the importance of recording work hours

Earlier this summer, I started some shift work. Starting this job meant that I also started a new section in my binder - one that recorded the hours I worked and the amount I expected to be paid for that shift. Come pay day, I was then able to compare and contrast to ensure that I had been paid fairly for my work. This is something I would encourage all shift workers to do as it is quite easy to not be paid for overtime!

I do all of this in a variety of ways: in each weekly spread, I note the number of hours that were done that week. Each scheduled shift I do is written down on the relevant days but of course, quite often, these hours aren't stuck to for one reason or another.

Towards the back of the binder, I have a page where I record the number of hours I have done each week and then the expected pay. As I only get the minimum wage, each fraction of an hour is important to me! Pay day comes at the end of each month and so, I draw a line under that month to denote that I have been paid correctly.

Keeping a record as I go along means that I don't have to scratch my head at the end of the month to remember what hours I had worked. And now that term has restarted for me, my hours will inevitably decrease at work but recording them will be more important than before as I now have to juggle work, study, play and this blog but with a much smaller budget as I receive less funding this year compared to last year.