Out of Office Support

Discussion in 'Employment & Jobs' started by Luddym, Jan 5, 2008.

  1. Luddym

    Luddym Megabyte Poster

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    Hey guys,

    Just wondering if anyone here does Emergency Support, or out of hours, where people call you at weekends, evenging etc, when you aren't theoretically working.

    If so, do you get paid for it while you are on call, or whether you are expected to do it as part of your wage, or if it is 'a value added service' which means the company expect you to do it for free.
     
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  2. Arroryn

    Arroryn we're all dooooooomed Moderator

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    We rotate on a weekly basis doing out of hours.

    Support is from 5.30pm (end of office hours) till midnight.

    We get paid a 'fee' for carrying the phone (which isn't great) and get to claim per call based on 1.5 our hourly rate.

    If we are asked to do weekend work, it's double time.
     
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  3. JohnBradbury

    JohnBradbury Kilobyte Poster

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    6pm till 8am for a flat rate of £380 a week. If you're called out you charge at time and a half.
     
  4. Alex Wright

    Alex Wright Megabyte Poster

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    I don't do emergency support and it's unlikely I will do anytime soon as I'm in my first IT role with a limited knowledge of the systems our company uses.

    Out-of-hours work should be compensated for... unless it states in your contract that it's incorporated in your wage.

    - AW
     
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  5. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    I work 24/7, and yes the company expects me to take calls at any time. I switch my phone off now! :biggrin
     
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  6. Kitkatninja
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    Kitkatninja aka me, myself & I Moderator

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    We provide limited out of hours support. We answer e-mails and fix any remote access problems that we can when reported.

    -Ken
     
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  7. Luddym

    Luddym Megabyte Poster

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    The reason I ask is that I'm expected to tbe the only on support person, predominately covering weekends from 8-5 sat, 9-4 sunday (but some muppets call when im on my way to work or on my way home). There's 18 sites, around 800 employees, 400 ish pc's and around 100ish dumb terminals which go wrong on a daily basis.

    I don't get paid extra for this, nor is it in my contract. I'm 1st/2nd/3rd line of support, and every time i bring the subject up with management im told that 'this is the way things have always been done, and there is no more money in the budget.'

    I've never been a financially motivated person, but I work extremely hard when i'm at work, usually get in around an hour early so that I have some peace to work through stuff that I'd usually not get time to do, rarely take a lunch hour....am expected to be the only person on call out of a team of 5 (One applications guy, a pure 3rd liner, a manager and a trainee 1st line, then me) and get paid WAY under market rate. (If anyone want's to know how much I get, PM me and I'll happily say.

    I was just hoping I wasn't the only person in the same Out of office situation. :rolleyes:
     
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  8. Toadeh

    Toadeh Nibble Poster

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    I'm in work today when I could be at home and do this from there. Had no calls today and aledidly its peak times to book holidays. We pay a flat 75 quid a week for being on call but they are expected to give 24 hour cover. Mind you, you can never get hold of the people you need to when they are needed
     
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  9. greenbrucelee
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    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

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    I don't work in support yet, but in my current job I am expected to go in and I charge accordingly. One thing I have learned in my working life, the more work you do for free then more in expected of you for free. You won't get any thanks either.

    So I suppose its up to you if you want to raise it properly with your boss.
     
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  10. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    They are taking the pi55 to be honest mate. There is money in the budget; this is why you have just taken on a new first liner.

    Either you should get paid more or the guy in 3rd line should be helping you with the out of hours support.

    Why not sort out your CV and apply for a few jobs? Sounds like you have some good experience supporting a network that size.
     
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  11. nXPLOSi

    nXPLOSi Terabyte Poster

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    If I work out of hours I get paid normal hourly salary plus half. Its not always emergency stuff, most of the time its working from home on database developement or exchange maintenance that can't be done in the normal 9-5 hours...

    If you dont get paid for your time, then i'd expect a very good "normal" salary, and from what you've said this isn't the case. I agree with Sparky above ^^
     
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  12. Luddym

    Luddym Megabyte Poster

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    At present, I well well under £20,000 in what they argue ISN'T London, but most employers say is.

    I've started this year with a real thirst to finish my MCSE so that I can move on to pastures new, plus I'm going on a VMWare course in Feb, so fingers crossed things will change around Mid year.
     
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  13. nXPLOSi

    nXPLOSi Terabyte Poster

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    Out of curiousity Luddym, where abouts do they class as "not london"?

