Help with new job

[Loughton wannabe]

Hi there,

 

I hope I can explain this well enough to receive any help.

 

I started a job couple of weeks ago from being very short term unemployed.

 

I plumbed for a Telesales job thinking this was quite easy, although I appreciate sales jobs can be short-lived. It seemed like a professional office, employed, working 40 hours per week at 20k yearly. ((might be wise to note this is a salaried role)) it wasn't an immediate start job either so whilst they say they are a small Employer, they did have time to put together something in writing.

 

My first day, alarm bells should have sounded when asked about lunch break the Employer didn't seem to know whether I was to have 30 or 45 mins - forward to now I still haven't seen a contract and I've found myself working 6 day's weeks, I don't even know what date payday falls - I managed to foist my ID for right to work on the Employer when we were approached a week in, (I am trying not to rock the boat, but certain things aren't stacking up) and mentioning I had declared the job to Universal Credit did see me then asked for my bank details and filling out next of kin form. Contract was still being written up.....

 

I guess the crux of my question/s, are;

Bank Holiday's - it has been verbally said my Employer would prefer to pay these as overtime and I have to work them.

Sorry I can't get my head around this, what happens to the then yearly statutory 20 days + 8 days bank holidays? 

can these be lost because of the overtime being paid?

 

In the event, the Employer doesn't furnish me with a written contract - can I just say, well no contract, means I will go by statutory rules for things like notice period.

 

Any tips or advise on how to approach the Employer with making it clear I really don't want to spend nearly 48 hours at work each week would be gratefully received too.

I wouldn't mind if it was a high value office role that holds up say the warehouse say if extra time isn't worked, but when your job is to dial numbers and you only have a limited amount of sales leads to deal with and it's not red hot sales, it doesn't make sense.

 

Thanks for any pointers.

 

 

[CraigMcK]

You need to see a contract to understand what your payments will be. 
However £20k at 40 hours is not much above minimum wage, working 48 without overtime payments would bring you below min wage (potentially). 
 

Regarding your hours, I assume you have not opted out, but 48 is still the continuous max without doing so. But the holidays is interesting as you are entitled to 5.6 weeks paid time per year. I’m not sure they can force buy them from you. 

[Loughton wannabe]

Thanks for this, my Manager still saying contract being drawn up, I'm not sure if they are trying it on and I am so taken aback, they are trying to say I agreed to work 6 days (seriously don't remember that being clear so I suspect very much now this is the absolute danger when things aren't in writing and I wish I had picked up sooner that my Manager is a newly appointed Director) if 6 days had ever been made clear as part of the interview, I would have realised sooner that 20k was going to dwindle to less then or not much more then minimum wage.

 

Seriously disappointed, whether this is now a tact to get me to leave, I've tried to indicate by working 6 days I'm using more petrol to get to work, that's as best as I could muster, hopefully the look on my face gave it away. It really isn't my problem the Director seems a workaholic as he has told me, well I work 7 days. 

 

Sorry to be dim, but I always thought there was a difference between hourly pay rate and salaried?

 

 

[CraigMcK]

We pay our staff a salary. That is however broken down to an hourly rate to ensure they are above min wage. 
They tend to work the contracted hours. However if there is something exceptional they would be paid OT based on their rate. 
How many hours do you work over the 6 days?

 

By reading your post it seems that you are not going to be happy working 6 days, so the contract is almost immaterial. Perhaps start looking for a new role?

[Loughton wannabe]

Thanks again, like I say just kind of gutted, I thought 20k was kind of life changing and would help with bills/creditors, I dread saying I might be on my best salary yet but extra time means my costs have increased, knowing I normally use to struggle getting 18k admin job for round here.

 

The job is working 9 - 6 Mon to Sat, I think Sunday is 10 - 4, no real lunch break as there is no where to go except sit at desk.

I’ve followed up on the previous day’s leads in around 15 mins of arrival, then it is just mindlessly repeatedly dealing and reaching answer machines and hoping someone answers. 

