Do you prefer advance notice or on the fly OK?

[Opti]

As some people might know I have a per diem job where I usually work weekends only, in fact sometimes with very little scheduled hours.


I've been happiest when I had at least one shift scheduled to work on Sunday with the occasional fill in request. I've been doing this for over a year and because of turnover in the other two per diem slots with more hours things are always changing. I'm OK with only the fly notification if it doesn't happen all that often but I prefer advance notice whenever possible so I can be prepared even if its only mentally for having to adjust my schedule on short notice.

I just agreed now to work the hours of the person who quit effective the 22nd of this month. I was told on the 21st and found out from the remaining per diem she probably gave two weeks notice. I was told someone else was given these hours so I started my week with that assumption. Now I'm a bit unhappy as I would have done things differently this weekend and yesterday had I known I would be working two nights this week.

So I prefer advance notice even if its just a heads up?
What about you?

[Green Eyed Lady]

I support myself. I wouldn't care if they called me 10 minutes before I was supposed to be there. I'd be there if it meant extra on my paycheck.

[Green Eyed Lady]

Of course, I should add that I have no life so nobody is really interrupting any plans!

[Deleted]

When it's work-related, it ticks me off if clients call the night before or early in the morning before I leave to tell me that they don't need me. If they'd bothered to let me know ahead of time, I could at least have tried to schedule another job. It has happened that they've called to tell me they're going on vacation..."tomorrow" or "leaving in a few minutes"...and they couldn't have told me? WTE? They want me to believe that they didn't know they were going on vacation? More WTE!

It's not likely that their vacation time is unpaid, but they certainly don't pay me if I'm not there.

I even had a client who "forgot" that their child was having surgery on the day I was supposed to be there and just breezily said "Oh, just come tomorrow instead." It didn't occur to her that I couldn't "just come tomorrow instead" because I had another job.

On the fly? Fuggedabouddit

[Deleted]

I was the same way when I was single and childless, GEL.

I learned the hard way to say no once in a while, though. My first job in HS was as a cashier and I was the one they called when someone called in because I always said yes. After working a straight month I said "am I ever going to get a day off" and they said "we schedule days off for you".

The lightbulb finally went on and I learned to say no once in a while even if I had nothing better going on.

[Green Eyed Lady]

Jun 26, 2012 8:21:24 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

I was the same way when I was single and childless, GEL.

I learned the hard way to say no once in a while, though. My first job in HS was as a cashier and I was the one they called when someone called in because I always said yes. After working a straight month I said "am I ever going to get a day off" and they said "we schedule days off for you".

The lightbulb finally went on and I learned to say no once in a while even if I had nothing better going on.

I admit I do have a difficult time saying "no". The extra jobs I work are all for friends who own their own businesses. If they get in a bind with an employee calling in sick or whatever, they call me. I don't have the heart to say no, but then I'm never doing anything else anyway. You are right, tho. Sometimes doing nothing is just what we need.

[Deleted]

I was 17 and naive. It never occurred to me that my employer would take advantage of me. Life lesson.

[Opti]

Jun 26, 2012 8:20:56 GMT -5 @missrigby said:

When it's work-related, it ticks me off if clients call the night before or early in the morning before I leave to tell me that they don't need me. If they'd bothered to let me know ahead of time, I could at least have tried to schedule another job. It has happened that they've called to tell me they're going on vacation..."tomorrow" or "leaving in a few minutes"...and they couldn't have told me? WTE? They want me to believe that they didn't know they were going on vacation? More WTE!

It's not likely that their vacation time is unpaid, but they certainly don't pay me if I'm not there.

I even had a client who "forgot" that their child was having surgery on the day I was supposed to be there and just breezily said "Oh, just come tomorrow instead." It didn't occur to her that I couldn't "just come tomorrow instead" because I had another job.

On the fly? Fuggedabouddit

Miss R, I also don't like the bad planning on your part should constitute an emergency or on the fly rearrangement of my plans.

[973beachbum]

I don't actually mind on the fly things but the situation you describe Opt would bug me. It sounds like they actually had plenty of notice just decided you didn't need more than five minutes ot it.

I know you need the job, so you have to take the extra hours, but it would really stink being treated like that.

[Deleted]

Miss R, I also don't like the bad planning on your part should constitute an emergency or on the fly rearrangement of my plans.

Good point!

[Deleted]

Doing nothing is just what I don't need. I don't have a life outside of working! When I get home from work, I feed the kitty, tidy up, launder my cleaning rags, then just sit and read or play solitaire on my DSi. Either early in the morning or around sundown, I tend to the flower garden and water if needed. That's it.

Granted, I live in a granny flat at DD's house, but they have their own lives with their own comings and goings and don't want to bother them or interrupt whatever plans they might have.

I'm not a social being or particularly outgoing so going somewhere or joining something to "meet people" just won't happen.

[973beachbum]

Jun 26, 2012 8:20:56 GMT -5 @missrigby said:

When it's work-related, it ticks me off if clients call the night before or early in the morning before I leave to tell me that they don't need me. If they'd bothered to let me know ahead of time, I could at least have tried to schedule another job. It has happened that they've called to tell me they're going on vacation..."tomorrow" or "leaving in a few minutes"...and they couldn't have told me? WTE? They want me to believe that they didn't know they were going on vacation? More WTE!

