Originally Posted by
Grim
Just out of curiosity when you do call somebody in their off hours do they get paid for that time?
Not saying you do this at all just saying that this happens more often then not...you are more the exception in this day and age if you don't abuse salary employees in their off hours without compensation.
Technology has made the line between work and personal time a bit blurred especially for salary employees and that is what is significant about the lawsuit I posted where AT&T is being sued by people who were not being compensated for being wired to the company 24/7 via a black berry or laptop and expected to work "on demand 24/7" without compensation.
I see this as problem and why I am content staying at my level and being an hourly employee because my personal time to me is very valuable to me. As an employee I expect to be compensated when my life is interrupted outside traditiona business hours. A salary employee is often abused since they are unable to claim overtime and in today's world it has gotten way out of hand.
Now I do agree some employees knew this going into the job and the hope is their pay would be such as to reflect their marriage to their company. Many did not know they were expected to be available 24/7 when handed that blackberry.
Example:
I am the close person to my office. If the alarm goes off or somebody has an emergency need I am the guy that gets called first. I get a 3 hour call out even if it only takes me 30 minutes to take care of problem to compensate me but I am not required to be in the area and we do not have a "on call need". If I don't answer the boss starts calling people (and they get the call out if hourly) or goes in himself (and he doesn't get call out and 40+ minutes away).
When you do the math My staying as an hourly employee I may well make as much money as my boss since they have to pay me for anything over 40 hours and he just has to suck it up when they have to get on an emergency conference call on a Saturday afternoon when they are out with their family. They also think twice before making me work OT when they are having to pay me $30+ an hour, Something that doesn't happen to a Salary person.
Like I said "you are the exception" that your employees are very fortunate to work for if you are as considerate of their personal time as you say.
Well if You must know I have drivers that live in their trucks 5 days a week that are paid by mileage and not hourly but can be driving anytime day or night. I pretty much know when they are bunked in. It is an industry that things change in a moment. If I need to divert a truck to a different destination and I don't reach the driver every hour he is 70 miles further out of route. Not only that you just don't turn a rig just anywhere, it might take 20 miles just to turn it around.
As far as my salary employees are concerned if I should call them in on the weekend they do get paid time & 1/2 for an automatic 8 hours even if they only come in and work 1 hour. It is always optional because there is nothing I can't do from clerical to warehouse functions to driving my rigs. I am very demanding when it comes to responsibility, & accountability but I have very few problems with my people and it has nothing to do with fear. People are good employees because they want to be not because someone is yelling and threatening them. But if I decide I am done with you that is it. I would much rather be out on the road not doing what I do.