The National Union of Journalists is backing a national initiative designed to encourage employees to leave work on time.
Traditionally journalists have tended to work beyond their allotted hours with “clock-watching” generally frowned upon in the industry.
But the NUJ is calling on members to break the habit by supporting Go Home on Time day on 25 September.
General secretary Michelle Stanistreet says the 24-hour news cycle coupled with industry cutbacks means journalists are taking on more an more tasks.
Michelle told HTFP: “The NUJ is supporting Go Home on Time day – the day we remember we should have a work/life balance.
“We should have time to be with our loved ones, to have time to read a book or go out with our friends as well as doing a day’s or night’s work.
“We work under the pressure of a 24-hour news cycle, to tight deadlines. With the many cuts in our industry, we are often doing more than one person’s job and taking on more and more tasks.
“On 25 September, we will be encouraging our members and their colleagues to put on their coats when their shift is over and go home.”
Union staff have also created a special poster to mark the event which is being promoted across the UK by the charity Working Families.
Anyone planning to mark the date with an event is being asked to add it to the NUJ diary.
The NUJ is backing the Go Home on Time day event
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Dear God.
If you want to spend long evenings by the fireside surrounded by your loved ones, DON’T become a news reporter.
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What happens if a major story breaks at 4.59pm? Just not bother reporting on it? That’s REAL journalism that is. It’s brilliant to see the NUJ espousing such news values. There are two types of people in this world – clockwatchers, and professionals.
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Yeah I can see this going down well if there is a breaking story and I just get up and head home…
…. The issue is not being asked to work outside your hours, just that you are given your time back at some point.
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My contract, like most in the industry I suppose, doesn’t specify a daily start or finish time. It’s simply x hrs over y days.
Can the NUJ please tell me what my ‘home time’ should be on Wednesday September 25? Oh… hold on, that’s my day off!
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I have no problem with working extra hours if there is a cracking breaking news story but when it is a daily occurrence just to get out the usual stuff because of a lack of resources then there is a serious problem. And my paper has a serious problem!
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I don’t really see the point in getting all wound-up about it like some of the people in the comments here; in theory it’s a good thing to support. However similar to everyone else, if we were going to press on one of our magazines on the 25th going home at five just wouldn’t be an option. As it happens, I’m not in that day anyway!
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I agree with Mike – newspaper companies have taken journalists’ attitude to long hours for granted. Working extra hours has become the norm and is being used to avoid recruiting much-needed staff.
The point needs to be made and perhaps this is a good way to do it – although I too would struggle to get up and walk out if we were on deadline and the paper wasn’t finished, or if there was a major breaking news story.
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NUJ staff are probably the only people in the industry that work a set number of hours per week (for pretty good salaries too).
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Well said Bluestringer but, sadly, our days are numbered
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How ridiculous. The next thing you know, the union will be urging us to take regular screen breaks, eat away from our desks and drink less. Get real. This is the 21st century, not the 70s. It’s how we roll – with foot rests and computer screens at the correct height of course.
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Fair enough staying on late when there is a good breaking news story but make sure you get the time back at some point later on.
Anyone who works beyond their contracted hours is a mug in my book & that applies to journalists as well as any other profession with the obvious exception of the self-employed.
Having said that I can’t really see the point of this Go Home on Time Day, it’s missing the point really.
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Whatever next…..flexi-time? The NUJ has never visited the real world very often. In my day, it was making cash handouts to Chilean freedom fighters as the union’s bank balance teetered on the brink of oblivion and calling strikes when not having the cash to support its members.
What a joke! Plus ca change……..
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Mike is right.
Contacts with former colleagues who are still employed on the daily I used to work on tell of long hours, relentless work and reduced pay. I strongly suspect that the suits are still enjoying their performance bonuses, when it is those below them who are performing miracles.
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I support the sentiment. The point the NUJ is making is that journalists are more so expected to work extra hours for nothing. Thus by leaving on time collectively, a point is being made against the organisations that are pushing a workforce to the limit. That being said, I always worked outside of ‘normal hours’ as a sports reporter, the difference being, I always got them back, plus expenses.
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All our good little capitalist news bosses actually need to do is pay us properly for the hours we work. Not too difficult is it? Oh hang on…they’re not even remotely interested in complying with this bare minimum standard.
And Mike’s comment above is absolutely spot on.
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I don’t mind working whenever I’m needed, but as Mike said, it’s about getting the time back.
A lot of reporters are working full days, then taking their laptops home on an evening and weekend in order to fill the vast amounts of white space that would otherwise be left in their papers. Taking lieu time just exacerbates that problem. Why take your time back on a Friday, when it will mean working Sunday night and for 15 hours on Monday?
People aren’t taking holidays either, because there are no staff members available to cover them.
It’s a topic the union should look at, but PR gimmicks like this aren’t addressing the problems.
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Steady on, Scavenger, I worked in the Seventies. That was when some weekly paper photographers I knew refused to take photographs for advertising features claiming they were “news” photographers only. Imagine that happening today.
Yes, they were all in the union.
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Hear hear Mike.
The NUJ has not missed the point at all, but simply picked a date to make the point.
Of course people will stay for breaking news, but on other days going home on time (and claiming time back) should be the norm when it quite clearly isn’t in many work places.
And as for something breaking at 4.59pm – then why have all of your reporters on the same shift?! Newsdesks should have people covering all different times of the day, and a duty reporter overnight, so why this would be an issue as some people suggest I don’t know!
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Ah, the crazy 70s (and 80s, come to think of it).
The NUJ wasn’t anywhere near as full-on as the print unions though.
When they ruled the roost, it was a freaking nightmare.
I remember you weren’t allowed to actually touch pages on stone or the comps would be out the door.
In fact there were painted “demarcation lines” in front of the easels and if you crossed them for any reason, that was it.
No paper out today.
Ah, good times, good times.
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It’s true most offices rely on most staff working extra hours and there’s some justice in a work to rule for just a day. BUT in the real world after we’ve all cooled down here the sentiments of Mike, above, are sadly about right. If you’re a youngster who is trying to make their way into a newish job (perhaps they were daft to enter it in recent years though) then they should work those extra hours and grit their teeth. Sweat shops are with us more than ever now..
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This just silly. I couldn’t give a toss about leaving on time.
I just want to make sure I get my hours back.
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Enough is enough – you’re missing the point. No one I know gets their time back… (our contracts state: working hours 75 per fortnight OR AS REQUIRED BY MANAGEMENT)
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In my old office we just totted up the hours till we noted we’d reached 76 (one for luck) and then put in a claim and booked a convenient little bit of time off.
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