I have to get certifications as part of my job and because all of my coworkers and I keep failing these really hard tests, we aren’t allow to study during downtime on the clock. We were told to study on our own time.

Getting certs is part of what is required for me to get bigger raises and get promoted and all that jazz. I don’t want to use my personal time for this. None of the people who are in this predicament do.

I have a meeting in a few days to discuss goals and I need to figure out how to tell my boss that using my own time for work shit is unacceptable.

I really like this job other than this one aspect of it and I don’t want to make anyone mad, but I need to express my boundaries and all that

  • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 months ago

    “Using my own time for work stuff is unacceptable to me, and I am prepared to quit this job and get a different one that doesn’t ask me to work off the clock if you press this matter.”

    Don’t try to reason them into accepting your way of thinking, just state your position and what you’re willing to do to pursue it

    Incidentally, if “I am prepared to quit this job” does not currently apply to you, you should not be having this conversation.

    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 months ago

      “Using my own time for work stuff is unacceptable to me. It was not enumerated in the job listing when I was hired that off-clock unpaid work was required to keep this job and I am prepared to quit this job and get a different one that doesn’t ask me to work off the clock if you press this matter if the company terminates me for refusing to work unpaid off the clock I’d be happy to raise that with the Department of Labor for a case of wage theft.”

      FTFY

      Now, understand in many jobs maintaining a level of knowledge is necessary, and skills age-out meaning they are no longer applicable to industry. If you don’t have these new certs, you may not be able to get hired somewhere else because they require the current industry knowledge. You’ll have to decide which battles you want to fight, and what you will do if the worst outcome affects you and you’re out of work. Would you be forced to study and pass those certs anyway just to be eligible in your industry? If so, you can work toward compromise with your current employer as a shorter and less painful path.

      To this end, you can challenge them on not letting you study on the clock during downtime. If these certs are as critical as they claim, then why are downtime hours not usable for cert study?

      • papalonian@lemmy.world
        0·
        2 months ago

        I get that you guys are spelling things out for OP so they have an understanding of what their argument’s foundation is, but going into the conversation with language like “it was not enumerated” and vague threats of reporting them to the authorities is probably not the best approach if OP actually wants to keep the job (which it sounds like they do).