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Ask an Ealing Expert

I have found the two articles I have read under this title to be very interesting - front page

Sarah Felstead ● 6874d8 Comments

I agree Sarah, two interesting articles. But I wonder what "working compressed hours" means. When my wife and I worked at the time of starting our family, there was no such legislation - one had to just "get on with it". Working life is so easy-peasy these days. Good thing too, I suppose.

Gerry Tan ● 6874d

Compressed hours simply means cramming a 5 day 35 hour week in a 4 day one..i.e. working 35 hours over 4 days instead of five. My company has allowed this for a few years now but has recently decided it's not working well at all and so people will either have to go back to 5 days or officially become part-time and work (or get paid for) fewer hours

Penny Crocker ● 6874d

Hello Gerry - " When my wife and I worked at the time of starting our family, there was no such legislation ".  Your wife must have been working around the time or just after women had to give up work when they got married?  Getting the work life balance right means consideration for husbands and other people caring for relatives too and valuing both the work place and home place - so flexible patterns being 'flexible' would help the worker to achieve their best in both places.Penny - I was intrigued that your company decided to allow 'compressed hours' and just as intrigued as to why they should decide they don't work and bring in a blanket ban?  Will they actually be able to do this under this new legislation?  I am not sure what constitutes 'flexible working'?

Sarah Felstead ● 6871d

The official company line is that 37 hours in 4 days is too much which is ridiculous because most people work 60-70 hour weeks and are paid for 37 anyway. In truth, it is ust a way of asking people to accept 4 days' pay instead of 5.

Penny Crocker ● 6870d

"...because most people work 60-70 hour weeks and are paid for 37 anyway."Most people?? - I find that rather difficult to believe Penny.

Gerry Tan ● 6870d

well, I qualify that with 'most people here'. Sadly we have this macho culture of long hours.last / first one in the office is a star !

Penny Crocker ● 6870d

An employer turning a blind eye to such working practises would surely be guilty of bullying, would it not?  How would health and safety responsibilites towards the workforce be demonstrated if a blind eye was turned to excessive working hours?How would equal opportunities/discrimination policies be demonstrated if the part of the work force with family responsibilities would be unable or (heavens above) not want to keep up?Sounds like 'bright spark and the ideas people' need to be told to incorporate into the policy how it is actually meant to work.    :-(

Sarah Felstead ● 6870d

A pharmacist cannot comp[ress hours but I will not open for one munite longer than my contacted hours. My employers do not share their profits so I will not share my time.

Graham Weeks ● 6870d