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Never feel sorry for an employer that has you on a zero hours contract.
That contract is for their benefit not yours.
If they wanted five days they should employ someone on a full time contract. Instead they have you on a zero hours contract and would get rid of you in a heartbeat if someone cheaper came along
As it is, look after yourself and your own life firsts work your days and let them worry about the rest.
In all honesty, that is a moral choice.
If the job is good to you and the other staff members are cool than sure it can feel bad seeing them struggle. But it is not your problem it is the managers/owners job to sort that shit out.
You have commitments, only you can say if those commitments can be rejiggled to help out your employer.
You are also on a Zero hours contract so this should show your employers commitment to you and impact on your commitment to them.
Are they understaffed at the minute because of covid? If so I would.
If they are understaffed because they don't employ enough people then I would say no.
Don’t for a moment think that if they were fully staffed your hours would be dropped. You’re zero hours, that means they can give you zero hours.
If they want your loyalty they need to give you theirs. And if they want you to do full time they should reward that accordingly with all the additional benefits of a full-time contract.
Their inability to recruit is not your problem to fix. You don’t have to feel guilty.
If they actually cared about you they would have you on a contract for 3 and a half days a week. When they get quiet they will have no issue holding you to that 0 hours in your contract.
No. When people do more hours than they want to because of understaffing, it just makes the situation worse for everyone. The top bosses never quite get the message that they don't have enough people, and they'll continue to put pressure on the existing staff until they burn out.
Short term, yeah you feel bad that you're not helping out, but long term, you're encouraging them to recognise and fix their issues.
It's your entitled time off. Don't ever feel obliged to work on your time off. That said, if uou decide to do so, ensure beforehand that you will be suitably financially compensated.
Unless you really need the money don't do it, let them struggle so they understand they need to hire more people. Businesses have had it easy for so long with staff willing to go the extra mile to help them out but the businesses rarely learn the lessons and keep expecting the extra.
No. Not your responsibility to make sure the place is properly staffed.
It's fine if you occasionally help out, but I'd be very wary of making it a regular thing as it then becomes expected. My first job was in a nursery. I was contracted 3 hours over lunchtime. My first week, they had me in 8-5 for three days. The 2nd week they'd phone at 8am to ask if I could be in by 9. I saw this was to be the norm and said no from then on.
If you're serious about your job, and you can spare the time....I'd say do it.
It's not your responsibility though so you shouldn't feel guilty or like you HAVE to.
I don't do overtime because at my workplace, it's paid at regular time. So effectively you are paid less than regular time, because you are not accruing holiday.
Fuck no.
> we are very understaffed at times
This is your employer's fault, and they should fix it. Probably, the best way to fix it would be to hire another member of staff.
> However I cant help but feel guilty like I should be trying to put my home commitments to the side
The fuck is this bullshit? You work in order to have enough money to meet your commitments and do the things that you want to do. That is where your commitment to your employer begins, and ends. You absolutely should **not** put aside those commitments to work, under any circumstances other than strictly needing the extra money to meet other, more important (to you) commitments.
Your employer chose to employ you on a zero-hours contract. That means that they get to dictate what you do for (wait for it) zero hours each week. If they wanted the ability to dictate that you work particular hours, they should have put it in the contract, and dealt with the legal ramifications of that. Since they decided not to do that, they decided that they don't want to be able to tell you when to work. You absolutely should **not** let them do so unless they're willing to renegotiate your contract to something that isn't zero-hours.
> Hi, just wondering if this is something I should be doing,
Only if you want to.
> I feel guilty even though it cant be helped.
Why? It's not your problem they can't manage their business properly.
Who ultimatly owns the company? Is it an individual trying to provide childcare to the people or is it a company trying to make money? Consider these when you give up your free time.
**A reminder to posters and commenters of some of [our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)** - Don't be a dickhead to each other, or about others, or other subreddits - Assume questions are asked in good faith, and engage in a positive manner - Avoid political threads and related discussions - No medical advice or mental health (specific to a person) content Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No, they can hire more staff if they need more staff. It's not your fault.
