Don’t accept the additional workload without objection.
Remember if you do the work, it is an implicit acceptance of the workload increase.
- Sign and email ‘I Object’ a GUCU Workload Pledge >here< (cc: your line manager + gucu-admin@gold.ac.uk) This tells your manager, your colleagues and former colleagues that you object to being asked to do even more work than before, and that you do not intend to cover the work of colleagues who have been made redundant or who have not been replaced. This letter provides an Equalities basis to your objection.
- Sign and email a Health & Safety Response >here< (cc: your line manager + UCU H&S officer via gucu-admin@gold.ac.uk) to object to additional workload on Health & Safety grounds. This will alert your line manager to the Health and Safety red flag on workload and workplace stress, log the issue with the union, and allow the request for additional work to be fully examined. This letter provides a Health & Safety basis to your objection.
- If you are part time, work out exactly what your hours are, log your hours, and do not work over them.
- If you are full time, your contract will be less clear, but you must not exceed 48hrs per week (which is the Working Time Regulations https://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/workingtimedirective.htm)
- You can also ask your line manager for a meeting to discuss your workload and work-related stress using the HSE Talking Toolkit https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/assets/docs/stress-talking-toolkit.pdf