is 8 to 5 normal working hours

[Flooble]

DuraAce said:

Splurge997 said:

Starting to think I need to reconsider my working hours. 7am-9pm Monday to Thursday...if I'm lucky I leave at 5pm on a Friday!

Sod that! Do you hate your family or something?!

I wouldn't work those hours for any amount of wages/promotion etc.

Basically that is doing two jobs - 66 hours a week would fit two people doing 33 hours each, with 2 hours spare for "not lucky Fridays".

So either you are being paid twice the average salary for your field, or ...

[PoleDriver]

There are many people in UK who are faced with a "those are the hours, that is the job, that is the pay, take it or leave it!" scenario!!

[Johnnytheboy]

Am I the only person who gets bugged by the terminology of "8 hour day with a 30 minute unpaid lunchbreak"?

I would quite happily be paid the same but be told that I work an 8.5 hour day, with 30 minutes paid lunchbreak.

I know it makes no difference in reality, but it just bugs me.

Actually it does make a difference. I have to tell my staff, no they can't leave 30 minutes earlier because they didn't stop for lunch, even though I think it's quite fair that they do.

[toon10]

PoleDriver said:

There are many people in UK who are faced with a "those are the hours, that is the job, that is the pay, take it or leave it!" scenario!!

This does happen. If you are desperate I'd take the job with the nasty hours and collect the wage while you find something that gives you a better work life balance. I used to work a 47 hour standard week with a combined 1 1/2 hour commute. 8 - 6:30 Monday to Wednesday, 4:30 on Thursday and 3:30 on Friday. I had no life and no energy when I got home. Swapped it for a 37 hour week and 10 minute commute. I have absolutely no idea how I coped before and I think I'd lose my mind if someone said I couldn't be in the house before 2pm on a Friday. That's MY time!

[p1stonhead]

PoleDriver said:

There are many people in UK who are faced with a "those are the hours, that is the job, that is the pay, take it or leave it!" scenario!!

And a lot of people tied down with golden handcuffs. Good money often comes with these type of hours. If you dont do them in many fields, you dont get to earn the big bucks. If you are used to it, its very hard to drop income for more sociable hours.

Edited by p1stonhead on Thursday 5th May 10:46

[anonymous-user]

I do shift work but on average 10-11 hours 5 days a week with 3 days off (although I may have to work 1/2 a month) which can start anytime for 6AM-4PM depending on what the computer decided to spit out for that week, although one of the perks is no 'commuting' time or costs.

Long and awkward hours but it pays well enough given my age and field.

[Flooble]

279 said:

I do shift work but on average 10-11 hours 5 days a week with 3 days off (although I may have to work 1/2 a month) which can start anytime for 6AM-4PM depending on what the computer decided to spit out for that week, although one of the perks is no 'commuting' time or costs.

Long and awkward hours but it pays well enough given my age and field.

No Commuting time? You're in the army or something?

[anonymous-user]

Flooble said:

No Commuting time? You're in the army or something?

I'm a 'mobile worker' in the breakdown industry and live in a busy enough area to have my sign on location as my Home. The clock starts and stops from home upon entering/exiting my work van & signing into the system, I'm allocated a job and I go from there .

Like wise, the shift doesn't end until I get back to my sign on location.

Its a nice perk when I think about it.

Edited by 279 on Thursday 5th May 11:48

[AAGR]

Working at home, as an independent consultant, makes the niceties of time disappear, for some days are short, others can be infuriatingly long. The problem, though, is usually in meeting deadlines - which American wit was it who once said : 'I love the whooshing sound a deadline makes as it rushes past ....' ?

[Dr Jekyll]

AAGR said:

- which American wit was it who once said : 'I love the whooshing sound a deadline makes as it rushes past ....' ?

Actually a British wit. Douglas Adams.

[AClownsPocket]

bhstewie said:

It's like anything, there's good employers and cultures and there are bad employers and cultures - for me what's quite telling is that I think more often the people who work for the good can spot the bad, whilst the ones who work for the bad often assume it's just the same everywhere else.

This is so true. Myself and a colleague worked for a company who you think makes brown sauce, but actually doesn't I left as I saw what was happening. My mate is still there conviced it won't be any different anywhere else. He's almost institutionalised and its sad to see.

[98elise]

279 said:

Flooble said:

No Commuting time? You're in the army or something?

I'm a 'mobile worker' in the breakdown industry and live in a busy enough area to have my sign on location as my Home. The clock starts and stops from home upon entering/exiting my work van & signing into the system, I'm allocated a job and I go from there .

