Working More?
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Working More?
I saw this article on work hours recently and it struck me that this was just the type of thing that I'd wanted to avoid as someone with a family. I knew that when I began my career that I'd be in the rat race, working lots of hours to learn and establish myself in my career. I was happy to do that, but I hoped I'd get enough skills to get back to the 8 hour day when I had a family.
It didn't work out so great as my first year in Denver, with an infant and a working wife, I tended towards the 80 hour weeks with more overnighters than I'd liked. Add to that some crazy 1 or 2 day trips back to New York for business and it seemed I was working too hard.
So when I went to find jobs in the years after that I made it a point to consider the working hours and get that noted up front from my prospective employers. Time with family is valuable and I didn't want to forget that while my career grew. So in line with that, I'm wondering:
Are you working more these days than 5 years ago?
I have to say that at this minute, the last couple months, I'm working harder than I've done in quite some time. With the training center and efforts to grow this business, both I and my wife have seen me more stressed and working more hours than I have in years. It's not something I want to continue for too long, but I see this as short term investment in the business.
Apart from the last few months, I've tried to keep to a 35-45 hour week. That's pretty good until you realize it's spread across 7 days a week with rarely a vacation. It's been an adjustment, but that schedule has worked well for me.
Most of my friends I think work about the same, but I'm really curious to see how most of you see your work week these days.
Steve Jones
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Hi,
I am working a little more, about 2 hours more a week, but the company that I work for now is very flexible about when those hours are worked and where. Overall I think I am better off working the slightly longer week for all the benefits I get.
Cheers,
Nicole
Nicole Bowman
Nothing is forever.
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A note from an european: After the twins were born, it has been 37.00 hours/week with one exception: the day I did a "Truncate Table" on my companys order table.
Best regards
Henrik
PS: We're hiring left, right and center.
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There is one sentence you will never see on a tombstone nor ever uttered as someone's last words:
I wish I had spent more time at the office!
The trouble is that none of us know when we are going to peg out so make the most of life while it's there to be had. Particularly when your family is young because you don't get to re-live those years.
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I'm working some 200 hours a month have been for the past 5/6 years.
Rather flexible but there are some "truncate ...." moments in there.
Franc
ps. only one "truncate..." was my own
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I work 08:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday. I'll work extra if I need to, but that is rare these days.
When I was a programmer I worked more hours, trying to get ahead with my career and such. But after a while I realised it was mostly a waste of time, so in subsequent jobs I've worked the contracted hours and gone home to enjoy my life.
I find work pretty unfulfilling, because I'm not working for me. That's something I aim to change in the next year.
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From 8:00 till 15:00 day in day out except thursday 8:00 - 19:00
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If you are in a job you love with people you enjoy being with, time just flies by and you don't keep track of the hours.
My first job was 37.5 hours + dial in support.
2nd was government work so it was strictly 35 hours.
3rd was 37.5 hours officially but was considerably more.
4th was every hour god sent.
5th was 35 hours flexi.
Current is 37.5 hours officially, but it is more like 50 in reality.
When I have had lower hours I have tended to do research at home and broaden my skillset.
When I have had higher hours I've just done the job that I was paid for.
I think long hours are a false economy for employers.
On a similar note I believe that the optimum total tax per head for a smooth running economy is 16%. Any more is a false economy.
In Britain our current bunch of numpties inflict around 40% even on those on low incomes and wonder why the economy is stagnating.
Companies who force employees to work mega hours wonder why their employees stagnate.
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Longer hours than 5 years ago? Yes and No. Five years ago my children were young (under 14) and I had a term time only contract developing software etc at the local college. I worked full time for 39 weeks each year nominally 37.5 hours but oftem just a bit more each day as there was no clocking in or out
Now I work full time all year 37.5 hours with 5 weeks holiday and have proper clock in/out flexitime so every extra minute can be taken as leave later - a day off soon builds up. Most of us prefer it as we can work extra when it is needed and take time off when the children are at home or there's something special to do.
From all the posts it looks like us Europeans have the best work-life balance and probably more legislation as to holiday entitlements etc.
My current task involves learning Analysis Services 2005 in order to analyse the attendance, absence and overtime data for the business - we've already identified people who are working excess overtime and reduced their hours (and company costs!)
