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vicky23
15-09-15, 17:06
hi all,

I'm going through a really stressful time at the moment with some family issues and work pressure.
I work part time in a shop but we are so understaffed at the moment people leaving, on the sick, on holiday. So I'm doing what I can to help out. The way our rota works is online, I checked yesterday and as well as an 11 hour shift that I was dreading, they've put me in the sat 11hrs then sun 4 hrs ( my usual shift time) then Monday 8hrs then Tuesday 8hrs.
Living with anxiety is exhausting and painful sometimes so working is sometimes a challenge.
I have been working myself up into a tizz thinking about going in and asking the manager to take me off some of them shifts but before I could do that she rang and asked if I could do two more!! So when I said I was going to come talk to her anyway because I was finding it too much she just said ok I'll ask someone else but didn't mention about the other hours.
Despite all my years of therapy and training my mind, I can recognise all the wrong thinking patterns but at the end of the day I'm freaking out and my body is protesting even more so than usual :weep:
My 'all or nothing' thinking is telling me to just hand my notice in or go to the Dr's and ask for a sick note until they get more staff but I know I need to deal with my lack of assertiveness not just run away and I also don't want to drop my work colleagues even more in the crap either :(
I know people don't have a magic wand or the answers but it really does help to get it out on here.

Rennie1989
15-09-15, 19:36
How many hours does your contract say that you do? If your manager is scheduling you extra hours then you are in your rights to decline them. If you feel that the long shifts will make you ill then, to avoid absences, ask your manager to reduce your shift hours. The answer is always no if you don't ask.

vicky23
16-09-15, 10:06
Hi,
thanks for replying Rennie, my contract is only 7.5hrs so I know that officially I have every right to decline.

I think the reason I'm stressing is that I have issues with wanting to please people and find asserting myself difficult. The thought of going and asking her to reduce my hours is really scary for me. Then there's the deeper guilt of feeling I should be working full time.

It's really brought up a lot of stuff that I need to work on some more that has just been hiding beneath the surface so I guess that's a good thing! lol

Thank you again for taking the time to reply I appreciate it
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