Part-Time Woes in Retail

Hi everyone,

I would really appreciate it if someone helped me figure out what to do in terms of my rights as a part-timer in retail and as a graduate. I am currently doing unpaid volunteering and need my part-time job in order to fund my work. Though, my contract is 19 hours a week and I have told my manager that I need time to volunteer he/she continues to give me more hours where I cannot commit to volunteering. I haven't challenged my hours because my contract will be officially changed to supervisor by next week and I am holding my tongue for the mean time. But the week starting on Monday 22nd February I will begin an unpaid internship and have yet to tell my employer. I want to wait until I have officially become supervisor until challenging the amount of overtime I receive.

My retail work is every: Monday/Tuesday/Friday/Saturday
My internship wants me there on: Wednesday/ Thursday and Friday (knowing I work on Friday will allow me to leave early).

So my question is once I get my new contract at my retail job can I be contractually allowed to refuse overtime? Including to refuse working on my days off on Wednesday and Thursday and refuse the overtime on Friday which would allow me to work by the afternoon for my internship. Because my manager has put me to work on Wednesday when it was my day off. In another instance I said I was unable to work on my day off when I saw I was written down to work on that day, they said to me in an angry way "you should have told me." Fair enough I should have said in advance my unavailability but I am allowed to plan something on my day off. Its unfair because I work with students who are allowed to do their normal contracted hours but because I am a 'free agent' the same rules do not seem to apply for me. Especially, during a store which is understaffed I am obliged to do up to 30 hours of overtime each week whereas students get let free. I feel trapped, forced and guiltily obliged into work I do not want to do but need it to finance and further my career as a new graduate. Can someone please help? :smile:

Reply 1

LHC

If your contract states for example 15 hours per week then you only have to work 15 hours a week. As soon as they make you supervisor, I would let them know for the foreseeable future you will not be able to take up any extra work on your days off due to other commitments.

Reply 2

dryeyedguy

Original post by LHC

Thank you very much! I really appreciate you replying on the thread I posted earlier. Without stating the company because I am scared but its a popular health and food retailer. Its contracts are mainly part-time and on job description when interviewed tell employees they need to be flexible. So my last question is even when my manager says employees need to be flexible by my contract it does not mean I have to do more than my contracted hours and can definitely say no to overtime?

Reply 3

mrnace

Ask yourself if your current role in retail is best for you.

I work in retail and being flexible means that I could work any day and time they need me too.

If they call you up on your days off asking to to cover shifts, you can always say no.

I'm a shift manager and will do the extra hours just to be helpful for the time being, so when I need certain days off or need to be less flexible for a while, then the manager can't really do much.

Have you considered doing a different line of work, in a bar or role that isn't flexible?