Change of working conditions

[SpiderMam]

Hi

 

 

I've worked for the same company for 15 years as an office manager. There are 6 girls employed by the company in head office 4 office workers, 1 worker and 1 shop worker. We have always done the following

 

 

Cuppa first thing in morning then more throughout the day, taking it in turns to make it. The smokers go out once an hour for a ciggie.

 

 

We have a half hour for lunch.

 

 

I agree that these are quite excessive however, it's been done forever. Now the boss has decided that we will have 3 cuppas at 10, 12 and 3 and the girls can smoke at the same time. (Fair enough).

 

 

But the big thing is we are now being expected to clean the offices/shop/toilets, taking it in turn. My bug bear is that there are 6 girls and we are all being made to take turns in cleaning (I was never employed as a cleaner).

 

 

Any advice please

[honeybee13]

Hello and welcome to CAG. I like your username.

 

I expect the employment experts will be along later, but I have a question please. What does your contract of employment say about changing roles?

 

My best, HB

[king12345]

It depends what it says in your job description.

I suspect that cleaning toilets is not listed as part of your duties as a office manager.

I don't see your tea breaks like excessive, end of the day happy and refreshed staff produce more and better work.

Calm down, is my punchline at work...

[SpiderMam]

Hello and welcome to CAG. I like your username.

 

I expect the employment experts will be along later, but I have a question please. What does your contract of employment say about changing roles?

 

My best, HB

 

 

 

Hi, my contract doesn't state anything about changing roles thanks

[sangie5952]

Hi, my contract doesn't state anything about changing roles thanks

 

Pretty much nobody's does though, so that it isn't useful information. Most job descriptions include the ubiquitous "and any other duties" clause, and it would be anticipated that duties can change. Whether that is "fair" or not depends entirely upon the ruling of an employment tribunal. Which is actually a place you don't particularly want to be at. So you are between a rock and a hard place because if your employer gives you and instruction and you refuse, you may be disciplined and you may be dismissed. And only at the dismissal stage could you go to a tribunal. And, to be clear, you could lose! It depends on how hard you are willing to push this - and how hard the employer is going to push back. In the end, the right to refuse is only determined AFTER you are dismissed.

 

I think you will struggle to find anyone who will support your rights to the breaks you have previously had, which are very generous. Your legal entitlement is 20 minutes, unpaid, if you work six hours or more. Push on this too hard and that may be what you end up with.

[ericsbrother]

Your problem in making this a cause to fight is that everyone has been asked to do the housekeeping/janitorial functions so it wont be looked upon as being a major change in anyone's job. Even nuclear physicists at our top facility have to clean their labs themselves as the cleaners think they will be irradiated as soon as they step over the threshold. As there are only a small number of staff where you are I cant think that it will be equitable to give just one person the role and most employemnt contract will have a rider saying somehting like and any other duties that are necessary to fulfil the post.etc. that means you can be asked to do more work of a lower level because you will be expected to know how to do it

[steampowered]

The changes to breaks/cuppas sound very reasonable to me. 3 tea breaks plus a lunch break is well in excess of legal requirements.

 

It sounds a bit strange that you are being asked to clean toilets when you are employed as an office manager. That job title suggests to me that you should be organising cleaners rather than actually doing the cleaning. If I were employed as an office manager I don't think I'd be happy about being put on a cleaning rota.

 

If you refuse to clean I suppose the risk you take is that the company may decide that it would actually be cheaper for them to employ or contract a cleaner, and accordingly one or more of the office manager roles are surplus to requirements!