I started a new job 7 months ago and also passed my probation with no problems.
Now one member of our team is leaving my manager wants me to pick up their work as well as my existing job. That person is leaving due to being overworked and doing the work of two people!
He says this arrangement is temporary until they can get a replacement in but I think it’s unreasonable that they are not bringing in a temp.
Anyway my concern is I’ve worked really hard to get my health in good shape, losing weight and focussing on diet and sleep. My boss’s expectations to be working 12-14 hours every days plus weekends is really going to throw my health out of whack very quickly.
Has anyone got any experience of having discussions with HR and using hypothyroid as a reason to prevent being pushed into a very unreasonable working arrangement?
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Wired123
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Once you fall ill occupational health can be helpful, but it’s really too late then. I suppose you could declare hypothyroidism as your disability and make clear that this extra work could trigger ill heath. But before then I think I’d be inclined to sit down with the manager and list all the priorities in order. Explain that you’ll work your way down the order of priorities, so things lower down will be done last. I’d only work the hours contracted and paid for. Besides you’ll need time to apply for other positions
Thanks, I want to proactively prevent things going downhill as for the first time in 15 years I’ve felt a bit better than in the past - a lot of it thanks to all the advice on here!
My manager worked 5.30am to 11.30am on his day off, he’s another breed of crazy! Really wants to dig himself into an early grave and take everyone with him.
I would definitely meet with your HR representative to highlight your concerns that the additional workload (albeit temporary) could cause a flare of your existing medical condition. It is known that increased stress exacerbates hypothyroid symptoms.
I negotiated a ‘tailored adjustment plan’ at work with both OH and HR to ensure that I had regular breaks from the PC, adjustable lighting etc (in relation to my Thyroid Eye Disease).
thank you, yes stress does this and also just lack of sleep and mental exhaustion. It’s ok if it’s a couple of days here and there but the manager is talking about 3-4 months of being stretched to breaking point. It’s poor leadership to be forecasting that level of work and not bringing in support!
I suppose the good news is that they’re unlikely to fire you…
My son’s recently been put in this position. For a week or two he tried to do it all but soon realised it was impossible.
They can ask you to do 2 jobs but no one actually can—not in the same period of time, anyway. You aren’t contracted to work additional hours and neither should you!
As Aurealis has said, prioritise the jobs (and if that isn’t possible cos they all seem about the same priority) just work your way through the list in chronological order.
This is your boss’s problem, not yours. Easier said than done, I know, but try not to get sucked in by their desperation and panic—there’s a reason they’re losing staff but you know what—you’re not it!
I would definitely agree with everything you are being told. However I would work out the priorities as you see them. Then have your meeting with your boss asking what he thinks the priorities are. If he either can’t differentiate them (he is useless) or he insists on everything, then you go to his boss or HR. Not before. It’s crucial to get his take on it. Openly show him you are taking notes. Do NOT assure him you will be doing your best. Highlight the situation - even mentioning that the previous person is leaving because of being overworked. Apparently staff are using the present buyers/employees market to improve their lot at the moment. Many managers are just too dumb to appreciate good staff. With a bit of luck he might go - thinking he is undervalued. I would sort out all this before your health issues are mentioned. People/other workers are incredibly unsupportive in this situation. They do not want the extra work created by people leaving or off sick either. So take care of number one (you) without referring to health issues. There will be time to bring those up later.
with respect what you have been asked to do is ridiculous. You have already said that the person who has left was doing two peoples work and if you are expected to carry out all of that then you would be doing four peoples work.
Ask for a meeting with HR and tell them what you have been asked to do. State it’s not in your job description and if you’re being asked to take on ANY extra work, no matter what it is then you need to be paid extra for that extra work or extra hours.
I would be very careful about accepting doing this work without some form of proper clarification of what the extra work is and how long you’re being asked to do it. If your not and it just gets amalgamated into your role and then your unable to cope, they could sack you for incompetence and it would be hard for you to prove it was because of the extra work.
This is not about your health, although that of course would be affected as you say, this is about employment rights and the law. You have a contract to do a specific job with a specific role, working specific hours. They just can’t dump somebody else’s job on you without properly changing that contract so don’t let them!
Only to write a letter, always put everything in writing for future reference. Have you an employment agreement letter stating work, hours etc, if so make copies and take them with you. Put down your reasons for refusing this offer especially if it involves your health. Make copies.
There is an old adage- you can’t get a quart out of a pint pot. I’m sorry, I would disagree bringing money into this discussion. Ok, this is about one person leaving their position because they are over worked and your dumb arse boss now wanting to overload you. He will make you ill. He’s doing the same strategy and expecting a different outcome. Total plumb. Point blank refuse but offer to support temporary staff as long as he does likewise. I was always over worked in a previous job and when I hit the wall and was ill- HR invited me in for a chat! Cheeky b’s! I had been doing double day shifts for a month.
6 am to 9.30pm weekdays 12 hours Saturday and Sunday
No thanks and a mark against my name for sickness. It is not your job to dig your boss out of this whole. Do not get sucked into monetary gain- you have everything to lose and he is being unreasonable.
Do you have a contract of employment with the company you work for? Read it very carefully and see if there is anything in it that might help you.
I wouldn't suggest mentioning money too much in any discussions. Suppose they gave you a huge wage increase. That wouldn't fix the problem of your working hours and responsibilities being grossly inflated since you took on your job.
