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Survey Results

Does your manager bug you after hours to fix stuff?

Survey period: 15 Feb 2021 to 22 Feb 2021

OptionVotes% 
Yes, constantly8910.46
Yes, occasionally13615.98
Rarely25429.85
No, my time is my time23727.85
I don't have a manager13916.33

Q2. How do you respond to after hours requests?

OptionVotes% 
I fix the issue whenever I can36142.42
I sometimes fix the issue (it depends)21224.91
I usually ignore the request384.47
I ignore the request394.58
I'm not asked to fix stuff after hours20524.09



 
GeneralI don't have "after hours" Pin
Anurag Gandhi18-Feb-21 23:15
professionalAnurag Gandhi18-Feb-21 23:15 
GeneralAfter-hours calls as they once were Pin
Frank Malcolm17-Feb-21 14:50
Frank Malcolm17-Feb-21 14:50 
GeneralQuiet normal if you in trading finance Pin
steveb17-Feb-21 3:16
mvesteveb17-Feb-21 3:16 
GeneralAway on leave Pin
CHill6016-Feb-21 5:46
mveCHill6016-Feb-21 5:46 
GeneralAlternate paradigm Pin
W Balboos, GHB16-Feb-21 2:33
W Balboos, GHB16-Feb-21 2:33 
GeneralNo manager, but a sort of moral obligation? Pin
DerekT-P16-Feb-21 0:05
professionalDerekT-P16-Feb-21 0:05 
GeneralRe: No manager, but a sort of moral obligation? Pin
honey the codewitch16-Feb-21 13:57
mvahoney the codewitch16-Feb-21 13:57 
GeneralOn Standby... Pin
Jacquers15-Feb-21 20:00
Jacquers15-Feb-21 20:00 
GeneralOnly when something is actually urgent Pin
acomputerdog15-Feb-21 5:15
professionalacomputerdog15-Feb-21 5:15 
GeneralVery bad practice creeping in as an expectation Pin
Eek Ten Bears15-Feb-21 2:41
Eek Ten Bears15-Feb-21 2:41 
I occasionally do extra hours but being on unofficial call - I learnt very early on that's a thankless task so:

  • Will it destroy life as we know it? Maybe on a relatively localised level?

  • Is it a life and death problem?

  • If its not life and death is someone's wellbeing at stake, more than just the CEO missing their lunch?

  • Even a dog, cat in danger? Bunny Rabbit? An Owl? Sheep? Blue Whale?

  • Did you (very stupidly)say you would support it out of hours?

  • Are you paid a bounty for being on call out of hours?

  • Do you get paid overtime for this, and if so is it the correct rate?

OTHERWISE DON'T DO IT. NOT AT ALL, NO NEVER, DO NOT RAISE EXPECTATIONS

First...Your employer should have capacity to cover these situations. If its all on you what happens if you move on, or have an accident? They are in trouble. You need a second and probably a third. One of you probably does need to be on call but you all the time? No.
Second...They should have processes and procedures in place to enable some kind of service to continue should the IT system have a problem. In short proper business continuity plan.

So lets look at that urgent fix required issue again from the perspective of your health. They didn't offer you a payment to be on call out of hours? They just expect you to be on call? You aren't getting time to relax there, and because you don't get paid for it you will feel used every time the phone goes or you get a text\whatsapp\other message. This is actual harassment you are being treated badly, your stress is part of the profit margin. Your employer doesn't care about you really. Don't stand for that. Many companies do give a bounty for out-of-hours work, this is money you are paid just to be on call, you are then paid overtime if you have to contribute. In other words you are paid money to sit and watch TV, play games or code a demo project for posting on CodeProject, then paid even more if you have to drop everything and switch the mail server off and on. That's a good feeling, but you still need time away, so you can have a couple of beers or go to a nigh club (post covid) or climb a mountain without fear of contact from your work. Other companies don't pay the bounty but they do give proper overtime. Its not such a good feeling but at least you get compensation and again as long as you do take time away your mental and physical health is maintained. These are good employers they know a happy healthy employee is a productive employee. They also pay you money, which is an audit trail, which means they can't breach working time regulations (cynical observation but true). Meanwhile a bad employer will say something like "we are all professionals here, we get the work done, if that means working a little longer sometimes then we will". When you hear that beware, if you allow them they will expect you to be on call 24/7 365 days of the year. There is a solution to this...

Be clear with everyone that you won't work out of hours except in exceptional circumstances, just politely but firmly decline invitations to work. Do not justify, just say it is out of hours work and you are not doing it. In short be passively assertive, it usually works, if it doesn't get out fast its a bad employer.
GeneralRe: Very bad practice creeping in as an expectation Pin
Kirk 1038982116-Feb-21 2:51
Kirk 1038982116-Feb-21 2:51 
GeneralRespect and duty Pin
den2k8815-Feb-21 2:23
professionalden2k8815-Feb-21 2:23 
GeneralIf needed - of course Pin
Slacker00715-Feb-21 1:08
professionalSlacker00715-Feb-21 1:08 
GeneralVery rarely almost not existant Pin
Nelek14-Feb-21 22:50
protectorNelek14-Feb-21 22:50 
GeneralCall back at midnight Pin
Uroš Šmon14-Feb-21 22:40
professionalUroš Šmon14-Feb-21 22:40 
GeneralWhen I worked for others I didn't do after hours. Pin
OriginalGriff14-Feb-21 21:11
mveOriginalGriff14-Feb-21 21:11 
GeneralRe: When I worked for others I didn't do after hours. Pin
Greg Utas15-Feb-21 1:05
professionalGreg Utas15-Feb-21 1:05 
GeneralRe: When I worked for others I didn't do after hours. Pin
agolddog16-Feb-21 3:41
agolddog16-Feb-21 3:41 
GeneralRe: When I worked for others I didn't do after hours. Pin
honey the codewitch16-Feb-21 14:01
mvahoney the codewitch16-Feb-21 14:01 
GeneralRe: When I worked for others I didn't do after hours. Pin
W Balboos, GHB17-Feb-21 1:36
W Balboos, GHB17-Feb-21 1:36 
GeneralA Junior Manager's story Pin
Amarnath S14-Feb-21 19:28
professionalAmarnath S14-Feb-21 19:28 
GeneralRe: A Junior Manager's story Pin
GregoryW14-Feb-21 20:55
GregoryW14-Feb-21 20:55 
GeneralRe: A Junior Manager's story Pin
den2k8815-Feb-21 2:28
professionalden2k8815-Feb-21 2:28 

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