Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 92 total)
  • Working your contracted hours… And feeling guilty!
  • Kryton57
    Full Member

    Following on from the sick note thread, why in the UK do we feel more compelled to work more hours than our contracts say?

    I was talking (independently) with s Belgian and a Spanisrd this week, and they think we are mad…

    glupton1976
    Free Member

    I dont unless someone’s life depends on it. That never happens in my field so I never work more than my contracted hours. Never have done in any other job either.

    piemonster
    Full Member

    We are mad. Somebody will be along shortly to shout off about their great work ethic working a billion hours a day. Country on its knees and wot not.

    I’d rather work at quality time with friends and especially family and have less money.

    patriotpro
    Free Member

    We?

    I tend not to unless I’m behind due to my own doing.

    A few of mates say it’s expected of them though.

    BruceWee
    Full Member

    If you can’t get all your work done in your contracted hours then you are obviously not very good at your job.

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    Or Bruce, doing someone elses job for less than they’d be paid….

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    You should try working hours in Singapore or Hong Kong. Insane.

    carlosg
    Free Member

    I never work more than I’m contracted, when I get into work at(Royal Mail) 6.30am each day there’s at least a dozen other lads who’ve been there for at least an hour. They’re also the first to complain when we’re told that due to early finishers we have to absorb another 1 or 2 rounds.

    northernmatt
    Full Member

    You work to live you don’t live to work.

    Like BruceWee says, if you can’t do your job in the time given then you can’t do your job.

    project
    Free Member

    Worked at a job i loved for 6 years,lived 18 miles away, cycled in or train every day got there always 10 mins early, and left dead on time, muppet from up the road would arrive 25 later than start time, and go ten mins befre end time,.

    Guess who got thought better of, it wasnt me.

    Spin
    Free Member

    I don’t know any teachers that only do their contracted 35 hrs.

    I’m not saying it’s not possible but it is difficult to do the job properly in that time.

    That said I know a few teachers that act like martyrs on account of the hours they claim to work.

    piemonster
    Full Member

    Or somebody has left and you have to pick up there workload.

    In which case, you can do your job, just not your job and somebody else’s.

    Spin
    Free Member

    If you can’t get all your work done in your contracted hours then you are obviously not very good at your job.

    That’s not true of every job.

    TheBrick
    Free Member

    I don’t see what is wrong with work your hours either. You trade your skills, knowledge, experience and time for money. Increase the hours you work devalues your product. I don’t mean walk out on the dot, I finish what I’m doing, maybe that will take 5 min maybe 30-40 min but I don’t make a habit of hanging around.

    If however you are paid to achieve X task then working longer hours is reasonable, however the flexibly need to go both ways and if you’re ahead of target then you should be free to go “early”.

    PMK2060
    Full Member

    Mostly I work my contracted hours but there are usually a few weeks in the year when workload demands 60+ hours to meet deadlines. I am quite happy to work extra when necessary but employers who expect you to work extra all year are taking the piss.

    mrmoofo
    Full Member

    I worked hard for many years – easily doing over my work hours. I got paid well, I got promoted etc. In the end, I had a falling out with my boss – who lied and schemed to save his skin.
    I lost – so all the effort was wasted. However I got a new job, nicer (but smaller) company
    And I still over work my hours. I am mad …

    seba560
    Free Member

    I was talking (independently) with s Belgian and a Spaniard this week, and they think we are mad..

    Try asking the rest of them and you might get a different response.

    neiloxford
    Free Member

    I get paid to think not be a machine.

    piedidiformaggio
    Free Member

    Well, there’s one hell of a lot of Spaniards who don’t work at all. Their economy is proper doodoo at the moment

    john_drummer
    Free Member

    apart from the odd trip to other factories (especially in other countries), where I do the journey in a mix of their time and mine, I mostly work my hours, give or take half an hour or so over a week, and nothing more.

    the job I do 99.5% of the time means “no deadlines” – it gets done when it gets done & then it’s handed over to the users to test. That’s where the whole thing slows down, usually.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    The UK is obsessed with long hours. Apparently our new CEO has commented that people only seem to do their hours and not work late every night, don’t think he’s too impressed. Personally, I only get paid to do 37.5 hours, so that’s all they get…

    Not that I think long hours are any more productive, in fact I think I’d achieve more in less hours and there’s a fair amount of studies on this.

    weeksy
    Full Member

    We?

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    I used to work in places where you were seen as a shirker if you didn’t do (unpaid) overtime. No one used to leave when they should as the bosses would comment the next day – just snipey remarks, but you knew it was being noted.

    I had one place where great pressure was put on me to assist production to meet a target over a weekend, often only being asked (told) late on a Friday and it was unpaid with promised days in lieu that never materialised.

    I used to resent it & do the min hours I could get away with.

    Now where I work, it is not expected of you to work longer than you have to, people never make snide comments and heap pressure on you.
    I am much more productive, am more willing to stay late if need be & enjoy going into work.
    Who’d have thought it…?

    jamj1974
    Full Member

    northernmatt – Member
    You work to live you don’t live to work.
    Like BruceWee says, if you can’t do your job in the time given then you can’t do your job.

    Sorry, that’s balls! Just maybe your employer is too demanding and has too high expectations…

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I don’t begrudge extra time, but I claim it as time off in lieu/overtime, without fail, and it’s my time- my terms. Doesn’t seem that controversial but it came as no surprise to find that the sort of boss that expects you to work extra hours is also often the sort of boss that expects to not pay you, or ask you, or ever give you time off in return. The same sort that reacts with horror if you ask for a day’s holiday.