But honestly... I think you should look for a new job. Any manager that creates the situation that you are in and expects you to do several times the work you were employed to do is never going to be a good boss, and will never care about your health.
Are you a member of a union? Could you join one?
Did you sign an opt-out of the working time laws? I hope you didn't.
unfortunately the opt out is not really an opt out when companies can simply incorporate the opt out into your contract, so by signing the contract you are also opting out. It’s sneaky but a deliberate loophole making a mockery of these EU protections.
My contract also states I will have to take on any reasonable duties and have to work extra hours accordingly with no extra pay. It’s pathetic but no different to any other contract I’ve been under over the last 10 years.
Thats not a very smart boss you have Im guessing turn over or burn out must be bad in your work and the bosses above your boss should pay attention to what’s happening with their work force … sadly they don’t care .
You have not answered the question on if you have a contract of employment or job description? If so what does it say about what your duties are and what your hours should be? If you don’t then your hours and duties will be what you accepted and have been doing since starting the role. That’s what’s known as an implied contract as they have accepted you into that role with those conditions. Therefore they cannot now just instruct you to change it.
You need to put into writing to your boss what you accept as the role you are doing and the hours that they have agreed ( if you have a job description or a contract that stipulates it then enclose it). Tell him that was the role that you accepted and was employed to do. State you are not prepared to take on another persons role either temporarily or perminantly while they find a replacement, as that is managements responsibility not yours to do. You can say you would be prepared to help guide the new employee once they are onboard.
By the way I was not suggesting that you took on the extra work for more money merely pointing out that they should not be expecting you to do it without extra pay. What I don’t think you should have to do is have to start telling your employer about a medical condition at this point when you have until this point had no need to do so. Once you do that if they want to be spiteful they could use it against you as you didn’t do what they wanted. They are not supposed to be doing any of those things but your boss obviously doesn’t understand employment law and is just a bully.
I work for a large US firm with 60bn revenue, we have contracts and job descriptions but HR are clever and have made sure the contracts are legal but give the employer ultimate flexibility for whatever suits them.
Contracts don’t set out hours as such but state to are required to work whatever hours required to get your job done,
Legally they’ve done their homework and know how to grab you by the proverbial.
Having been on both sides of your fence, worked for both a huge US company and UK Blue Chip as well as being a HR Manager, I know where you’re coming from. The issue you have is, do you want to stick your head up above the parfait and take on enemy fire or just go quietly! There is such a thing as unfair terms so although your company may feel they have been clever and tied you up, if you were to challenge those clauses as unfair, they may well back down. It would depend how much they want to be seen to do that or how valuable an employee you are to them. Whichever it’s not going to be easy. You would have to test them by seeing if they were prepared to budge by mentioning how unfair the things they are suggesting and then if you got nowhere you have two choices. 1. Leave and find a nicer company. 2. Leave and sue them for constructive dismissal based on unfair practices. Obviously you would need legal advice and if possible a union rep would be advantageous. It all depends how much of a fight you want.
I can say as someone who has been through it (from both sides), going to tribunal is tough so if you were concerned about the stress on you with doing extra work then it will certainly be stressful taking the company on. You have shown clearly that what companies should do and what they actually do are two different things and quite blatantly so when they are foreign companies unfortunately. I can’t tell you what you should do but your health is important and there is apparently lots of work about!! I hope things work out for you whichever way you go!
interesting points, unfortunately having only been there 7 months constructive dismissal rights only kick in after 2 years - unless I can argue Sex/race/disability discrimination.
The rules are so in favour of the employer that there’s no point even trying the legal route unless I had funds in my pocket for a lawyer but then it’s a huge amount of stress with no guarantee of an outcome.
I may as well start looking for another job and focussing energy there.
Actually you can! If the reason is termed as “automatically unfair” then you can claim. You would of course have to make sure that the contract you have and what they are asking you to do fall within those terms. This is where a union is always helpful. You could go to an employment lawyer for a free 30 minute consultation as you have a very specific question. They would either be able to say that it is or it isn’t unfair, leaving you with the decision of whether you want to take it further.
Personally, looking for another position sounds a sensible option because even if you won this round with your boss there is sure to be something else later!
Ive included a link here of an article which explains the processes very well.
Bosses like yours are why we have Trade Unions. If you're not a member of a Union, then maybe you could contact Citizens Advice to find out what your legal position is.
is there a staff handbook with a policy about reasonable adjustments (for you and your health not the bosses needs)?
Ask HR, if they are good at what they do they’ll help advocate for any temporary arrangement to be carefully planned and monitored. Bringing in occupational health to report on your workload and environment etc.
You are not obligated to take on ‘job extensions’ or ‘role enlargement’.
Can you quickly join a union? One with representatives in your workplace? They can be super helpful.
I’d be cautious of trying to get HR on board, they r there only to stop the company being sued. That’s their remit.
Everything else is just internal PR.
I know this from HR friends who’ve told me how it really happens on the inside. If your manager wants you out, HR have the tools to make it happen. They literally have what’s called an “exit strategy” to get someone to resign.
I hear you, I’ve sat on both sides of that fence as a manager trying to ‘performance manage’ an incompetent and dangerous staff member and also as an employee. I guess I’m lucky that HR where I work now seem to be super helpful but we do have an exceptional culture. Which is rare in our field.
I feel for you. You've worked hard to get your health where it is now...well done you.
Health is actually wealth......
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