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Hey Soylentils,
One of my least favorite parts of my job is on call work. I'm wondering if there are any standard practices when it comes to afterhour on call work. At the moment, I am on call 50% of the time. (I share it with one other person). When I am on call, I am expected to answer the ticket within 15 minutes, which means:
- I can't leave the city
- Going to a restaurant/movie/etc is a gamble.
- Sometimes I have to drop whatever I'm doing and answer a call.
Thankfully, I don't get many calls -- Maybe one per week that I can resolve in 30 minutes. In exchange for carrying the pager, I am paid a flat rate of $250CAD/week. After taxes, it works out to more like $150. I am sick to death of carrying the pager. I hate being restricted in my movements on my time off. I like to get out to the mountains, and because of pager, I can't.
Now, there are rumors that the company might remove that $250/week because of "the economic times". That basically would mean that I am giving up my freedom 50% of the time for nothing, and that I should be happy to have a job. Needless to say, I'm a little upset at that prospect...
So, Soylentils, what are your pager practices? Do you get paid for on call work? What happens if you miss a call? Do you have a backup on-call person? Do you get time off in lieu?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Geezer on Thursday December 10 2015, @11:17AM
Although I relate from a different perspective (manufacturing plant engineering), it always comes down to the fact that as long as you're cashing their checks it's their way or the highway.
Every job I've ever had came with the implicit understanding that salaried professional staff does what they have to do, and extraordinary circumstances are compensated accordingly with a higher salary, extra time off, or a year-end bonus. It's the social contract professional engineers sometimes enter into, similar to (but not nearly as praiseworthy) as health care providers and first responders.
If you don't feel the loss of freedom is adequately compensated, move on and negotiate better next time. If you're current boss valued you enough to change the rules to keep you, he wouldn't be hosing you like this in the first place.
(Score: 2, Offtopic) by srobert on Thursday December 10 2015, @06:00PM
This "social contract", however is not a contract at all unless it is written down and signed by both parties or their representatives. Whether union, or not, if I could change one thing about labor law in the U.S., it would be that all employment be conducted under legal written contracts of employment outlining the rights and responsibilities of the employer and employee.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by BK on Thursday December 10 2015, @09:23PM
So... You don't actually know what a social contract is then. Shame.
...but you HAVE heard of me.