hours question

[yellowbeta]

Here is a question for you... If your hourly people are scheduled for an 8 hour day, do they get paid for 8 hours even if they get done a little early.

I ask because the new News Director is looking to cut hours every place he can. The station has had a standing policy for at least the last 10 years that if you got your job done early, you still got paid for the full day.

What do you think????

 

[ozman]

Every place I have worked, if you are scheduled/booked for a certain time, you are paid for that time even if you are no longer required..

 

[stix]

If you are a full time employee, you should get paid full-time hrs! What if you get sent home early and fire breaks out down the block?

 

[rugbyphotog]

How early do you leave? If you finish your work and the chief or desk says you can go home early - then you should leave and get paid for the day.

But it depends how early you are leaving. If you are leaving 20-30 minutes early - no big deal. If you leave over an hour early, that could be a problem. But I'd say it would be okay as long as you make yourself available in case of breaking news.

Bottom line - make sure you are allowed to leave early, and the desk knows you've left. But be prepared in be called back in if you are needed.

 

[Run&Gun]

Originally posted by yellowbeta:
Here is a question for you... If your hourly people are scheduled for an 8 hour day, do they get paid for 8 hours even if they get done a little early.

I know local TV is notoriously(sp?) cheap, but come on. If I'm booked then I get paid the same whether I work one hour or ten. That's how it goes. This isn't McDonald's (although based on what some staions pay, you'd be better off there, plus lower stress and no dog lick live shot's).

 

[DERF]

I never worked at station where people were allowed to leave early. I scheduled people from start time to finish time and that is the time they should be there. Obviously there are exceptions. If a storm had passed through and we had been running non-stop for a few days then yeah, people might get to leave early so as to not drive them into the ground or risk fatigue induced accidents.

I recommend they find other avenues of revenue saving. The newsroom has to be staffed and if you are a full-time employee then you had best be paid full-time. Otherwise, the station needs to reduce everyone to part-time. With the loss of benefits I would see everyone leaving and the newsroom saves a ton of cash as the newscast drops like a rock.

If they are scheduled for forty they work forty.

 

[svp]

First, let me say I'm one of those hourly photogs and not a chief.
Fact is, if you're scheduled for 8 hours, say 9am to 5pm, then you should be there 8 hours. Nobody should be leaving early in the first place. 10 minutes or so is no big deal but 30 minutes to an hour is too much. Heck, if you're done and have nothing to do, either ride around listening to your scanner for breaking news or sit and watch tv until your time is up. The only way I would leave early is if I already had OT for the week and I was allowed to leave early to cut some OT. Why should the station pay you for time you don't work??

 

[Sportsguy]

First, let me say I'm one of those hourly photogs and not a chief.
Fact is, if you're scheduled for 8 hours, say 9am to 5pm, then you should be there 8 hours. Nobody should be leaving early in the first place. 10 minutes or so is no big deal but 30 minutes to an hour is too much.

Personally, I'd feel a little guilty being paid for time I've not actually spent working. I agree. Stay for the shift if you're paid for it.

 

[shootcam]

Chief Photographer

I am a salaried chief. Some weeks I work lots of OT others I do not. On my time sheet, even though I will not be paid for the extra hours I submitted, I add the OT hours in with the normally scheduled hours.It is a way to keep documentation of how many hours, you are spending at the station. I also like my boss to know how many hours I am putting in. If I need to leave early or come in late, we work it out. Sometimes we even work out comp days here and there. If you work OT, as a salaried employee, it will not be recognized by management, sometimes even if it is written down. It usually is a "gentlemens agreement" between you and your boss. You want to "finish" a project on unpaid overtime,that's your business. Personally when that happens, with my documentation to back me up, I get to take some time off, leave early etc. Believe me ,OT amnesia, is prevelant in our business. A burned out overworked, stressed out photographer,is of no use to anyone.