Like wise, the shift doesn't end until I get back to my sign on location.

Its a nice perk when I think about it.

Edited by 279 on Thursday 5th May 11:48

Thats a good perk.

I have a 130 mile round trip commute. The money is good however on I normally do 4 hours commuting, and its been as much as 6 hours on a bad day. Thats makes the good pay seem not so good!

I pretty much have to write the entire week off, and on Saturday I just need to veg infront of the TV to recharge.

[brickwall]

I'm typically in the office for 8ish, and try to get out by 10:30/11pm. 5/6pm on a Friday. A week <65hrs is a good, a week >70 is bad.

All gets messed up when I'm travelling - I tend to spend fewer hours actually 'working', but many many more on planes.

[Nickbrapp]

brickwall said:

I'm typically in the office for 8ish, and try to get out by 10:30/11pm. 5/6pm on a Friday. A week <65hrs is a good, a week >70 is bad.

All gets messed up when I'm travelling - I tend to spend fewer hours actually 'working', but many many more on planes.

When do you get time to enjoy life and all the money you are earning?

Always seems odd to me working stupidly long hours for great pay, but then being so knackered come Saturday that you can't do anything on the weekend or the evenings.

[brickwall]

Nickbrapp said:

brickwall said:

I'm typically in the office for 8ish, and try to get out by 10:30/11pm. 5/6pm on a Friday. A week <65hrs is a good, a week >70 is bad.

All gets messed up when I'm travelling - I tend to spend fewer hours actually 'working', but many many more on planes.

When do you get time to enjoy life and all the money you are earning?

Always seems odd to me working stupidly long hours for great pay, but then being so knackered come Saturday that you can't do anything on the weekend or the evenings.

Well sadly I don't earn that much money! It's certainly not the reason I choose this career, and there are definitely more lucrative options available.

I really enjoy what I do - I get to work with great people, on really interesting and difficult stuff, in weird and wonderful places all over the world, and I'm constantly challenged and given opportunities to develop.

But in answer to your question - weekends and holidays! I'll typically only do 1-2 hours work in a weekend, which leaves plenty of time to see friends, go places, fix up the house, or take the Porsche for a drive.

[jogger1976]

98elise said:

279 said:

Flooble said:

No Commuting time? You're in the army or something?

I'm a 'mobile worker' in the breakdown industry and live in a busy enough area to have my sign on location as my Home. The clock starts and stops from home upon entering/exiting my work van & signing into the system, I'm allocated a job and I go from there .

Like wise, the shift doesn't end until I get back to my sign on location.

Its a nice perk when I think about it.

Edited by 279 on Thursday 5th May 11:48

Thats a good perk.

I have a 130 mile round trip commute. The money is good however on I normally do 4 hours commuting, and its been as much as 6 hours on a bad day. Thats makes the good pay seem not so good!

I pretty much have to write the entire week off, and on Saturday I just need to veg infront of the TV to recharge.

Are you doing that long-term? I know a father and son that do this. They have nice wafty auto E Class diesel and share the driving, but they're still doing in excess of 160 miles per day commuting from Essex up to Cambs for an 8am start. No thanks!

[bitchstewie]

brickwall said:

I'm typically in the office for 8ish, and try to get out by 10:30/11pm. 5/6pm on a Friday. A week <65hrs is a good, a week >70 is bad.

All gets messed up when I'm travelling - I tend to spend fewer hours actually 'working', but many many more on planes.

What industry? Because that's unsustainable in my book.

[mph1977]

bhstewie said:

brickwall said:

I'm typically in the office for 8ish, and try to get out by 10:30/11pm. 5/6pm on a Friday. A week <65hrs is a good, a week >70 is bad.

All gets messed up when I'm travelling - I tend to spend fewer hours actually 'working', but many many more on planes.

What industry? Because that's unsustainable in my book.

or it;s a culture of presenteeism ... and there;s little work being done over and above 40 -50 hours work ...

[johnwilliams77]

mph1977 said:

or it;s a culture of presenteeism ... and there;s little work being done over and above 40 -50 hours work ...

It could easily be neither. People do actually work far more than 50 hours. Banking, oil, law it is far from uncommon.

[mph1977]

johnwilliams77 said:

mph1977 said:

or it;s a culture of presenteeism ... and there;s little work being done over and above 40 -50 hours work ...

It could easily be neither. People do actually work far more than 50 hours. Banking, oil, law it is far from uncommon.

or do they ?

work expands to fill time the available ( or deemed culturally appropriate )