Another "Under What Circumstances Would You...?"

[RuthNY]

As I love taking statements from previous threads and formulating a new topic to disuss, I'll do it here and now.


In a previous post, MattShiner says

"It's always sticky to turn to a director and go, no, i am not going to deal with this on my day off. I have never said that, but I do know it's in my right."

So, AEA SM'S:

Under what circumstances and for what reasons would you agree to work on your day off?

Under what circumstances and for what reasons would you refuse to work on your day off, and have you ever made such a refusal?  


Discuss!

[MatthewShiner]

I will work on my day off if they offer to pay me.

Usually, for working 1-3 hours I will charge Time and Half-Overtime, anything over three hours I will bill the full day rate.

I also have a large enough staff, then if I know I need to work Monday (which I did this week), I took off the Sunday before.  I know, I know - I am supposed to have a day off between Monday and Sunday, but it's the spirit of the law.

I do draw the line though at working two days off in a row . . . I need a complete day off every two weeks.  But to be honest, sometimes the extra $300.00 for coming it makes life a little nicer.

But that is my party line.

- Matthew Shiner
(Note:  I am also a resident production stage manager, so I feel like as a staff member I have to take some additional working on a days off everyonce in awhile)

[ivonne516]

Hands down, I will work on my day off for money, and enough to make it worthwhile, nothing else comes a close second, ...well maybe if there was a previous cancellation of rehearsal because of somebody dying or mother nature making helfself felt, but even then I will still need to get pay extra.  Days off are precious to me, so I rather do nothing.  Sometimes even money won't do it for me.

[nmno]

I've had a couple of times when I've been called in on a Monday.  Once was moving into the theatre, setting up for tech: as ASM, it was important to me to be there, so I felt on top of things/ahead of the game.  Got paid 7th day rate.  Was given an option not to go if I didn't want to.  Another time was for a meeting: I told them that on top of the overtime I would also have to charge for gas and travel time, since I lived ~45 minutes away from the theatre. Interestingly enough, they were able to find time Tuesday morning to have the meeting.  It was sort of one of those things where a "higher up" (ya know, the people who have 2 days off and who get paid a heck of a lot more money than me?) didn't want their schedule "incovenienced".  I think they knew they were wrong to ask for the Monday meeting.
I'll take calls on a Monday (ie. I let it roll over to voicemail and if I feel that it really is important enough to deal with on my day off I'll call back).  If it becomes something that is clearly going to go on for some time I'll hand it off: one Monday I had a prop master call frantic about the fact that the designer hasn't been getting back to her and she needed an answer TODAY. I called the designer (*I* had no trouble reaching him), then the director got involved, finally had to call the Prod Dir because it became a money issue...  At this point, it was clear 1) that I really didn't have any decision making power, I was just facilitating  2) this was going to go on all day, so I told the Prod Dir as much and asked him to handle it.  He was sympathic, took care of it and left me a phone message later to let me know how it all settled out.  It was more than I wanted to do on my Monday, but knowing the folks involved, I may have been faced with the disaster on Tuesday.

[Mac Calder]

Okay, trying not to go too far off topic - however... I do not screen calls - I know far too many people who just hang up when they hear an answering machine.

I do feel that you have to draw the line somewhere. I do a lot of work out of hours making sure things run smoothly - just like most Stage Managers, and I do not bill for that time.

However I don't work union - which means I have a lot of flexibility in my contracts (which is good and bad). I am fairly up front about what I expect renumeration wise when it comes to my day off - minimum 2 hour call. Over 4 hours is full day. Paid at time and a half. No non-essential tasks. Basically meaning that if they call me because they need me to do a half hours work, then they try and fill the remaining 1 1/2 hours they are paying me for with non-urgent tasks, I will not do them. It's main purpose is to give them pause before they call me. I also ask that all non-essential communication on my day off be through email.

Provided you lay out your boundaries early, and you stick to your guns, you will generally find people respect you enough that it becomes a non-issue (anything that is likely to pop up they warn you about earlier, or they learn to wait a bit).

[nmno]

mc, that's the point in screening calls - if it is really important, they'll leave a message, call back or find someone else who can answer the question  :wink: