Working the hours you are paid for or unpaid overtime?

DH worked in the private sector, so he would agree with Coronation. However, he never asked his colleagues to do anything he wouldn’t do, stayed behind with them and mucked in with the tasks and often treated the staff afterwards, privately sponsoring the ladies netball team for starters. I think they were fairly well paid and no-one seemed to object to seeing a job through. I received the most amazing tributes to him, from them after his death.

I always worked over my hours in care.
45 mins a day extra, up to 5 days a week at times, with one couple I supported.

Retail and care work. Lowest paid and least respected and appreciated sectors. I worked in both.

I once took on a temporary Christmas job in a department store in the town centre.
The job description didn't point out that I would have to stay behind after closing time for as long as it took to cash up the tills etc. In reality, that meant that I might miss the bus home and have to hang around in the town centre for 75 minutes longer than I was officially paid for!

The nature of my work was that the job had to be done to a deadline and some times people needed urgent last minute information - and I needed to provide it.

It was not constantly happening, but i was not rare either. One year I worked until 7.00pm on Christmas Eve. Something was being couriered to Pakistan, so the fact that the following day was Christmas day was irrelevant.

Most of my working life from my late teens was spent working with politicians and believe me there were plenty of unpaid extra hours! And I wasn't one of those highly paid SPADS or advisers, before anyone asks!!

Oh biglouis, absolutely not. Quite normal to be on minimum wage with benefit top-ups. It was classed as shop work and working longer hours without pay was the norm .

Working in Local Government, at the time, full time employees worked flexitime, 37 hours per week. Part time employees had fixed hours. The part time employees often stayed later than their contracted hours. The L A decided to experiment with part timers being given flexitime. This is when they realised how many more hours the part timers were working for no extra pay. They discontinued the experiment.

I worked extra hours and outside of the ‘normal day’ both in the private and LG sector. Partly, as in the private sector job I worked across time zones, partly because it got the job done in both jobs. I was trusted to do the job and manage my time, I took time off when it was ok for the projects. I also travelled abroad extensively, involving weekends, I don’t have a degree either biglouis.
I enjoyed working flexibly, being trusted to deliver, communication was key.

I have always worked in the private sector and have never had a job where you could just switch off and go home

Did you feel that the salary you were paid reflected that?

Most of my working life was in branch banking. As this is essentially ‘retail’ no-one gets paid a fortune . Senior staff would work in head office , further from customers but much better pay.
In order to open a bank branch, there is around 45 minutes of work to be done, checking the building is secure and retrieving cash from the bank vaults and the reverse happens at the end of the day, including of course balancing the books. Staff were expected to come early and leave late without extra pay.
I have always worked in the private sector and have never had a job where you could just switch off and go home.

I worked as a teacher. It went with the job. Most evenings and every weekend either preparing or, more often marking. I usually had a Higher English class so had to keep on top of it.

Retail.

Management jobs in the private sector involve unpaid extra hours, but the salary will reflect this.
Factory floor jobs are not expected to work for no extra pay.

I work in the private sector and working overtime for free (no time off in lieu or pay) is normal.