Employer wants me to work overnights I don't want to any thoughts

[Bobbers]

I work in retail and I am part of a 3 person department that takes care of displays, resets of merchandise and some misc. We are behind on tasks so my managers manager want us to work overnights until we get caught up. The reason we are behind has to do with several factors that are out of our control at the store level. They are thinking 4 to 6 weeks which might be less but probable longer. When we work overnight we are paid the same as during the day no extra benefit for us to screw up our life.

I do not think that overnights are that productive. I have been on 1 week overnight (9pm - 6am) projects in the past and have seen inefficiencies. Most of the people on the team start to hit a wall about 3 am and as the week drags on 15 minute breaks become 30 minutes. They say that without customers in the store we can get more done but if the employees are only working about 6 instead of 8 hours I do not see the plus. I have also seen employees that have injured themselves because the are not as alert, thankfully most have been minor.

My personal problems for not liking overnights is that is screws with my body. I do not like to eat after 7 pm. My eating habits go to hell. Also about 2 years ago I was diagnosed with a health issue which I need to take drugs daily to help get under control. Not the end of the world but I am not as young as I used to be. Last year while I was doing some week long over night projects I felt off after the week and it took awhile to get back to normal. I think it was because of my medications and not getting a good nights sleep.

I am going to contact my Dr. and ask him it is just in my head or do overnights have an adverse effect on my well being.

I feel my health and my free time is more important the older I get. I am thinking about changing jobs within the company or possible leaving the company. I like my job and what I do but I think I have come to my last straw.

Thank you for listening.

 

[DC_MPA]

How are you not paid extra? That sure seems if everyone's behind then working extra especially nights will constitute overtime.

I certainly understand your sentiment. I'm working 2 different cities, for 2 different divisions right now with 2 independent offices and I'm salary

 

[dpm802]

I have spent far too many years and retail,
and schedule conflicts are a common complaint.

You may want to look at your Employment Contract, if any,
any see what it says about your right(s) to refuse certain hours.
Discuss this with HR to see if this schedule is carved in stone,
but speak to your immediate supervisor first, then go to whoever it is that writes the schedule.

Its unlikely that your attendance on night-shift is mandatory.
But if you resist, it may come back to haunt you in other ways.
At that point, it becomes more of a Power Play between you and Management,
and they don't like to lose.
You probably already knew that.

 

[dpm802]

I do not think that overnights are that productive. I have been on 1 week overnight (9pm - 6am) projects in the past and have seen inefficiencies. Most of the people on the team start to hit a wall about 3 am and as the week drags on 15 minute breaks become 30 minutes. They say that without customers in the store we can get more done but if the employees are only working about 6 instead of 8 hours I do not see the plus. I have also seen employees that have injured themselves because the are not as alert, thankfully most have been minor.

Personally, I prefer working nights when the store is closed.
Customers are a royal PitA, and without constant interruptions, I really can get a lot more work done.
Best benefit of night-work is that there are no management types floating around, and they can be more annoying than customers.

My job pays a 10% differential for Graveyard Shift,
but they eliminated that shift to save money.
They figured that they could get just as much work done on straight-time,
but it didn't really work out that way.

If they had kept the overnight shift,
they could have done it with half as many employees.

 

[SpeedyPC]

Just tell your manager that you have a health related issue and you can't work night shift

 

[RayClem]

I worked my entire career for a paper manufacturer. More than half of that time I worked at a paper mill site. Because starting and stopping the process is difficult, most paper mills run 24 hours per day, and about 360 days per year, including Christmas day. They take one major shutdown per year, normally during the warmer months.

Employees who worked the 3pm-11pm and 11pm-7am shifts got paid a shift differential, with night shift being higher. The four crews rotated between the three time slots and off days. In some paper mills, they work 12 hour shifts, rotating between night and day shifts and days off. The employees also got paid overtime and holiday pay. This pay scheme was negotiated as it was something that was done routinely.

In your case, it sounds like this is a temporary arrangement for a few weeks. Unless there is something in the company policy about shift differential pay, you might ask your manager if that is possible; but if you work for a large, the local managers might have limited authority in that area. If you like the job,other than working nights, I suggest you comply with the manager's request, even though it is inconvenient for you to do so. Just be glad it is only for a few weeks.

At least you do not have to work rotating shifts. After working night shift for several days in a row, your body's sleeping and eating patterns will adjust to the new schedule. Working swing shifts, however, does take a toll on your health, but millions of people have survived.

 

[davent]

Personally, I prefer working nights when the store is closed.
Customers are a royal PitA, and without constant interruptions, I really can get a lot more work done.
Best benefit of night-work is that there are no management types floating around, and they can be more annoying than customers.

My job pays a 10% differential for Graveyard Shift,
but they eliminated that shift to save money.
They figured that they could get just as much work done on straight-time,
but it didn't really work out that way.

If they had kept the overnight shift,
they could have done it with half as many employees.

I'm with you on this, no customers and no bosses, couldn't have been better, could focus on what had to be done and get do it. I looked upon night shift as a reward.

dave

 

[bberg100]

I worked 14 years working 12 hr shifts, 6-6, rotate days to nights every other month. Nights were always a different environment, most of us couldn't wait to get back to nights. You can make it miserable on yourself, or you can roll with it and find a way to make it bearable. It is hard on folks with smaller kids, school schedules and such are rarely night shift parent friendly.