I had actually thought about offering to work for 18k for a 10 - 4pm day but the conversation today has put me off as they are clearly looking for a lot more coverage. They are not bad people although I have never been in the position of talking hours.

 

I know I should feel lucky with a fairly easy job and I’ve had a couple of jobs already this year (it’s a truly horrible story how it got to this) so I dare not think about moving again. Part of me thinks giving it 3 months may stand me in better stead for doing so and just suck up working a longer week for a bit.

 

I think I just need to get a contract out of them.

[CraigMcK]

Can you confirm the hours as you have shown 7 days?

[Loughton wannabe]

This week for example, if I took off 45 mins for lunch each of the 6 days - I would make it total hours 49.5

if I allow an hour for lunch 48 hours.

 

The only things I have in writing from the Employer has been an email received offered the first (telephone) interview, then the form for next of kin details/new starter form.

 

My Mum has looked at the job advert and said really I'd been a lemon and they were a bit clever as they never noted the work hours on that.

 

I think I'm probably going to get a payslip before the contact appears so hopefully that might make things clearer.

[CraigMcK]

So let’s say you won’t get more than 1 hour for lunch, so 48Hr/wk is your paid hours. That gives you 2496Hrs/yr at £20k yours hourly rate is £8.01/Hr. 
 

if you are 21 or 22 you should be on £8.36

23 or over takes you to £8.91

 

so unless you are younger than 21 you are below minimum wage and they are breaking the law if those are the hours you are contracted for. 

[Loughton wannabe]

Hey, enormous thank you again.

 

I've found out a bit more - the contract is being written up by Accountants - I can't see anyone in this role that's worth their salt committing writing about the 6 day week for the salary? ((prays))

 

I had a bit of success last week when I managed to jam buttie the company into allowing a mid-week day off in replace for working Saturday so only did 40 hours it was bliss! but the company are getting a tad suspicious I feel, even though I was really also kind of hoping it might raise or allow for further discussion.

 

I've been advised payday falls on the last working day of the month, which means my first pay is yep next Monday even though it's bank holiday - would an Accountant really do payroll then?  I thought it was just one of the other Directors based in the office paying, but no it is all through an Accountancy. Whether a contract now shows, I hope to be in receipt of a payslip this time next week to see what is going on.

 

I am over 25 years and believe I qualify for being a workplace pension - It has been pretty much confirmed I am only 1 of 2 Employees now though which I hadn't appreciated before - would I still receive a pension with so few employees in a company. (I recall ages ago a company needed a certain number of employees before they were bound by having to do such) 

[honeybee13]

Hi.

 

This is from the pensions regulator. It's aimed at employers but should help you. It says if there's at least one employee, there has to be a pension scheme. It's called auto enrolment.

 

https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/-/media/thepensionsregulator/files/import/pdf/the-essential-guide-for-automatic-enrolment-psn.ashx

 

HB

[Loughton wannabe]

Update.

 

Received payslip and contract within last 24 hours. Glad I pushed back on that 6th day. 

 

This has/did turn out to be a 5-day a week job. 

 

No pension shows on my wage slip just yet, but the contract does indicate I won't need to actually give notice until I've been here past 3 months and deemed to have passed probation anyhow, so must not grumble and I can let the pension conts slide for the notice leniency.

 

Thank you all. 

 

[Emmzzi]

Pension usually starts once you are past 3 months to save pension companies the admin for what is  a high turnover of leavers in the early days, in most jobs. Lots of one month refunds to do, etc...

[Loughton wannabe]

Oh I agree. I never understand folk who say truly, probation means nothing.

Mind to be fair, I've never suffered one of those "Probation extended" situations either.

 

I am just glad to least get something in writing concerning the job overall and I think an easy up to 3 month get out, is absolutely super ideal for the job type I am in.

I cannot see me doing what is bordering on cold calling for years! so don't know what I was worrying over.