Zero Hours Contracts

[Dogangun]

Anyone have experience of zero hours contracts?

The Mrs has been offered a position with a council in a relief job role, that could involve a bit of travelling around, employed on a zero hours contract.
She's quite interested in the job as we're looking for a new pup, she's thinking it could work around that, but we haven't had any experience with type of contract and I'd like to make sure she's not heading for a headache.
She's currently working part-time, fixed hours and I personally think this is the better option if a pup arrives, structured & stable routine each day.

Do mortgage companies look unfavourably on these when renewing? Same for insurance, home, car, life etc.

Thanks,
D&G

 

[enfieldspares]

Don't do it. I had the same working for an agency at East Midlands Airport working on air cargo. I did two ten hour shifts, Friday 6pm to Saturday 4am and Sunday 6pm to Monday 4am. With Saturday and Sunday premium plus Saturday and Sunday hourly rates you were clearing, from memory, near £400 after tax for twenty hours work of which two fifteen minutes were a paid breaks and half an hour unpaid.

So you worked nine hours. But were paid for nine and a half. Then the Ukraine War started and Russian cargo carriers were banned. So you were asked instead to come in at 8pm and go home at 2pm. Which meant you received only pay for six hours less half an hour So you were paid for five and a half hours. Which after the petrol cost of the two twenty-two miles journeys from where I lived was paid meant you were in effect bringing back about minimum wage hourly equivalent. Travel time was half an hour each way.

So I walked away. As I said I don't choose to come here to come in "late" and "go home early. I come here to work two ten hour shifts and if you now want me to work six hour shifts then overall money isn't worth it "

So factor in your wife's travelling time and travelling fuel cost and then work out the actual true "cost" as it were of the offered hours and then what happens if those hours reduce or halve? For the time to get there will be the same and the cost to get there will be the same.

So my advice better the devil you know. Don't walk away from guaranteed hours to a new employment where as a new starter anyway you will have less employment rights and where the promised hours could turn out to be a BS promise. Best of both worlds would be keep the existing job and tell the potential new employer that she is available for them outside of those times.

Last if her "new" job involves visiting multiple locations then here car insurance will need to know she is travelling to MORE than the usually covered ONE FIXED PLACE OF WORK and premiums may increase. And indeed the job role or title So maybe call them and ask for a quote to see if accepting the new zero hours would affect the existing premium and at least get those ducks in a row.

An example would be, say, from taking blood three hours a day at one single GP surgery (she drives there, parks the car, works three hours, drives home) to a promised five hours of "scheduled home appointments" a day travelling in her car at her expense (where the travel is not reimbursed) to take blood at patients' homes all over the city or county where you live. Work out how much she is travelling, the fuel cost and then the increased car insurance and do the sums.

 

[long_range_rob]

The risk is all on the employee. The worst are the ones that promise no hours but require the employee to be available all the time.

Personally I’d avoid.

 

[andyk]

Been over a decade since I worked on one but one thing that stuck with me was that you can be at your employer’s beck and call.

You might think it’s flexible but you may find they ask her to pick up more shifts and, if she says no, they’ll cut her down to nothing for being ‘unreliable’.

My experience was that they wanted someone fairly full time who they could drop shifts on at the last minute, but wanted to have that luxury without the commitment to provide it.

Of course, other employers may vary.

 

[NoIDeer]

If the hours become irregular you need to watch out your NI contributions or lack of don't cause gaps in your state pension contributions. I thinks its 35 years to get the full whack.

 

[Sinistral]

Anyone have experience of zero hours contracts?

Zero hours contracts are soon to be outlawed under legislation; see section 1.(1) of this Bill:-

https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3737#timeline

 

[Dogangun]

Thank you for your replies.

Milage payment will be 45ppm after the first 5 miles.
She's of an age where NI contributions are fully paid and she qualifys for full state pension when the time comes.

I've shown them to the boss and they've given her a lot to think about.

 

[Deerkeeper2]

Just remember, the house always wins. Times are slowly changing but the ball is always in the employers court. They talk it up when they are trying to recruit you but the true colours quickly show.

 

[markj1]

While this arrangement is obviously to the benefit of the employer, it does make sense for the employee in some circumstances. E.g., if the hourly rate is higher than what you'd get on a fixed job. In this case, you take a risk, but you may end up winning. Not everyone like to gamble, though.

 

[Rasputin]

We have two chaps on zero contracts their choice not ours. Honestly works well for both sides but as a small business we don’t have the red tape associated with large businesses and as it’s construction/manufacturing we can plan pretty well from the programs.

I think last time I checked they were working 30-35 hours per week over a six month average so consistent wages but had flexibility to plan their own jobs on the side or if it’s pouring down they can do something else. It works because we have good mutual respect and communication.

What I would say is that things like mortgage won’t be easy as it’s not full time employment.

That being said my attitude has always been moneys money at the end of the day.