 

[Phog Allen]

While I certainly don't know the specifics, I would suspect the company will change the shift temporarily so they are only working nights and not overtime. Most states do not mandate any shift differential for such manouevers.

As far as giving them a doctor's note of sorts saying you cannot do this may be a bad idea. Most places look at such 'documents' as a statement from a licensed professional saying you cannot perform your job duties. We had a bloke at work do this and the management promptly sent him home and told him to stay there til he could perform the tasks he said he couldn't. It didn't take long. Just be careful and KNOW what you are about before doing anything similar. And remember, this is an internet conversation and holds about as much water as a minnow bucket.

 

[Highspeedlane]

IMHO there should be an incentive of some sort to offset the misery of working a shift like that. Where I work there are shifts of 6pm to 6am but there is a 10% pay differential for that. It takes a toll on you to readjust your body clock to that sort of schedule.

 

[Methuselah]

You may want to look at your Employment Contract, if any,
any see what it says about your right(s) to refuse certain hours.
Discuss this with HR to see if this schedule is carved in stone,
but speak to your immediate supervisor first, then

+1

 

[Lmarkow]

Sounds like it's time to move on. If you don't enjoy the job, then look for something new.

 

[Andy77]

You may want to look at your Employment Contract, if any,
any see what it says about your right(s) to refuse certain hours.
Discuss this with HR to see if this schedule is carved in stone,
but speak to your immediate supervisor first, then go to whoever it is that writes the schedule.

Its unlikely that your attendance on night-shift is mandatory.
But if you resist, it may come back to haunt you in other ways.
At that point, it becomes more of a Power Play between you and Management,
and they don't like to lose.
You probably already knew that.

If you do have a medical issue (and you work for a large enough company where HR will protect you) a disability accommodation will help you avoid nights. Also it makes it harder for them to retialiate. Ie, if you use your disability to avoid nights, and then your schedule is reduced, or some other action is taken that makes your life harder you may have more recourse.

 

[Toothpick]

I’m sure one of the many papers you signed when you were hired was something that dealt with hours. And it was written to benifit the employer. You also probably signed an “employment at will” document. Which means they can fire you for any reason at any time. Refusal to work overnight?...fired. If they want.

I highly doubt you have any contract that specially states the hours you agree to work. Such as only working days. We are talking about retail. That’s just something retail doesn’t do. You basically agree to be employed. They can schedule you any hours they want. Especially if you are part time.

They way I see it you have a few options.....

1. If it is a legit health or medical concern then all you need is a note from your doctor. They can’t make you do overnights and they can’t fire you for it. But they will probably fire you for something else if they want.
2. Simply refuse. See what happens. You’ll have a job still or you wont.
3. Quit now.

The good thing about retail experience is any other retailer will hire you.

 

[Andy77]

You may want to look at your Employment Contract, if any,
any see what it says about your right(s) to refuse certain hours.
Discuss this with HR to see if this schedule is carved in stone,
but speak to your immediate supervisor first, then go to whoever it is that writes the schedule.

Its unlikely that your attendance on night-shift is mandatory.
But if you resist, it may come back to haunt you in other ways.
At that point, it becomes more of a Power Play between you and Management,
and they don't like to lose.
You probably already knew that.

 

[ColtRevolver]

Do you work in an at-will state?

I worked nights for over 25 years. I love it.

 

[Bebe]

i do work nights, weekends, holidays, and i don't get paid anything extra.... fixed salary, that's all, no matter how much i work.
True, i have kind of "at will" schedule - i might get to work at 10-11 but also i might leave at 10-11pm.... or next day or the day after. I keep a gym bag with undies, shirts and tees, socks, dopp kit - one never knows. I have a sofa and shower, even a mini kitchen so is fine by me (but not by my wife).

 

[Legion]

Do what your boss tells you, and if you hate it start looking for something else. Nothing hurts your prospects of finding a better job than telling your current boss to shove it.

Honestly, if I could work nights away from the general public, I would find that quite nice, but if you hate it, quietly look for a different job. If you have retail experience, and are competent, you will find another job at a similar level. Believe it or not, good and reliable retail staff are hard to find. If you are more than competent, offer your services to your stores competition, and ask for a pay rise.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

+1

 

[dpm802]

Honestly, if I could work nights away from the general public, I would find that quite nice ...

+1

If you have retail experience, and are competent, you will find another job at a similar level. Believe it or not, good and reliable retail staff are hard to find. If you are more than competent, offer your services to your stores competition, and ask for a pay rise.

In order to qualify for retail employment,
all you need is.

1) A pulse.
2) No active warrants.
3) Few convictions.
4) Proper Citizenship and other documentation.
*) Being BiLingual is a HUGE advantage.

Other factors bundle in to HR's decision-making process,
They're not allowed to talk about them,
but these practices do exist.

A. Discrimination due to age, religion, etc.
B. Nepotism. Hiring and promotion of favored groups.
C. Prejudicial stereotyping and guilt by association.
---(I knew a guy from Springfield once, he was a real jerk, so this job candidate must be a jerk, too.)