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cutting full-time hours

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by FuturaBold, Dec 23, 2008.

  1. Cosmo

    Cosmo Well-Known Member

    If you're a good beat guy, there are NO days off. On my days off, I'm trolling message boards, checking e-mails, etc., etc. Maybe I don't work eight hours, but if the coach on your beat suddenly decides to leave his post, and your boss calls you and wants a story, and your response is, "sorry, I'm not scheduled to work today," well, you'll be fired. Simple. This isn't a 9-5 business. I knew it when I got into it.

    As for my earlier post, for the most part at my shop, there's a gentleman's agreement that's rarely been challenged at my shop. If I have two road trips (and nearly all my trips are drive trips) one week and put in 50 hours, I usually get an extra day off and a couple of shorter days the next week. Now as soon as that starts changing, then my stance will change on the whole issue.
     
  2. Dickens Cider

    Dickens Cider New Member

    For several of the guys here, it's 60-70 hours a week for 6-8 months then taking a month or two off between vacation and comp time. I don't know that I could live like that. I'd be burned out during the 6-8 months then bored out of my mind during the off time.
     
  3. Stitch

    Stitch Active Member

    It make work that way at your shop, but from other threads have stated that working off the clock is standard operating procedure. One of these days, the big newspaper companies are going to get hit with a Wal-Mart style overtime lawsuit.
     
  4. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    There is obviously a line in between in this debate.

    Obviously, any beat guy worth his salt is going to do some work on his off days (or at least be available if news should break). Heck, simply reading the paper is technically work-related, but I don't think anyone would suggest putting in for overtime if you read the paper on a day off. You have to decide what stories are important enough for you to work on a scheduled day off. Hopefully the writer and editor can come to an agreement about it on a case-by-case basis. As I wrote earlier, I always figured I'd get some of the time back on days I worked one or two hours from home on what was supposed to be a full shift.

    That said, I agree that doing things like traveling long distances or doing other less important tasks that could easily be handled by a backup or inside person on a day off is not a good precedent to set. I've had discussions with colleagues who were willing to make deals with their employers to take certain trips (using frequent flier miles, staying with friends, etc.) I've always been vehemently against that, because then you are making it as if the paper is doing YOU a favor by allowing you to go on the trip, when really it's the paper that is benefitting from you being there. Never forget that.

    Even in these times when everyone may feel like papers are just looking for reasons to get rid of you and replace you with someone cheaper, you have to remember that you do have value because of your talent and experience, and they won't fire you because you refused to work a bunch of overtime. If you do your job well and they still get rid of you to save a buck, then they were going to do it whether you worked the unpaid OT or not.
     
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