What would you do if you were faced with having your hours cut back?
By jesssp
@jesssp (2712)
Canada
March 23, 2010 4:41pm CST
If you were told or if you suspected that your hours might get cut down at work how would you react? Would you start looking for another job? Would you start working harder to make yourself seem more valuable to the company?
I think I would start showing more initiative to take on other tasks and I would definitely try to work as hard as I could so I seemed indispensable. If after that I still had them cut I would discuss things with my boss and if there was a chance of having full time hours reinstated then I would continue to work as hard as I could. If it looked like the cut would be more or less permanent then I would start looking for a second job to fill in the missing hours or even consider getting a different job all together.
Right now our workplace is being faced with a few cut backs and I'm pretty surprised at the way people are acting. It seems like some of the ones who might be looking at reduced hours really aren't doing much about it but sitting around complaining - when they should be working! I can't believe they think that's the way they should be spending their days. Instead of making the higher ups see how valuable they are to the company they're just proving the point that they aren't busy enough to justify full time hours.
What would you do if this happened to you? Have you ever been in a similar situation?
4 people like this
17 responses
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
23 Mar 10
I've dealt with pay freezes before, but never hours being cut. But then I've been on salary since somthing like 1984 anyway, not hourly. But if my hours were cut, I think I'd economize at home and be grateful that I had the extra hours to spend with my family. Assuming, of course, that they weren't cut so much that I couldn't afford to make my payments.
1 person likes this
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
24 Mar 10
Hi Jesssp,
With jobs as hard as they are to come by these days, it is amazing at how many people really don't value the job that they have as they should. If I heard that my hours were going to be cut then I would not choose that time to be slacking and complaining. I would also talk with my boss to find out how long the cuts would be for and be very grateful at getting some notice before it happened. Some companies just lay off workers with little or no notice at all. I would then start looking for something to fill in those hours. We've had workers who take time off and do a lot of slacking when they are there. When there are more hours available, they get upset when my boss grants them to someone else. I wonder why he even keeps some of them to begin with. He could get rid of them and dole their hours out to those of us who do want to work.
1 person likes this
@jesssp (2712)
• Canada
26 Mar 10
We definitely have our share of slackers too, but when the possibility of having hours cut gets brought up they get all indignant with the 'but, but I can't afford that'! Well, maybe they should have taken their job a little more seriously before. Some of them have such a false sense of entitlement - it drives me crazy!
@sunmoonandstars (46)
• United States
24 Mar 10
For many of us, this isn't just a possibility, but has already happened.
Last year, I had a baby, got laid off from my job, my husband also got reductions in both pay and hours. No more overtime. 10% pay cut with no guarantee that they would return him to full salary. Some weeks not even being able to reach 40 hours.
We are a family of 6, with a mortgage, and debt like everyone else. It was a rough year.
But it was also a game changer for us. I chose to stay at home, something I'd always wanted to do with my other kids but was afraid to take the risk. I got licensed to do in home child care and haven't looked back. My business is profitable, and while my salary is not the same - I am no longer paying child care costs for 3 kids.
I also got back to what I love - writing. I started writing freelance articles as a second income source, and I am also freelance proofreading. It doesn't earn a ton of money, but I get a couple hundred extra dollars a month out of it.
I am my own boss, I get to be with my kids every day, and I have taken control of my career. I am not just some office worker anymore - clocking in and out and struggling to impress the boss.
Sometimes these things happen to give us an opportunity to do something else, something we wouldn't have done on our own.
1 person likes this
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
23 Mar 10
Personally I haven't. I belonged to the 'lucky' department at work where the company did not cut back hours. But other departments had to do workshare. You can actually see it from the faces of the employees. The ones with families had a hard time dealing with it; while the young-er and newer employees were just enjoying the days off.
If it were me, I would start working harder too! I would get my hand into all projects just to show how indespensable I am. But on the side, I would still continue to look for other work. Just in case.
@jesssp (2712)
• Canada
25 Mar 10
I guess I belong to the 'lucky' department too, since I'm the only one in it I can't see my hours being cut! The thing that bothers me the most about the people complaining is that it really shouldn't come as a surprise to them. I know it sucks but they really should have seen it coming, there just is not enough work to justify full time hours right now.
@kainalu55 (364)
• United States
23 Mar 10
With the way the economy is now days, i know of a lot of jobs where they are doing cutbacks. Here in Hawaii, many of the state jobs are getting furloughed on Fridays. Which means they are cutting back by having one less day of work for the employees. This has been really hard for so many of the people who are being affected by this. If this were the case for me, and i knew it was going to happen no matter what i did, or how i worked, i would start looking for a new job as soon as possible. I know how hard it can be to find a job, so i would hope to be able to find something.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
24 Mar 10
I think it is happening all over. I would just keep doing the job I am doing, and if I have to take less hours, it would bother me, but I would try to hold on. I would also watch for better opportunities, but would not jump into anything.
@laydee (12798)
• Philippines
23 Mar 10
I don't think working harder so that they'd notice would work when the company is already ready to pack their bags. I think it would have worked if you have been working hard all your time there with them, but right now, I think it'll be too late.
Anyhow, as for me, I think I would certainly look for another job to fill the hours with. In this uncertain world where we constantly have financial problems, I have accustomed myself to looking for other jobs (odd jobs) to fill my gap of financial lack. It's difficult and sometimes I'm lazy to look, but there are times when I'm really up for it.
Also, I try to assess my expenses so as to tighten the budget in order not to live beyond my means.
