Need advice

dreamflyer · Post by **dreamflyer** » 07 Apr 2019, 20:08

Hi everyone, so I've been in the job a few weeks now- I'm on a 27 hour contract. I come in at 8am and find I'm having to prep a lot and I'm racing to get out and deliver by 9.30am. I go out on a round with a colleague and so far I am yet to finish on my contracted hours. I am supposed to finish at 13.24. But I am finishing maybe one hour later. I never have time to go on a break and so I've never had one yet. I'm confused regarding the overtime- how long of a break am I entitled to? is it 20 minutes or 30? And what do I write on the overtime sheet? Because I've just been writing contracted finish 13.24 and then the actual time I finish at say 14.24. So 1 hour overtime. But I'm now aware that I should be getting paid for breaks as well. I've checked my payslips and I don't think I've been paid for the breaks. At 20 minutes each day- it adds up. So can anyone please advise me on what I should be writing on the overtime sheet in order to get paid for breaks as well?

Would appreciate your advice, thanks a lot.

Ddarko85 · Post by **Ddarko85** » 07 Apr 2019, 20:19

Add your break time onto your finish time. I get a 20 minute break - finish at 2pm? Write down/tell manager 2:20pm. Do not work for free.

Janet Brum · Post by **Janet Brum** » 07 Apr 2019, 21:00

And also ask your manager to have someone prepping your walk before you get in at 8 am or offer to come in at 7 am on overtime to prep it.
That should sort out your problem, especially if you mention that you are not happy going over your time every day unless you are

Pollyp · Post by **Pollyp** » 07 Apr 2019, 22:28

27.5 hrs DONT PREP in our office ..... everything should be ready for you to just bag up when you start. Entitled to 30 mins paid break a day ...... take them .... 10 mins before you go out then 20 mins at the end of your duty, If your finishing time is 13.24 take 20 mins off this so you finish back at office by 13.04 .... anything after 13.04 is overtime - and overtime is voluntary not compulsory.
Don’t fall into the trap of coming in early/not taking breaks so that you can complete
START on your time and TAKE your breaks

Seymour Buts · Post by **Seymour Buts** » 07 Apr 2019, 22:47

Pollyp wrote:27.5 hrs DONT PREP in our office ..... everything should be ready for you to just bag up when you start. Entitled to 30 mins paid break a day ...... take them .... 10 mins before you go out then 20 mins at the end of your duty, If your finishing time is 13.24 take 20 mins off this so you finish back at office by 13.04 .... anything after 13.04 is overtime - and overtime is voluntary not compulsory.
Don’t fall into the trap of coming in early/not taking breaks so that you can complete
START on your time and TAKE your breaks

You can't take your breaks AND finish 20 minutes early. You either have the break out there or have it after you've finished.

Pollyp · Post by **Pollyp** » 08 Apr 2019, 17:01

postietom wrote:
Pollyp wrote:27.5 hrs DONT PREP in our office ..... everything should be ready for you to just bag up when you start. Entitled to 30 mins paid break a day ...... take them .... 10 mins before you go out then 20 mins at the end of your duty, If your finishing time is 13.24 take 20 mins off this so you finish back at office by 13.04 .... anything after 13.04 is overtime - and overtime is voluntary not compulsory.
Don’t fall into the trap of coming in early/not taking breaks so that you can complete
START on your time and TAKE your breaks
You can't take your breaks AND finish 20 minutes early. You either have the break out there or have it after you've finished.

You’re not finishing 20 minutes earlier ..... it’s your 20 minute break that you are paid for. Our office finishing time is 2.45 so less 20 minutes paid break 2.25 is finishing time and anything worked after this is claimed as overtime ...... but ssssssh if we are doing it wrong

Scama_bug · Post by **Scama_bug** » 08 Apr 2019, 19:58

Why would you have a 10 minutes break before you go out ? I'm on the same contract and hours and I start at 8am, I sort my mail and parcels and I'm out at around 9:30-10:00am. I deliver and when I feel like having a break I take the 30 minutes break.
I don't understand people needing a break before going out on delivery, you're coming from home anyway.
My contract is 9am till 14:30pm ( 5.30 hours a day) , whatever you do before or after your contract hours you add as overtime ( before 9am is absence overtime and after 14:30pm is pressure overtime) so when you write down your overtime you have to make sure you write it correctly.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 08 Apr 2019, 20:23

