Heading to work every day never seems like a chore to you; you love getting stuck in with the team and involved in hefty workloads. The biggest motivator for you isn’t money, but the love of the job and passion for the industry. You get along extremely well with your team and there is nothing more satisfying than completing a huge task for the company. What you don’t realise is that all of this hard work and dedication might just have a negative impact on you at some point. It can become quite demoralising to constantly put yourself out there for work and never get anything back in terms of time or money. Sooner or later you will want to earn some sort of recognition for all of your ongoing hard work. You are fully entitled to receive extra time off or overtime pay when you work more than your contracted hours. Similarly, you might be entitled to a lump sum pay out if you haven’t been paid the correct salary or you have been involved in an accident at the workplace. Consider all of the reasons below and explore how you might be entitled to extra time and money from your employer.
1. Unexpected Injury
When you step into the office or workplace each morning you expect to be pretty safe and secure, no matter how high risk your job is. When your employer is negligent and doesn’t look out for your health and safety it can come at a huge cost. Not only will you be injured and out of action, but you will also be owed a lot of money for their mistake. Visit KinneyLawGroup.com to find out how to take legal action on the situation. Accidents at work shouldn’t happen to anyone, so you deserve justice and compensation if you are a victim.
2. Salary Mistake
You often take your monthly paycheck every month for granted. You assume everything is correct and nobody has ever given you a reason to query your salary. Many employers get away with paying certain people less money, even though they carry about exactly the same job as each other. If you have any suspicions that you are being discriminated against or being paid less than somebody else you need to take it up with your manager quickly.
3. Overtime Payments
When you work consistently above and beyond your contracted hours you employer should always offer you extra money in the form of overtime. You might be entitled to overtime pay on a regular basis depending on your line of work. Always ask your manager for more information and see what you might be owed. If your workplace refuses to pay for your extra time, then you need to try and cut down on the additional hours you work. Only do what you are required to do, so that you don’t end up working for free essentially.
4. Bonuses
Depending on your line of work, you could be entitled to monthly or seasonal bonuses. If this type of scheme isn’t something your business openly advertises, then you might want to ask them what their policies are. Perhaps you missed an important bonus when everybody else got one; in this case your employer should pay you back the money you rightly deserve. If you work to specific targets and work in a commission driven company, this is certainly something to flag up with your manager.
5. Time in Lieu
If your workplace doesn’t tend to pay out overtime money, then you should ask them about taking time off lieu. When you work extra days that go above and beyond your contract, most employers are legally required to compensate you for your extra time. For example, if you worked on a Sunday when you are normally meant to be off work, you could ask for the Monday off in lieu. This is the least they can do if they aren’t going to add extra money to your paycheck every time you work outside office hours.
6. Flexible Working Agreements
Most businesses operate successfully when there are flexible working agreements in place for the staff. There are so many benefits of flexible working, so you should ask your boss if this is an option for you. Perhaps you have kids and need to pick them up from school every day; working earlier and finishing earlier might work in your favour and help you to achieve a better work/life balance. Your employer is required to make small tweaks and adjustments to suit the needs of their workers, so there is no harm in asking.
7. Late Nights and Tight Deadlines
When you work late into the night to try and meet tight deadlines, you could be entitled to extra night payments. Some companies offer extra money if their members of staff work between the hours of 1am and 5am. If you are always in the office at the middle of the night, then this is something you certainly need to bring up with the managers at your workplace. They should also supply safe taxi services for you to get home when you are working late at night. If they fail to look after your health and safety whilst on the clock, you could be due compensation for this too.
So make sure you know all of your rights as a hardworking, dedicated employee. Don’t let anybody walk over you and stop you from receiving the prospects, rewards and time off you truly deserve. It is time to dig deeper and explore what you are really owed from your employer. If you find yourself working late every single night, being denied holidays and getting into accidents that haven’t been accounted for, then now is your chance to speak up. You deserve to be treated with the utmost respect from your place of work. Although you might be working for the love of your job and not the money, sometimes the extra financial incentives can make you feel more motivated and desired by your company.
