Do You Do Work That You Don’t Get Paid For?
The problem of doing work and not being paid any overtime for it, or even being granted time off in lieu is an age old problem and sometimes it feels as if the more work you do, the more it is expected that you will do more and then not get paid for it. So if you are always the first into the office and then the last to leave and you feel as if no-one appreciates this or tells you that they value your input then it may be time to assert yourself and try to make sure that you do get paid for all the hours that you put in.
It is important that you keep a record of all the unpaid hours that you do, so that you have evidence to present to your manager when you are asking for overtime to be paid, or a day off in lieu. Don’t simply assert that you do ‘lots’ of unpaid work, but produce firm evidence of dates, times and exactly what you did during the time that you weren’t paid for. You should also highlight the potential implications of you not doing the work i.e. would deadlines have been missed or a deal not have been secured.
Present this information to your line manager in an organised structured manner, having pre-arranged to set aside some time for this to be discussed. Otherwise your manager may simply feel like you are attacking him or her personally and be less willing to consider proper remuneration for the hours that you put in.
If this calm, focussed strategy does not work, then the best thing you can do is accept that this is a company that relies on your goodwill. Eventually that goodwill will run out and as an interim measure, you should register with a recruitment agency, so that when you reach the end of your tether you will be able to find another job without too much difficulty!
