Twice a week we publish problems that will feature in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy advice column in the Saturday Guardian so that readers can offer their own advice and suggestions. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy’s own insights.
I am a graduate and after two years of temping and hospitality roles, I’ve recently started a low-paying but promising job in a field I’m relatively inexperienced in. The role is potentially interesting, but it seems to be accepted by all colleagues that the boss/owner will contact you at all hours, any day of the week.
I’ve had texts late at night or well before 7am during the week and weekend, asking me to do minor tasks that could wait until the working week. I’ve waited to respond to them until an appropriate time, but I still get them.
The boss is a classic entrepreneur – manic and with a big personality. This means they are also intimidating and volatile, so I feel wary of raising the issue directly.
After a few weeks it was brought up that I hadn’t been performing an aspect of my job at the weekend. I am contracted to work 9-5 Monday to Friday, though the nature of my job entails I do small check-up tasks at home in the evening.
In addition to this, I’m on a salary that’s little more than minimum wage, but I’m now doing work in the evening plus weekends. There are bonuses if I reach certain targets but these are vague and have yet to be discussed. The vague targets in my contract also seem to be irrelevant after having become familiar with the role.
My workload is already high and I’m getting stressed after only a month. I’m thinking about walking out, but this is the first decent job I’ve had. I’m not sure how much I should put up with as a newcomer to the industry, or whether I should say something.
The culture of the company makes it hard to take a stand if no one else seems to, plus I’m new and inexperienced, so I don’t have much ground to stand on. Am I overreacting or is this exploitation? I have asked family for advice but no one is sure what to do either.
There has been little in the way of induction or training, and there seems to be no HR department.
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
