be doing, hence the words "or as directed". Personally i sign for the times and base my life around them, changing my attendance times is unacceptable and unworkable. A reserve would have to accept that they could be working any shift that operates within their office. When i started i was a reserve and my office opened up on a Sunday night at 20:00 and locked up Saturday evening at 17:00 and i had to accept that i could have to work any of the hours inbetween.