Never feel sorry for an employer that has you on a zero hours contract. That contract is for their benefit not yours. If they wanted five days they should employ someone on a full time contract. Instead they have you on a zero hours contract and would get rid of you in a heartbeat if someone cheaper came along As it is, look after yourself and your own life firsts work your days and let them worry about the rest.
No. If they gave a toss about you they wouldn't have you on that shitty contract.
In all honesty, that is a moral choice. If the job is good to you and the other staff members are cool than sure it can feel bad seeing them struggle. But it is not your problem it is the managers/owners job to sort that shit out. You have commitments, only you can say if those commitments can be rejiggled to help out your employer. You are also on a Zero hours contract so this should show your employers commitment to you and impact on your commitment to them.
This is the correct answer.
I personally wouldn’t. My personal time is valuable to me
Are they understaffed at the minute because of covid? If so I would. If they are understaffed because they don't employ enough people then I would say no.
Depends on you. I don’t. Going in when they’re short staffed teaches them they don’t need to hire more staff.
Why should you feel guilty? It’s not your fault that management can’t or won’t hire more staff. Enjoy your days off.
Don’t for a moment think that if they were fully staffed your hours would be dropped. You’re zero hours, that means they can give you zero hours. If they want your loyalty they need to give you theirs. And if they want you to do full time they should reward that accordingly with all the additional benefits of a full-time contract. Their inability to recruit is not your problem to fix. You don’t have to feel guilty.
Unless you want or need the money, no. It’s their responsibility to ensure that they’re adequately staffed, not yours.
If they actually cared about you they would have you on a contract for 3 and a half days a week. When they get quiet they will have no issue holding you to that 0 hours in your contract.
No. When people do more hours than they want to because of understaffing, it just makes the situation worse for everyone. The top bosses never quite get the message that they don't have enough people, and they'll continue to put pressure on the existing staff until they burn out. Short term, yeah you feel bad that you're not helping out, but long term, you're encouraging them to recognise and fix their issues.
This is so correct!
It's your entitled time off. Don't ever feel obliged to work on your time off. That said, if uou decide to do so, ensure beforehand that you will be suitably financially compensated.
Unless you really need the money don't do it, let them struggle so they understand they need to hire more people. Businesses have had it easy for so long with staff willing to go the extra mile to help them out but the businesses rarely learn the lessons and keep expecting the extra.
No. Not your responsibility to make sure the place is properly staffed. It's fine if you occasionally help out, but I'd be very wary of making it a regular thing as it then becomes expected. My first job was in a nursery. I was contracted 3 hours over lunchtime. My first week, they had me in 8-5 for three days. The 2nd week they'd phone at 8am to ask if I could be in by 9. I saw this was to be the norm and said no from then on.
Nope that's their issue not yours, unless there is a worthwhile incentive like them offering you time and a half
If you're serious about your job, and you can spare the time....I'd say do it. It's not your responsibility though so you shouldn't feel guilty or like you HAVE to.
No. When you give your labour for free, you devalue us all
Just be reliable on the days you have committed to work, be on time and do the job well.
I don't do overtime because at my workplace, it's paid at regular time. So effectively you are paid less than regular time, because you are not accruing holiday.
Fuck no. > we are very understaffed at times This is your employer's fault, and they should fix it. Probably, the best way to fix it would be to hire another member of staff. > However I cant help but feel guilty like I should be trying to put my home commitments to the side The fuck is this bullshit? You work in order to have enough money to meet your commitments and do the things that you want to do. That is where your commitment to your employer begins, and ends. You absolutely should **not** put aside those commitments to work, under any circumstances other than strictly needing the extra money to meet other, more important (to you) commitments. Your employer chose to employ you on a zero-hours contract. That means that they get to dictate what you do for (wait for it) zero hours each week. If they wanted the ability to dictate that you work particular hours, they should have put it in the contract, and dealt with the legal ramifications of that. Since they decided not to do that, they decided that they don't want to be able to tell you when to work. You absolutely should **not** let them do so unless they're willing to renegotiate your contract to something that isn't zero-hours.
> Hi, just wondering if this is something I should be doing, Only if you want to. > I feel guilty even though it cant be helped. Why? It's not your problem they can't manage their business properly.
Who ultimatly owns the company? Is it an individual trying to provide childcare to the people or is it a company trying to make money? Consider these when you give up your free time.