Can an employer force staff to change their working hours?

[Frenchsalesadministrator]

Hi

I work for a tour operator. We have an emergency cover system with one person on call 24hr.
Our busiest period is between May and July. Because of issues we have had in the past my manager would like a second person to help on a rota basis, he/she would come in the office later in the morning but stay until 7pm.
My manager has asked for volunteers and sort out a rota between us to cover until July. Only a couple of people are happy with the change but that's not enough people to cover the 3 months.

Can my manager force us to do it?

 

[ethical PR]

Not clear from your post. Do you mean your manager is asking for a small change in your working day over a few months, so that you start and finish work later?

When you say volunteer do you mean that you won't be paid?

 

[Frenchsalesadministrator]

Do you mean your manager is asking for a small change in your working day over a few months, so that you start and finish work later?

That's right. Although it's a small change it's not convenient for many of us.
A couple of people are happy to cover one week or two but that's not enough people to cover the 12 weeks.

By volunteering, I mean that he didn't want to make it mandatory for everyone to cover some shifts but i guess he was expecting more people to be happy to come in later in the morning, obviously we would be paid as we would be making the same number of hours coming in later in the morning.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

I would suspect that it all depends on the employment contracts.

 

[ethical PR]

Hello Deb

My understanding is that employers can change pay and conditions to meet the needs of a service.

We are very much now a 24/7 society - expecting to be able to shop on a Sunday, use the NHS at weekends and have public transport in major cities running late into the night. This means employers are having to change the way they provide services to meet the needs of their consumers.

Have a look at the ACAS website or call their free helpline for some more detailed advice, but I think you will find an employer can ask you to change your contract terms in terms of hours of work.

They should take into account issues such as childcare or other care needs, so if this is why you don't want to change, they should take this into account.

Of course if the changes don't work for you, you can also vote with your feet and look for work that better suits your needs.

 

[TODonnell]

Your boss should just Google something like "best 24 hour rota system" and find out how to make them work well e.g. 3 x 8 hour shifts, with three days off every X weeks, or summat.

No point in reinventing the wheel.

 

[Newchodge]

Your employer is doing their best by asking if the staff can sort out cover voluntarily. If that doesn't work they will need to look at imposing a change, by setting the terms themselves and telling people that is what they are expected to do. the employer may be able to impose the change, depending on the wording of the contract. If they can't impose and staff won't agree to the change the employer can then look to employ different people who will accept the proposal.

 

[Nord20]

I had exactly this situation when I was working in industry and we basically went along with it (quite a young team, truth be told, none of us minded). If you want to get your head to a better place, there are distinct advantages to working those kinds of hours - early start one day followed by late start the next means you get a nice long afternoon off and don't have to be in work till late the next morning - bliss.

Of course, the flip side is having a late shift followed by an early, which means you get home, sleep, go straight back in, which kinda sucks.

 

[Optegris]

If the hours you are being asked to work, voluntarily or not, are going to become a regular feature of your rota then it should be clear in your contract. If the provision is not in place then your boss would need to go through a consultation period with you to discuss the change and how it will impact on your lifestyle (or not).

Without there being an allowance in your contract for working these hours then it can't be forced.