    I work South East; an area in Greater London, for a company with about 60 workstations and 4 servers. Judging by your job description you should be earning alot more then me, easily. If your well under 20k then your not, get that CV out mate!
     
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  14. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Sounds like a plan mate, the MCSE with some solid experiance will be great in your CV. 8)
     
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  15. Luddym

    Luddym Megabyte Poster

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    Well, it's an area near Seven Kings / Ilford / Goodmayes areas. Not greater London, but Outer London at least.

    But the company moved from Straford, I think to avoid HAVING to pay London wages.
     
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  16. nXPLOSi

    nXPLOSi Terabyte Poster

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    Wow, closer then I thought. I work in Barking. (Unfortunately, not the nicest place)

    You really are getting a rough deal mate, but your getting more experience every day, so you'll get what you deserve sooner or later.
     
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  17. Luddym

    Luddym Megabyte Poster

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    I know Barking, but not that well. My Girlfriend lives in Dagenham. :biggrin
     
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  18. JohnBradbury

    JohnBradbury Kilobyte Poster

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    For starters I'd put a stop on all unpaid overtime.... Let them see the extent of the work you do then approach them again for a pay rise.

    Although in my experience you almost always have to leave a company to get a decent pay increase.
     
  19. Arroryn

    Arroryn we're all dooooooomed Moderator

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    If it's not in your contract then they haven't got a leg to stand on with regards to 'making' you do the support. How you approach it though, depends on a number of things.

    1 - do you have the strength of personality to stop doing the out of hours work (given the repercussions that would undoubtedly result). Alternatively, do you have the assertiveness to say that you will stop supporting, until you are paid what you are due.

    2 - the company sounds large. How many other support people are there at your level, and will they be likely to just offload the support on someone else if you make a stand? How was the situation before you took on out of hours support?

    3 - what is their attitude towards 'strong personalities'? Would your job be considered in the firing line, if you took a stand against their pay procedures?
     
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  20. Luddym

    Luddym Megabyte Poster

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    Hey Arroryn, thanks for the reply.

    Funnily enough, just before the break up for Christmas, my manager sent an E-Mail to everyone in the organisation to let them know that the offices are closed for Christmas and to reaffirm that any issues should be directed to my work mobile number. Now i'd had a pretty bad end to the year so ended up having a heated discussion about this, as not only was I not getting paid for it, but I was theoretically on call whilst actually using my Annual leave holiday day, ehich i thought was pretty disgusting.

    The end result was that my manager gave in and said I could forward my number onto his, over the christmas period, which I think he realises was a mistake, as we had 3 sites completely down and lots of the usual problems. Before this he was 'there aren't many out of hours issues' now he realises there are but there is still 'no budget.'

    Unfortunately, the company was a relatively small company until recently, and has only started to grow at seriously huge steps. As a result, many of the processes and ways things are done are small fry, which is get everyone to do everything for the minimal cost.

    When I started 7 months ago, the support was split between me as 1st line / 2nd line (back then), the 2nd line / 3rd line guy (who since i started has gone to doing his 3rd line role as it should be) and the manager. This was always the agreed schedule, until a few months in when my boss decided that as the lowest real rung on the ladder, I would do it all, and sent out communications to highlight this...... before actually telling me. I actually had some really heated discussions about this at the time, and tactics such as 'it's the way it has always been done' and 'It's funny how people agree things in interviews....' yet nothing has been done. These discussions arise every now and again, as nothing has been sorted and it all still feels like an issue that needs addressing.

    If I did plain refuse, apart from taking the work laptop off me and work mobile phone, the 3rd line guy would probably have to pick up from where i left off, which is what he was doing pretty much before i came. I'd feel bad, as he has a young family, but other than put up with it, there's not really much that could be done.

    My boss seems to be pretty good as far as heated discussions go. We have a VERY heated discussion, I get things off my chest and vent at and about him, and then within an hour or so things are back to normal. Problem is, nothing ever seems to get done.

    My bosses bosses are a different matter, if anything esculated I know that in the long run my job could well be in danger, but... I know that at the moment things wont go that far, and if and when they do, I will just look for another job.

    When I started my role I was one exam away from my MCSA, now I'm an MCSA and getting closer to my MCSE, but there's no payrise in sight, except for the normal 2% or somesuch in May..... oooh the pain, the pain of it all. :biggrin
     
    Certifications: VCP,A+, N+, MCSA, MCSE
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