May 25, 2010 at 3:04 pm
I'm in my late 30's and learning not to rate myself by how many hours I worked. A former boss actually told me that if I was working more than 45 hours a week I was doing something wrong.
Now, if I work more than that it's because of an exception or something. I don't really keep track, as long as I get in by 8:30 or so and leave by 5:30 or 6:00.
There is also the impact to the family not mentioned. My wife would kill me if I kept up long hours week over week. Not because she needs me that much, but the kids would have driven her crazy!
May 25, 2010 at 3:18 pm
One place I worked had constant "death marches". I couldn't believe they thought it was good for their employees.
I no longer do death marches but will put extra hours when needed on a short term basis.
May 26, 2010 at 6:50 am
skjoldtc (5/25/2010)
One place I worked had constant "death marches". I couldn't believe they thought it was good for their employees.
They probably didn't care. 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
May 26, 2010 at 7:54 am
I got cured of the all-nighter mentality when I deleted a program about three AM. That and getting married.
My Dad used to have a saying: "The hurry-der I go, the behind-der I get!"
Steve
May 26, 2010 at 7:57 am
Phillip - Texas (5/25/2010)
... A former boss actually told me that if I was working more than 45 hours a week I was doing something wrong....
When I was an Operations Manager I was enlightened to the same notion: If I couldn't do my job in a reasonable amount of time, either ~I~ was not up to the job, or the expectation was too high. In either case it was my responsibility to resolve it: either do better, or get the expectation adjusted.
Cheers
Mark
Just a cog in the wheel.
May 26, 2010 at 9:40 am
TravisDBA ,
It could very well be that they didn't care.
They talked a good game, though. The way they presented themselves to the public made it look like they were model employers with lots of amenities such as onsite daycare, cafeteria, rec room, and workout room.
The actual work environment was so horrible that the amenities didn't matter.
May 26, 2010 at 12:14 pm
OCTom (5/26/2010)
TravisDBA ,It could very well be that they didn't care.
They talked a good game, though. The way they presented themselves to the public made it look like they were model employers with lots of amenities such as onsite daycare, cafeteria, rec room, and workout room.
The actual work environment was so horrible that the amenities didn't matter.
Yep, always beware of the hard sell to the public. It usually means they are hiding something. when I worked for this one company years ago when I was much younger, one of the first things my manager told me when I started was " We work hard, but we play hard too!" I replied "What does that actually mean? Do you guys party/drink alot?" His jaw dropped and he did not know exactly what to say because no one had really asked him what exactly that meant! It was just part of his advertising schtick with new people. Turns out it was all bs, except the work hard part. I have since learned over the years to pick up red flags like this when talking to company managers and reps. 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
May 26, 2010 at 12:18 pm
heck yeah they had daycare, that way you can't complain that you work so much you don't get to see your kids!
May 26, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Wise words...all
May 26, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Yep, always beware of the hard sell to the public. It usually means they are hiding something. when I worked for this one company years ago when I was much younger, one of the first things my manager told me when I started was " We work hard, but we play hard too!" I replied "What does that actually mean? Do you guys party/drink alot?" His jaw dropped and he did not know exactly what to say because no one had really asked him what exactly that meant! It was just part of his advertising schtick with new people. Turns out it was all bs, except the work hard part. I have since learned over the years to pick up red flags like this when talking to company managers and reps. 😀
I usually turn off when I hear "Work hard, play hard". 1) 'Work hard' usually means "We work 60-hour weeks" and I don't work 60-hour weeks, 2) 'Play Hard' either means "We don't play at all and it's just some BS we like to say" or "We get wasted every Friday afternoon". Either way, where is the appeal?
Screw the perks. What I DO like to hear is: "...stable work environment, excellent career growth, interesting work, great management, good training, latest tools/technologies, excellent remuneration (with a REAL bonus), comprehensive benefits, ACTUAL work/life balance and maybe even profit-share or equity"
I also wish for world peace, the end of poverty, and Santa. Thus, I have a lot of contract work on my résumé. Same sh*t, better pay...and I get to go home at a reasonable hour 🙂
James Stover, McDBA
May 27, 2010 at 7:14 am
I usually turn off when I hear "Work hard, play hard". 1) 'Work hard' usually means "We work 60-hour weeks" and I don't work 60-hour weeks, 2) 'Play Hard' either means "We don't play at all and it's just some BS we like to say" or "We get wasted every Friday afternoon". Either way, where is the appeal?
My exact thoughts at the time but I was young and naive. I found out later that Citrix likes to hire them that way, anyway. No wonder they have such a big turnover rate. That manager finally ended up leaving when they did not promote him to senior management, so he got weeded out anyway. However, anyone's radar should immediately start beeping when managers throw dumb things like this out in an interview. 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
May 27, 2010 at 7:19 am
🙂
May 27, 2010 at 7:21 am
OCTom (5/26/2010)
TravisDBA ,It could very well be that they didn't care.
They talked a good game, though. The way they presented themselves to the public made it look like they were model employers with lots of amenities such as onsite daycare, cafeteria, rec room, and workout room.
The actual work environment was so horrible that the amenities didn't matter.
You displayed a very true picture of some companies. 🙂
May 28, 2010 at 7:17 am
Early in my career as a contractor I was told "This has to be done by next monday, I don't care how many hours it takes". I got it done by pulling some all-nighters and working the weekend. You should have seen the look on that manager's face when I handed him a timesheet for 100 hours that week. He never said that again.
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When you encounter a problem, if the solution isn't readily evident go back to the start and check your assumptions.
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It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.
What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?
You ask a glass of water. -- Douglas Adams
May 28, 2010 at 8:23 am
Stefan Krzywicki (5/28/2010)
Early in my career as a contractor I was told "This has to be done by next monday, I don't care how many hours it takes". I got it done by pulling some all-nighters and working the weekend. You should have seen the look on that manager's face when I handed him a timesheet for 100 hours that week. He never said that again.
Yep, they want the dedication, but they don't want to pay for it. That is the primary reason that many companies outsource to India. They get very cheap labor and they work them around the clock. American workers just can't compete with that. 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
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