Saturday/Sunday locums

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Neil Wheadon — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 11:14:44 GMT

[quote user="Marie Kubiak"]Yep, to be honest I'm playing devil's advocate here a bit. My work days are Tues-Sat and I was initially a bit hesitant but it is good to have a weekday off when everything is open and not too busy. And it helps massively with childcare in holidays as I have one weekday automatically sorted. Not sure I'd be keen to work Sunday too as I wouldn't have much time with both hubby and kid then.[/quote]

2 threads to this discussion

1) Are W/R antisocial hours? In my opinion definitely yes

We have a lot of friends and the W/E are when things happen. Friends for the W/E, a W/E away, cycling clubs all have Saturday or Sunday rides (they do weekday rides but these are full of retirees) If you play in a football/rubgy/hockey team (new graduates need that outlet, but it' s VERY hard with the hours we do) then these aren't during the week are they? Need I go on?

In an age where we are concerned about the well being of vets, it's a consideration that with long weekday hours, vets do need time to socialise and do things and as the vast majority of acquaintances don't work a W/E this is the time to mix with like minded folk.

2) Charging for W/E

As I've said, I don't premium W/R rates, and many others don't. As for the £300, I can believe that but it's a bit ridiculous to try for that.

Neil

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Gillian Mostyn — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 10:20:46 GMT

[quote user="GAP"]

I do believe week end should be paid more per hour; even more if the locum is employed just for the week end.

Yes, is true that all vet practices are open on Saturday but we are still speaking of unsocial hours.

[/quote]

I don't know if people are getting more Neil, but locums have quoted us £300 for just a Saturday morning. It is just not economically viable for us to open up.

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Neil Wheadon — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 10:12:15 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]My plasterer has just finished plastering all the ceilings in my house...he worked every day mon -sat and charged me the same each day! [/quote]

And so do locums, just the days are slightly shorter on a Saturday. However here's a thought you are usually sole charge, so you have to handle anything that comes through the door, so actual working time may be the same as weekday. The rate I and others have quoted here are the same for any day, no locum I know jacks up their price at the W/E do they?

Neil

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 03 Feb 2018 14:22:58 GMT

[quote user="Thomas Johnson"]Also if you want to get a plumber or electrician to come out at a weekend or during the night you will pay more[/quote]

But we're not talking about emergency call outs... We're talking about routine weekend clinics.

My plasterer has just finished plastering all the ceilings in my house...he worked every day mon -sat and charged me the same each day!

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Thomas Johnson — Sat, 03 Feb 2018 09:52:23 GMT

[quote user="rhmrcvs"]

We are a service " industry " , why is it ok to want other ( very low paid ) workers to serve us outside of office hours , late at night , Sunday etc yet we are soooo special that saturday mornings are " unsocial " hours. My children go to school on Saturdays, we are not charged extra. We do pay extra if they board overnight , during true unsocial hours.

Nb private medical appointments are not charged differently outside of office (9-5 Mon - fri ) hours in my experience.

[/quote]

We're not the only service industry that work in this way though. You mention private medical appointments not charging more outside of Mon-Fri 9-5, and I have no reason to doubt this, but most veterinary practices don't charge extra for Saturday appointments. It's also a different arguement to staffing levels, do the private medical clinics have the same number and type of appointments as they do Mon-Fri 9-5? The NHS will deal with emergency treatment 24/7, but don't offer routine out-patient appointments at weekends.

Also if you want to get a plumber or electrician to come out at a weekend or during the night you will pay more, and I rather suspect the same applies if you need legal advice at a weekend.

I do however agree with you about expecting low paid workers to work outside of 'office hours'. I would be quite happy for shops to go back to being shut on Sundays so most people would get at least one day off every weekend.

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

rhmrcvs — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 21:52:02 GMT

Nb private medical appointments are not charged differently outside of office (9-5 Mon - fri ) hours in my experience.

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 09:46:56 GMT

[quote user="Wren"]Whereas I'd happily start work at 6am and finish mid afternoon. Good job we'r all different! ![/quote]

Me too!

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Wren — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 20:30:54 GMT

Whereas I'd happily start work at 6am and finish mid afternoon. Good job we'r all different! !

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Mark Hedberg — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 15:11:09 GMT

Yeah, i like the late shift better too :)

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Marie Kubiak — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 15:02:34 GMT

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]

I'd LOVE that. So much better having a weekdays off when everything is open. Why do we still have the stupid Sunday trading laws in 2018? Animals get sick every day, why shouldn't we be open?

[/quote]

Yep, to be honest I'm playing devil's advocate here a bit. My work days are Tues-Sat and I was initially a bit hesitant but it is good to have a weekday off when everything is open and not too busy. And it helps massively with childcare in holidays as I have one weekday automatically sorted. Not sure I'd be keen to work Sunday too as I wouldn't have much time with both hubby and kid then.

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

David Mills — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 23:53:08 GMT

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]

[quote user="Marie Kubiak"]Would vets saying weekends aren't antisocial hours be happy if their boss decided that instead of having core hours Mon-Fri that they were going to work Fri-Tues and be at the practice all day (9 till 7) every weekend for no change to benefits?[/quote]

I'd LOVE that. So much better having a weekdays off when everything is open. Why do we still have the stupid Sunday trading laws in 2018? Animals get sick every day, why shouldn't we be open?