    The bottom line is you’re paid to work, and that’s not a good link to break. If you expect people to work without pay, you can’t exactly complain if you pay people and they don’t work.

    What I found really interesting is the people that say they “have to” work overtime, and that they can’t claim it. A colleague of mine in my last job in the bank couldn’t be convinced this wasn’t true- we were all either clocking off at 5pm, or claiming the overtime, she was working early every day, taking short lunches, and never claimed a bean. And what was weird about that was that she was really aggrieved about it. How dare they make me!

    Gweilo
    Free Member

    There does seem to be a something for nothing culture in this country, a contract is a contract. A bit extra now and then is ok as long as there’s quid pro quo. Which fortunately is how it works where I am currently.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Note it all they want if it became expected id up ad find another job.

    I work my contracted hours , trned down a blackberry and unless im on call my works mobile is off. My boss understands this . He has my personal mobile to get in touch if its important ( sometimes its unavoidable to contact me at short notice or in the middle of the night due to the 24 hour nature of my work)

    When im working on an install or project ill do whats needed to deliver but i will take it back when its quieter

    We had engineers that would work till 8-9 pm at night for no extra money – always thought they were mad but noted who they were so i knew who to call when shit hits the fan.

    poly
    Free Member

    Following on from the sick note thread, why in the UK do we feel more compelled to work more hours than our contracts say?

    Mostly because I spend too much time **** about on the internet during the day…

    I was talking (independently) with s Belgian and a Spanisrd this week, and they think we are mad…

    interesting, I work with a Spaniard, a Portugese, an Italian and Frenchman as well as a collection of brits (all based in the UK). I can’t see a difference between the nationalities – its a “corporate culture” thing. Personally I’ve worked places where at Lunch = 60 minutes and at 4:45 everyone starts packing up and waiting to go… I’m much happier when people are busy enough that the clock is just a way of telling the time not counting down to the end of the day.

    samuri
    Free Member

    Try working in the states. If you only do twelve hours a day you get sacked.
    I’ve never worked in a culture like it. Luckily my company was run by rabid slave drivers so I was used to it.

    The way I see extra unpaid hours is… if you want to progress within the company, you’re probably going to need to put a bit extra in. If you’re happy with your position then do your 37 hours and leave on the dot.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    If you’re happy with your position then do your 37 hours and leave on the dot.

    Yep, not interested in a career any more, just getting a decent wage for standard hours….

    somafunk
    Full Member

    I only ever been in a salaried position once when i left college/uni and was offered a job without having to apply for it through my ex thermodynamics tutor who recommended me for a position as a design/test engineer, i was paid very well for a 25yr old straight out of college (£35k + bonus) but i quit after 6 months due to the folk i had to delegate to as they were sub-human and the fact that it was “expected” of me to do 2 extra hours a day unpaid, sorry but no amount of money is worth me working any more than i absolutely have to.

    piemonster
    Full Member

    Something for nothing culture?

    Where’d that come from. Surely that’s what your employers are after by doing extra time for nowt?

    BobaFatt
    Free Member

    I’m currently in a fairly peeved mood regarding being asked to work on my days off because we need to cover another department. No extra money, no extra benefits, just do it.

    It wouldn’t be so bad but when we get e-mails telling us that we’ll be taken to task if we don’t do it right (which none of us actually know what we’re doing. When I say other department, i mean we don’t do what they do in the same way they don’t do what we do) it kind of puts you in a bit of a mood.

    edit: I’m not ad-versed to doing a bit extra, but I used to work 50-60 hours a week and only get paid for 35 and I said I would never go back

    Northwind
    Full Member

    BruceWee – Member

    If you can’t get all your work done in your contracted hours then you are obviously not very good at your job.

    You can’t actually think that’s true surely?

    buzz-lightyear
    Free Member

    I work extra time if doing so allows me to achieve a delivery ive underestimated. With good planning this is minimised but you always end up with little push around a delivery. Other than that I prefer to stick to 40 hours a week which leaves me with enough energy to live.

    igm
    Full Member

    try working in the States

    Some places in the States wok long hours I believe, but those I have experienced work rather shorter than here.

    mudshark
    Free Member

    BruceWee – If you can’t get all your work done in your contracted hours then you are obviously not very good at your job.

    Obviously? Really? Are you in a low skilled sort of a job?

    My company’s getting better though at selling work with sensible estimates as expecting us consultants (poor me 😉 ) to do what it takes to get the job done isn’t ideal.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Generally believe that after a point the productive output drops so fast it’s not worth staying.
    On the other hand walking out the door when there is still stuff that needs sorting is fairly petty and does nobody any good in the long run.
    Flexibility works both ways and every job is different.

    BruceWee
    Full Member

    Obviously? Really? Are you in a low skilled sort of a job?

    Well it feels pretty low skilled to me but apparetntly you should really have a masters in engineering to do it. All I’ve got is a BSc and yet I seem to muddle through without ever doing unpaid overtime.

    OK, let me try to revise my statement.

    If you can’t get all your work done in your contracted hours then you are obviously not very good at your job. If you are good at your job and you still can’t get all your work done in your contracted hours then you are obviously not very good at realising you are doing more than one person’s job.

    Practice this phrase in front of the mirror:

    Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. I’m going now, bye.

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