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I'm mostly working less than 5 years ago.
5 years ago I was a senior developer at a small development company. It was the norm to get in before 8, leave after 6 and work most weekends.
These days I work at a major bank and try very hard to keep to the 7:30-4 day. sometimes extra is required but I try and keep it to a minimum. It helps that both my team leader and my manager don't believe in overworking.
I do work-related readng and studying in the evenngs for exams that I want to take, but that's my choice.
I follow a couple of blogs that are very against the 'cult of overwork' for some very good reasons. they're an interesting read at the very least.
http://www.slowleadership.org/
http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-2
http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverabilityWe walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass -
Well, five years ago I just finished school, so that doesn't count...
But I've had three employers since then. The first was an industrial company in which I was trainee in the IT department. There we had a 35-hour-contract and every hour was registered, so if you worked 40-hour-weeks you had a pretty decent hour-bonus you could use for extra vacation.
Now I've a 40-hour-contract and no hour registration. That means that every hour you work more is lost to you - no extra money, no extra vacation.
I have decided for myself that I'll get my work done as quickly as possible. If it's necessary I work longer than I have to, but I write down how long I've worked and in times when it's quiet in the office I leave earlier. That way I've been able to keep a 40-hour-week average and I don't intend to change that. There's a life outside of work and the guys at work who work for 12 - 16 hours a day look like they're aging twice as fast as I do. Nothing that I want to copy from them.
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Definitely working more, and loving it!
Five years ago I was working for a dying manufacturing company (auto-related, in the Detroit area). 40+ hours/week with flex time, but you never knew when your last day was going to be.
Four years ago, a three-month stint at a software/web-development house, under contract, working 40-48 hrs/week (overtime beyond 40). For the direct hires, every project became a death march, and turnover was very high.
2002-2005, working for a VERY small, private web-application company, putting in 45-50 hrs/wk, pay was mediocre, benefits were terrible, and the company ultimately failed due to lack of marketing. (But it was close to home.)
For the last year, 60-65 hrs/week (6-6, M-F) at a medium-sized (300 people), growing software development firm (not auto related). Decent pay, decent benefits, and leadership is rewarded. These hours are somewhat self-driven as it is a way to avoid the worst of rush hour and a way to get more done at work (my choice).
I should add that I'm 42 years old, my three kids are in high school, and my wife is working and finishing her degree as well. So this schedule works well for us. My company also has advancement opportunities that haven't been available to me for years. In the Detroit area (Michigan economy - down, auto industry - way down) the job market has been pretty tough for several years. My wife loves the fact that I can come home after a 12-hour day and still have a smile on my face!
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Since getting this new job in June 2004, I'm working the most hours I've ever worked before (45 hours/week plus being on call from Sunday night until Friday afternoon) but it is also the most interesting job I've ever had.
My family had to adjust to me getting home after 6:30 pm every night but now it seems routine. I myself had a period of adjustment but once I took on more responsibility at the office, I've become so busy that time seems to fly by.
I'm almost 42 years old so I think I can maintain this for another 2 or 3 years before I step off the gas pedal and start considering something less strenuous.
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During one of the slow downs in the late 90's a friend lamented that they had been cut back to half days... "6:00 AM to 6:00 PM".
I agree with the assessment that when you are young you put in longer hours to get the experience, but as you mature, most of the people in our profession are more productive in a 35 to 45 hour work week. Some work longer, but tend to get less done.
When I interview for a new job, I make it a point to find out what the company expects. It's a big red flag if they admit to expecting over 45 hours a week. To me this means the company dosen't really know how to manage time and resources. Do I really want to work for such poor management? NO WAY...
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5 years ago I was unemployed after having gotten married and moved a few hundred miles from where I last resided, so I'm definitely working more.
I did however just get a new job working for the local state government and I'm supposed to only work 37.5 hrs/week. Typically I am able to stick to this schedule and I'm compensated for any overtime related to "truncate... whoops" or after-hours maintenance. Contrast that with the job I had for the last 4 years where I was supposed to work 40 but ended up working around 45-50 just to keep my head above water. I was at a small business where we were rather understaffed, and never had much in the way of downtime.
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