Catching up days

[Anonymous]

So,i've being so nice at a point where i catch up the days i'm not supose to work for my boss.
Like,if she takes a vacation on two of my working days and i get those days off she always asks me if i can work "extra hours" on the days i'm not supost to work.
I've being doing that for over 3 years now but i'm geting tired of doing this.What should i do now?I don't want to tell her that i simply don't want to catch up the days but in the other hand i don't know what to say to her.Help!

Exe:I work Monday-Wednesday.If she takes a vaca on those days she asks me to come on Thursday and Friday.Sometimes she asks to just come 1 day to catch up the days she gives "off".But i don't want to catch up ANYMORE DAYS!If she decides to take the days off i want to not have to catch up any other day for her!IS THAT FAIR?

[Anonymous]

Make other plans for your time off. Done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make other plans for your time off. Done.

Agree.

Just start to not be available on those extra days.

"Oh I'm sorry, I can't stay late tonight, I made dinner plans."
"Oh no, I'm not free on Saturday, I'm getting together with some friends."
And so on.

[Anonymous]

Do you have guarenteed pay? If you don't, you can certainly decline to work those days, but you can't expect to be paid unless you negiotiate that extra benefit.

[Anonymous]

PP here once again. I'd also try to get away from the "fair" mentality. It's very reasonable to want guarenteed pay. It's also reasonable to pay strictly hourly. Approach this the same way you would negiotiate any other increase in compensation and benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have guarenteed pay? If you don't, you can certainly decline to work those days, but you can't expect to be paid unless you negiotiate that extra benefit.

she does pay me even if she goes on vaca on the days i'm suposse to be working.But i guess she thinks i will always catch up the days for her.

[Anonymous]

I would start to schedule other things on Thursdays and Fridays, another job, some school work. So that your time is busy week to week and your MB knows this. That way you can't make up hours, and you'll have a reason

[Anonymous]

Yeah PP but I don't think the passive-aggressive approach is right. I mean, OP doesn't NEED to book activities on those days, she could wanna just relax at home.

OP you need to speak up but it's been 3 years doing it MB's way so I'm not sure how it will go. Have a meeting and discuss it and don't leave the meeting until you both are happy with an agreement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah PP but I don't think the passive-aggressive approach is right. I mean, OP doesn't NEED to book activities on those days, she could wanna just relax at home.

OP you need to speak up but it's been 3 years doing it MB's way so I'm not sure how it will go. Have a meeting and discuss it and don't leave the meeting until you both are happy with an agreement.

MB won't be happy unless things continue the way they have been.

OP, if you don't have a formal agreement to make up hours start scheduling things on those days. Even if what you have scheduled is a day of napping on your couch, you'll be able to say, "Sorry, I already have plans."

[Anonymous]

So not disagree with the advise but be prepared to handle step 2 of this issue then in a week it two when she likely starts not paying you since all of a sudden it is a different deal in compensation than you had for 3 yrs. if that is the case you need to recognize that asking for "guaranteed hrs" (ie pay for your normal days even if you do not work them) is a benefit and has a value to you and a cost to her. She may be willing to up your compensation to give this to you but you need to be cognizant that that is what it would be so she would likely do so in lieu of a raise it something.

[Anonymous]

This is why I explain to families that I don't allow them to bank hours and use them at a later date. This is when guaranteed hours work in your favor. I'd make it clear to her that you are unavailable on non work days.

[Anonymous]

She uses you because you have a neon sign on your forehead , "I'm your doormat."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So not disagree with the advise but be prepared to handle step 2 of this issue then in a week it two when she likely starts not paying you since all of a sudden it is a different deal in compensation than you had for 3 yrs. if that is the case you need to recognize that asking for "guaranteed hrs" (ie pay for your normal days even if you do not work them) is a benefit and has a value to you and a cost to her. She may be willing to up your compensation to give this to you but you need to be cognizant that that is what it would be so she would likely do so in lieu of a raise it something.

If this was part of the original negotiations though (her being paid even if not working), then the MB can't really change that to say that she HAS to make up the days. I think she has just gotten used to the OP willingly trading the days for different ones, which is not guaranteed paid hours, just the MB guaranteeing that she has the chance to WORK that many hours in the week (and being nice and paying even if she doesn't work them all). As long as it was guaranteed PAID and not just available hours to work, then OP is fine with using the excuse that she has other plans or another job on those days. I would actually use the job thing, it would mean you never have those days available and you don't have to keep coming up with regular excuses. Just say you are no longer available on those days.

While I don't always advocate being passive-agressive by using an excuse, since it has been going on for 3 years already, I think this is the easiest way for the MB to get the point and have the OP not have to feel pressured into doing something that she doesn't want to do. If the MB starts to try and get weekend work out of her for days she takes off not needing the OP, then OP should then remind her that the agreement was actually she would be paid even if not used that day, and she needs her weekends free to run errands, spend time with friends and relax so that she is refreshed for the new week on Mondays.

There is the chance that the MB will not like this change, even though it was something she agreed to initially, so OP better be prepared to have to say she will look for a new position instead if her MB suddenly decides that she really wants banking of hours/days exchanged as a regular thing.

[Anonymous]

Guaranteed hours is a big benefit and it is extra cost to your employer. Asking for guaranteed hours is no different than asking for a big raise and you should approach this way. You need to decide what you will do if your employer declines your request (which is pretty reasonable considering guaranteed hours hasn't been part of your compensation package for 3 years).