Are you fed up with the hassle of putting on your workclothes or uniform in the morning? So was German policeman Martin Schauder. He calculated how long it takes him to dress each morning ... and used it to earn overtime:
Martin Schauder, 44, calculated to the second how long it took to don his regulation undershirt, trousers, thruncheon-holding belt, handcuffs, weapon and gas canister, overshirt, tunic, boots, protective kneepads (when on riot control), hat and gloves.
He claimed it took 15 minutes each morning outside his paid shift hours to get dressed, and 15 minutes at the end of each shift to undress, which a Münster administrative court agreed constituted overtime.
The officer in the north-west German city had argued with his superiors for months, demanding either getting a pay rise or time off in lieu for what he said amounted to 45 hours of his time he was giving to his employers each year. They refused on both counts, saying it was part of his duties as a policeman.
So he took the force to the city's administrative court - and won.
Yes! I remember that video.
Here's the youtube link, just in case anyone else is thinking of getting paid to put on their pants.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K-vwzozpwE
Many of us do work-related things on our own time, from buying work clothes to laundering them. This is just being petty.
And yeah, even though there's a lot of gear... 15 minutes?? I guarantee I could get out of the shower and be geared up and out the door in less than 5 minutes (if I didn't have to do makeup), especially if I had to do it every day.
Anyone remember that video, maybe a year ago, of that Japanese fellow who got dressed for work in something like 30 seconds from the time he got out of bed? Full suit and tie, plus coffee and breakfast in his hand as he walked out the door. It was staged for a Japanese show I think. He could teach this German guy a thing or two.