It's not likely that their vacation time is unpaid, but they certainly don't pay me if I'm not there.

I even had a client who "forgot" that their child was having surgery on the day I was supposed to be there and just breezily said "Oh, just come tomorrow instead." It didn't occur to her that I couldn't "just come tomorrow instead" because I had another job.

On the fly? Fuggedabouddit

Miss R you need a fee for cancelations with less than 48 hours notice. I think fifty bucks would do the trick. ;D After the first couple most people would remember to call you in advance.

[Deleted]

It would be hard to institute that after all this time. I've been working for my newest client for a year and a half. If it happens that I ever take on a new client, it's going to be understood right out of the gate that I expect to be paid when they "forget" or don't give me some notice that they don't need me.

Believe me, I've thought of it. Also thought about insisting on being paid while they're on vacation whether they let me know in advance or not. They're getting paid; why shouldn't they pay me as well? Heck if they've got kids in daycare, they're expected to pay whether the kids are there or not or lose their place to whoever is next on the waiting list.

ETA: It just occurred to me that the ones who've "forgotten" or cancelled at the last minute are the same ones who are tighter than bark on a tree and don't remember me at Christmas, either. I really should just them and replace them. Oh, heck...it's a case of the devil you know being better than the devil you don't.

[973beachbum]

Jun 26, 2012 8:41:24 GMT -5 @missrigby said:

It would be hard to institute that after all this time. I've been working for my newest client for a year and a half. If it happens that I ever take on a new client, it's going to be understood right out of the gate that I expect to be paid when they "forget" or don't give me some notice that they don't need me.

Believe me, I've thought of it. Also thought about insisting on being paid while they're on vacation whether they let me know in advance or not. They're getting paid; why shouldn't they pay me as well? Heck if they've got kids in daycare, they're expected to pay whether the kids are there or not or lose their place to whoever is next on the waiting list.

I have quite a few places like my drs office that had no problem sending me a notice saying "due to problems with cancellations, any cancellations with less than 24 hours notice will be imposed a $30 fee with no exceptations".

They use 24 hours because it is probably a much smaller app time and they would still get a few people who call for a problem but with you I would think that three days or even a week would be reasonable to expect notice.

As far as vacation that probably is something you would have had to work out in the begining. Do they give you good X-mas gifts?

ETa we were posting at the same time. I would send them the letter outlining the new rules. If they don't like the new rules they can find someone else. You are by far the best and most reasonalble rates going, right? My guess is they would stay. If not you just got rid of a headache without any asprin.

[Opti]

Jun 26, 2012 8:32:16 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

I don't actually mind on the fly things but the situation you describe Opt would bug me. It sounds like they actually had plenty of notice just decided you didn't need more than five minutes ot it.

I know you need the job, so you have to take the extra hours, but it would really stink being treated like that.

Yes I'm not a fan as I need to plan out job search time and having clean appropriate clothing for work. I've been stress over-eating and I would have tried harder to be good yesterday had I known my next day to work was today instead of Saturday.

[Deleted]

Opti, funny people's reactions to situations...when I'm stressed (or just plain angry), I eat nothing and survive on water or iced tea. It's probably why I'm so blasted skinny...when TGH was alive, I was forever trying to unload 20 extra lbs!

[Phoenix84]

In practice, it doesn't matter. Like GEL I don't really have much of a life and don't do much outside of work besides play video games. So it doesn't really matter much if things change on short notice.

However, I do like a bit of notice to prepare myself mentally for it.

In the summer after I graduated from college, I worked retail while job searching. It was an office supply store and it was getting close to start of school, and we had a TON of inventory that needed to be stocked. One day I show up for work at 4:00 a.m. and they tell me I need to work my regular shift then come back at 9:00 p.m. that day to work ANOTHER 8 hour shift stocking (aka a short turnaround). I wasn't happy at all about that, not because I had "better things to do" but because I didn't want to work, sleep, and work again, basically losing 24 hours of time without any "down time." It wasn't worth it for a $7 an hour job. I told them I didn't want to work that on such short notice and they relinquished.

[8 Bit WWBG]

If I "can" accommodate the request without much trouble, I'm fine with on the spot notice. If accommodating the request is a hardship, I want advance notice. I won't know until I get the request.

[Opti]

Phenoix,

In practice it does matter to me because of sleep schedules, planning my laundry around the weather and other tenants, and the fact I don't have a microwave makes quick meals improbable.
I did have something similar to your situation once. I was asked to work in one area from 8-Noon in addition to my shift later in the day from 2-8PM. I'm pretty sure it hurt me to say no, but it would have compressed my schedule too much and basically my life would have consisted of getting ready for work and working from 6AM Sunday until at least 5PM Monday.

I didn't want to get ready for one job in the morning, come home change and eat and return for the next shift. Since there is no meal break for the 2-8PM shift I make dinner when I get home which makes for a late night and problematic for being prepared for working at Monday 8AM with my prepared lunch in hand.