The only thing that would make it better would starting the day at 11am and finishing late.....

[/quote]

Amen to that. Getting up before double figures is impolite.

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Michael Woodhouse — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 23:49:18 GMT

I'd LOVE that. So much better having a weekdays off when everything is open. Why do we still have the stupid Sunday trading laws in 2018? Animals get sick every day, why shouldn't we be open?

The only thing that would make it better would starting the day at 11am and finishing late.....

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Marie Kubiak — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 18:59:49 GMT

[quote user="rhmrcvs"]

Can i ask if you would be happy to pay an increased bill in a restaurant at a weekend or after office hours ?

[/quote]

Completely different service industry but even so in the daytime restaurants tend to have a reduced price fixed menu and so are cheaper than standard busy times.

Would vets saying weekends aren't antisocial hours be happy if their boss decided that instead of having core hours Mon-Fri that they were going to work Fri-Tues and be at the practice all day (9 till 7) every weekend for no change to benefits?

Marie

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

rhmrcvs — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 18:51:58 GMT

Can i ask if you would be happy to pay an increased bill in a restaurant at a weekend or after office hours ?

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Neil Wheadon — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 16:49:19 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]I would have thought, being 'old fashioned', you would know that weekend work is, indeed, normal hours. All vet practices are open on Saturdays, and employed vets and nurses accept these hours as part of the job...without extra pay![/quote]

Agreed but there has been considerable 'mission creep' in the past 15 years. No longer 0900-1300 in many places. It's been stretched to 1700 in many cases. 20 years ago I worked in the only place for miles that offered Sundays, now commonplace. Locum fees reflect this

Neil

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Thomas Johnson — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 16:07:29 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

[quote user="GAP"]used to reward and incentivise staff for working when others are not[/quote]

Lol. Who are 'others'???

[/quote]

Other staff within the practice? Generally full time staff in first opinion veterinary practice work most week days, but usually only work a proportion of weekends, which would suggest that they are considered anti-social hours.

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Gillian Mostyn — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 08:24:03 GMT

[quote user="GAP"]NHS workers get between 50 and 30% extra pay on Saturday [/quote]

I'd be interested if this is for their normal contracted hours, or for overtime?

....have just checked and yes, these payments are for contracted hours. Wow...I really should work for the NHS!!!

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Gillian Mostyn — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 08:22:44 GMT

[quote user="GAP"]used to reward and incentivise staff for working when others are not[/quote]

Lol. Who are 'others'???

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

GAP — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 23:56:11 GMT

Also depends on geographic area. With London (and maybe other high cost areas) probably allowing higher rates.

It would be very interesting to know how these fees really change in relation to the geographic area.

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

GAP — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 23:54:53 GMT

I do believe week end should be paid more per hour; even more if the locum is employed just for the week end.

Yes, is true that all vet practices are open on Saturday but we are still speaking of unsocial hours.

“Unsocial hours payments are an enhanced rate of pay (or supplement) used to reward and incentivise staff for working when others are not (e.g. night shifts, weekends and bank holidays)”

There is no legal entitlement for employers to offer increased pay for working unsocial hours; however, I am sure that this will reflect on the ability of the practice to retain more qualified staff (both permanent or locum).

I do work as permanent staff but still when I have to work on a weekend I do get much more TOILs than the hours I actually worked to take in account that they were unsocial hours.

NHS workers get between 50 and 30% extra pay on Saturday and between double and 60% extra pay on Sunday and BH.

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

vs0u — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 11:23:35 GMT

I was doing weekends for £220 for both days, mornings only, total of 7 hours. Compared to 220 a 9 hour day in the week. So a bit more than weekdays but it makes up for the additional travel time.

Vets Now at the time were paying £250 for a locum vet overnight (15 hour shift). So this was actually less than the daytime rates (and no there was no sleeping involved).

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

mariette asselbergs — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 20:53:12 GMT

Fort both emergency and normal vetwork I charge £150 for a half day, £250 for a full day (8.00 toll 19.00) and £280 for the night (19.00 -8.00).

Have never heard of £900 -£1200 fees, and have once worked for £500 a night in a desperate last minute appointment in an emergency clinic, but didn't like the chaotic way they were working.

Mariette

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Martin Hamilton — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 19:31:32 GMT

Wow, the numbers here seem pretty low. Our year from uni has a Facebook group, where recently there was a discussion on locum rates :

2yr grad vets from my year charge between £250-300 per day for regular week day (9am-7pm). Saturday usually the same rate, Sunday the same but reduced hours.

Out of Hours clinic nearby my last job was advertising weekend locums on a Friday night for £900 per day for a 12hr day shift, £1200 for a night. But these were very last minute

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Gillian Mostyn — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 19:28:52 GMT

[quote user="Neil Wheadon"]Maybe I'm old fashioned but W/E work is 'not normal hours'[/quote]

I would have thought, being 'old fashioned', you would know that weekend work is, indeed, normal hours. All vet practices are open on Saturdays, and employed vets and nurses accept these hours as part of the job...without extra pay! I can understand a locum choosing not to work weekends, and obviously locums can charge as they please, but I disagree that Saturday work is antisocial hours and deserves a premium rate!

RE: Saturday/Sunday locums

Emily Rainbow — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 17:25:48 GMT

Also depends on the practice eg normal first opinion (£200-280 a day) vs OOH centre where I regularly get £400 a day (12hrs shift).