Probably a bad idea taking your break at the end. Higher-up will look at the PDA actuals data and see you finishing 20mins early and so will either take that time out of the office or order the DOM to add 20mins worth of deliveries to your walk

themailman · Post by **themailman** » 08 Apr 2019, 20:35

Scama_bug wrote:Why would you have a 10 minutes break before you go out ? I'm on the same contract and hours and I start at 8am, I sort my mail and parcels and I'm out at around 9:30-10:00am. I deliver and when I feel like having a break I take the 30 minutes break.
I don't understand people needing a break before going out on delivery, you're coming from home anyway.
My contract is 9am till 14:30pm ( 5.30 hours a day) , whatever you do before or after your contract hours you add as overtime ( before 9am is absence overtime and after 14:30pm is pressure overtime) so when you write down your overtime you have to make sure you write it correctly.

eh, So that you are doing the job properly and not working more than 4.5 hours without a break? Seems obvious.

Also, if you are part time and paired wit a full time member of staff, you will probably have a difference in break allowances - so you take 10 and they take 20 etc.
I assume you aren't on a shared van duty?

Seymour Buts · Post by **Seymour Buts** » 08 Apr 2019, 21:35

Pollyp wrote:
postietom wrote:
Pollyp wrote:27.5 hrs DONT PREP in our office ..... everything should be ready for you to just bag up when you start. Entitled to 30 mins paid break a day ...... take them .... 10 mins before you go out then 20 mins at the end of your duty, If your finishing time is 13.24 take 20 mins off this so you finish back at office by 13.04 .... anything after 13.04 is overtime - and overtime is voluntary not compulsory.
Don’t fall into the trap of coming in early/not taking breaks so that you can complete
START on your time and TAKE your breaks
You can't take your breaks AND finish 20 minutes early. You either have the break out there or have it after you've finished.

You’re not finishing 20 minutes earlier ..... it’s your 20 minute break that you are paid for. Our office finishing time is 2.45 so less 20 minutes paid break 2.25 is finishing time and anything worked after this is claimed as overtime ...... but ssssssh if we are doing it wrong

I know what you're saying, I'm just pointing out by rights you should take the break rather than taking it off your finish time. It's not actually allowed although it's pretty much standard practice through Royal Mail judging by comments on here. As others have said, with the pds actuals now it looks like you're finishing early each day.

Seymour Buts · Post by **Seymour Buts** » 08 Apr 2019, 21:39

Scama_bug wrote:Why would you have a 10 minutes break before you go out ? I'm on the same contract and hours and I start at 8am, I sort my mail and parcels and I'm out at around 9:30-10:00am. I deliver and when I feel like having a break I take the 30 minutes break.
I don't understand people needing a break before going out on delivery, you're coming from home anyway.
My contract is 9am till 14:30pm ( 5.30 hours a day) , whatever you do before or after your contract hours you add as overtime ( before 9am is absence overtime and after 14:30pm is pressure overtime) so when you write down your overtime you have to make sure you write it correctly.

This boils down to the issue with us having a two tier work force. I like you see little benefit in taking a break after I've been at work for only an hour or 90 minutes. I certainly can't eat anything at that hour. I usually just grab a coffee and have a cigarette and count that as my break before going out.

cpsteve · Post by **cpsteve** » 08 Apr 2019, 22:18

Any problems you are having explain to your work time coach he/she can then advise/help you.

Scama_bug · Post by **Scama_bug** » 09 Apr 2019, 09:21

themailman wrote:
Scama_bug wrote:Why would you have a 10 minutes break before you go out ? I'm on the same contract and hours and I start at 8am, I sort my mail and parcels and I'm out at around 9:30-10:00am. I deliver and when I feel like having a break I take the 30 minutes break.
I don't understand people needing a break before going out on delivery, you're coming from home anyway.
My contract is 9am till 14:30pm ( 5.30 hours a day) , whatever you do before or after your contract hours you add as overtime ( before 9am is absence overtime and after 14:30pm is pressure overtime) so when you write down your overtime you have to make sure you write it correctly.
eh, So that you are doing the job properly and not working more than 4.5 hours without a break? Seems obvious.

Also, if you are part time and paired wit a full time member of staff, you will probably have a difference in break allowances - so you take 10 and they take 20 etc.
I assume you aren't on a shared van duty?

Yes I'm working alone with the red trolley, I didn't even had the driving test yet but it works ok for me, I like working alone at my own pace, it was a hard start as I had to figure out many things by myself as you're put on a round with little indications.
Going through some topics in this forum really helped.
I don't know the procedure and how long will it take to be put on a van , I suppose it depends on people quiting the job or retiring and you have to replace them, most of the rounds are taken by the full time workers. I've seen the part time workers are mainly put to do the trolley rounds close to the office.