got to be assertive with my boss

[vicky23]

hi,
so I applied for a job that was advertised as 7.5hrs a week but I knew I'd get about 12 maybe 16 hours a week which is good for me at the moment to ease me in to work after a long while out of employment.
Anyway last week they asked me to do some extra shifts so ended up working 25 hrs then I looked at my rota on sat and they've got me down 6 days in a row!
So I really need to talk to my boss and say I can't do this but honestly I'm very scared of this. I have rationalised and written negative thinking down but still it scares me. My family have been noticing I've been getting more tired and irritable with doing extra shifts now I'm stressing and getting worked up about talking to Lorna tomorrow. My tummy has been churning all day and I'm thinking 'what if I can't cope with this? what if I get sick?' but rationally I know I'm getting stressed about talking to the boss :(
Also what's kinda niggling in the back of my mind is I'm still just on a trial period and I've got a review coming up soon so scared they might be like 'actually you need to work more everyone needs to just chip in' but they advertised for 7.5hrs so they can't use that as a reason to fire me legally can they??
Im freaking out a bit any words of comfort would really be appreciated.
:hugs:

[Brunette]

Vicky, if the job was advertised as 7.5 hours a week they have no right to pressurise you into doing more hours.

Have you signed a contract? If yes your hours of work will be on it. If no, you have every right to walk straight out of there.

Do HR know of your anxiety issues? If not, tell them. Also, do you have a copy of the advert? If it's down there in black and white they wouldn't have a leg to stand on if you tried to challenge it legally.

You are in a stronger position than you think you are. Explain to them calmly and rationally why you don't want to work that many hours and you'll probably find they are more sympathetic than you imagine.

[nataliewoods88]

hi there, this sounds alot like me last year!! i was out of work like you and i started on 16 hours which was a nice amount, then my boss gave me more hours, just assuming id want other time like the others! I was in shock and stressed myself out ALOT thinking about how i was going to cope with the extra shifts. Two things happened here, I did talk to my boss about my anxiety and told her id rather not take the extra shifts and just stick to my contracted hours, she was fine about it and just gave them other people. Also when i had been there longer and my confidence had grown i did a longer week and it wasn't half as bad as id thought it would be which was a huge relief, hope your ok!

[Broken-doll]

Vicky first of all it's fantastic that you've taken the positive step of finding employment :) I really do think that if you pluck up the courage to speak to your boss (the sooner the better) I'm sure your boss will be very sympathetic, it's important not to overwhelm or over-exert yourself. Good luck with it all sweetheart. Xxx