So I work a data entry job and the workload is brutal.We are severely understaffed and they offer a lot of overtime to try and make up for it. The worst part is they mandate a lot of overtime, they usually tell us the morning of and sometimes the OT is upwards of 3 hours a night. Like, sorry but I'd like to eat dinner and take a fucking shit! I can't because they're breathing down our necks and monitor every single click that happens on our PC's.
I have many clients that I contact daily and I am the sole person who enters data for their accounts. It's a lot of fucking work but I have a nice rapport with them and it makes things a little easier. They've started commenting on how I'm replying to their emails far later than expected, and I would sometimes reply back that I was working mandatory overtime and let them know I would be available for a bit longer.
Well, my job is now letting us know about the forced OT sometimes only a few hours before the shift is over, and it pisses me royally the fuck off. So, when the customers make comments I now used the word “forced” instead of “mandatory” (because if we don't do it we get written up and will lose our jobs, so yes, it is forced.)
Well some of our clients were concerned and actually called my managers to complain that they don't agree with me working late and that they'd rather have more people work on f their accounts instead of dumping the load on one person. I honestly never thought a customer would give that much of a shit about me but it kind of feels good that they cared a little bit…
Well that culminated in several zoom meetings with management regarding customer etiquette and appropriate conversations to have. I was given a verbal warning and had my OT 'privileges' revoked for 3 weeks. Hilarious because that's what I want, I'm sick and fucking tired of overtime but this company thinks that OT is a gift.
I asked them what was wrong with the words I was using mandatory and forced are the same in my eyes, and I was simply answering the customers to let them know why I was on late so frequently, and that they could continue to ask me questions past normal working hours. I was told it was inappropriate and that it made it sound like I was implicating unfair work practices… Well…if the shoe fits, maybe they should stop mandating we work like 11 hours a night and start hiring more people instead!!!!!
Anyways now I have an extra large target on my fucking back despite being one of the best workers who decided to stick around after layoffs. I've applied to a handful of other places and am just biding my time until I can leave at this point.
Fuck overtime dude, 8 hours should be enough.