@jesssp (2712)
• Canada
24 Mar 10
In our case the company isn't ready to pack their bags so there is still hope that things will turn around, and our problems aren't related to the economy or 'the recession'. With this particular place not enough attention was being paid before so I don't think management really noticed how much time was being wasted. If people started tightening up now if might not be too late for them to prove themselves. But you're right, with 'normal' places it would be too little, too late to just start working harder once you've already showed you don't do much in a day!
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
29 Mar 10
Probably because many believe if they take on extra work that they would have to do that with less hours, too. Or if they take on more work, whose work is that taking? Let's say you take on more work and someone sees you doing his or her work, not going to go over very well. Or now you volunteer for more work, then they cut your hours and expect you to still do all that work. Usually when they cut back hours, they expect you to do the same amount of work, if not more, in the fewer hours. If they're determined to cut hours, then they usually won't reinstate them. If they did reinstate your hours, it would probably be after firing someone elses. My husband has been working harder at his job to keep it. It has been working. He should have been let go in February. But he certainly isn't making any friends. Many people aren't talking to him. Luckily, he likes quiet. A supervisor rubbed it in and made sure that he and a couple of other people aren't being talked to right now. One left and is working construction at way more per hour. The other was let go anyway. They just didn't have enough work for him. My husband is the last one there and luckily, they moved him somewhere to a different part where people are talking to him. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
24 Mar 10
We have been pretty fortunate. Though at my lil retail job they cut hours after the holidays. Not that I got many during the holiday cause they gave them all to the holiday folks who work @ minimum wage & haven't gotten any raises yet (whereas I have, sux starting at the bottom after being home for 5yrs with the kids). But since Spring is here & Easter is comming up the hours are up! YAY! I hope it stays that way too! As I only work PT but 4-8hrs/ week isn't much but close to 20 is perfect for me! Looks like I actually bring home a check *LOL*
But yes you can complain all you want but in the end they will look at who they like more and who they like less & productivity numbers than those who don't get their work done. But you are right do your job as best as you can and volunteer for new tasks if you have time in your day or even just ask the person(s) one up or so from you if they need a hand today. Just plain keep busy and find things to do and never get caught slack'n.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
25 Mar 10
I would most likely attempt to find another job. I don't think I've ever been in a situation where my hours were cut back, but I know I've had part time jobs where I wanted more hours, and I would stay late everyday to try to get more hours, or come in early, and I definitely told them to call me whenever someone else called in or if they needed extra staff.
@jambi462 (4576)
• United States
24 Mar 10
I would probably just quit my job if my hours got cut more because I only get to work like 8 to 12 hours a week as it is. I've asked to become a cook as well and they haven't scheduled me for that in two weeks. Unfortunately it's pretty tough to find another job as well so I'm kind of stuck with this extremely part time job for now.
During the summer my hours generally pick up a pretty good amount but they still don't really get anywhere close to the amount of time I would like to work.
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
23 Mar 10
Well, I'm not working, but I can tell you about my hubby. Everyone at his work got their overtime cut . . . many of whom were probably relying on it for their income. Plus, everyone was put on salary if they already weren't already . . . and that's not a good thing for anyone who was hourly (especially to those who had the overtime). I know what you mean about trying to seem indispensable, which is the position my hubby was taking . . . but even so, the person upstairs wasn't going to budge about anything. The cut meant permanent cut. And can you believe the person upstairs has the nerve to tell everyone they are expected to work all these silly extra hours despite the cuts?? They are short handed, and expect the existing employees to handle all the crazy work - even with the time/salary cut . . . is there something wrong with this picture?
Well, it's a long story about what my hubby is going to do . . . but he and a few other people (including the VP) definitely see red flags everywhere - and they are seeking opportunity elsewhere. Luckily, the VP has an awesome network and willing to help them . . . so we shall see where this goes. Its one thing to stay with a company if it was worth it, but we know for a fact this company is going to down sooner than later . . . so now is the time to make the move.
@jesssp (2712)
• Canada
24 Mar 10
I know exactly what you mean - loyalty only works if it goes both ways. Your husband is lucky that he has at least a few people he can trust and have as connections once the company dissipates. I feel relatively secure in my job and I don't think I'm at much risk of having my hours cut. But at the same time I'm not totally naive to the fact that anything could happen, and I definitely try to keep myself prepared for the worst.
@umit_umit (1984)
• India
24 Mar 10
this is really a very big problem we can face while doing the job then I think I will start looking for the other in mean time!
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
23 Mar 10
hi jessp I worked in the orange county library system in the tustin library and was there for years, first thirty hours, then 25 hours, then forty hours, then 35, and finally as our county went bankrupt I was at twenty hours so mylotted during the cut hours. so made some money, wellpretty well really at about thirty five dollars a month back then, i was a little younger and quicker at typing. the county was king, there was nothing we could do about it, work harder did not matter. so I had another source of income, mylotting. so when I was retired I did mylotting and also my survey,com. sometimes I would make fifty dollars a month between the two and that helped my social security check to go further too.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
23 Mar 10
I sure think u have the right idea & a good attitude. I was a hairdresser & didn't have to worry about my hours. I had slow weeks of course but didn't have the worry that u do. I hope it doesn't happen to u. Good luck.
@atv818 (1980)
• United Arab Emirates
23 Mar 10
In today's economy, every one is indispensable and you have to be ready all the time no matter how good you are. That is why I joined online businesses in case this arises. If it did not happen, then good for me. At least, I have additional income, the rest of my family have additional income and I help a lot of people have additional income as well.
