Comments on: How Many Hours Per Week Do You Work?

By: Kyle

Kyle — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 21:42:00 +0000

Indeed, that’s idiotic.

By: trish

trish — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 21:16:06 +0000

I was just having this conversation with someone yesterday. I think most companies use “salary” to exploit employees. I’ve worked one job where they expected us to put in ten hours a day even if it wasn’t needed. I am a very efficient employee and can get my work done in excellence very quickly.

When I left at 8 hours after no lunch I was told I was expected to put my 10 hours in. I think this “putting in hours” mentality is counter productive for employees and makes most of the talent look else where.

By: Hope to Prosper

Hope to Prosper — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:06:55 +0000

Being an IT Manager, I have almost always needed to work more than 40 hours aweek to get the job done. And, I have never minded doing it, because I am well paid and I have gotten ahead through my efforts. That’s what professionals do, when they have pride in their work. They get the job done, regardless of where the hands are on the clock.

However, I have workd for a couple of companies that just grind people for maximum output and expect everyone to work ridiculous hours. I avoid these types of companies, because the loyalty only runs one way. It’s just like the movie Office Space, where they force peope to work weekends because they are “behind on your projects”. But, then they lay off a bunch of people to save money and expect you to pick up the slack. No matter how many hours you put in for a company like this, they will never appreciate you, as a person or as an employee.

Good companies will expect you to work overtime. But, they will also expect you to leave early to once in a while to catch your daughter’s play. And, they will respect that you have a family and/or life, because they know happy, stable and reliable employees are productive.

By: Andrew @ Financial Services

Andrew @ Financial Services — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:03:57 +0000

It depends on the work. Does your overtime get paid? Is overtime really necessary?

I used to work as a Tech support rep where we would be required occasionally to work overtime. No big deal, it was paid anyway. To me, what’s bad is if you do overtime even if the bulk of work you’re given doesn’t really require one. But if you think that by doing overtime you’re contributing to the overall growth of the company and it is not being detrimental to your lifestyle, then do overtime by all means.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:51:18 +0000

I’m lucky to work at a job that doesn’t expect me to work more than 40 hours. Occasionally, as most of us find, there are extra hours that need to be put in. But, overall, my company understands that we have lives and should go live them, as we’re more than competent at getting our jobs done while we’re in the office.

By: kenyantykoon

kenyantykoon — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:21:35 +0000

i work over 40 hours a week but it is on my personal projects, my blog included. When i was twenty i had a job that where i was working 13 to 15hrs a day 7 days a week!! not only was it tiring but also not that well paying(in retrospect). While i was almost always on time and a model employee, i rarely got noticed by the boss and certainly no promotions came my way. I was lucky that i had to go back to school so i had to leave. But aside from that, the experience and lessons i gained there were invaluable. Bottom line, the harder you work at your own businesses and income revenues the better off you are in the long run instead of busting your back for an employer who may not even notice your slave labour

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:27:19 +0000

Janny, my experience is the complete opposite. I’ve never seen anybody promoted because they worked overtime. Of course, many of them DID work overtime, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the promotion. It is common to assume overtime was the culprit when it was not. I am 100% confident in stating that overtime has absolutely no bearing on career advancement. It’s how you use the time you’re there, not how much time you spend at work.

And why did you HAVE to stay late, anyway? Could it perhaps be that you weren’t as efficient as you could have been the rest of the time. I get as much work done in 40 hours that my coworkers get done in 50 or 60 hours.

“The “hourly” mentality is self-sabotaging.”

No it isn’t.

“I’ve rarely seen anyone promoted that turned off their light because it was 5 pm.”

You completely missed the point. I didn’t say they were promoted BECAUSE they left at 5. I said the amount of overtime worked was irrelevant to the promotion. Besides, rarely if ever are people promoted as a reward for a job well done. That is a corporate myth. Businesses aren’t run that way.

By: Ken

Ken — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:26:31 +0000

I work right at 40 hours a week. I do put extra time in after work about 5 hours a week. I get paid extra for this. I think working extra hours can result in promotion if you’re doing things that affect the bottom line and your boss is regularly made aware of this fact. Unfortunately, politics can prove this wrong in a heartbeat.

By: JannyPi

JannyPi — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:14:16 +0000

We were in the purchasing department of a medical equipment company. Our JOB was to make sure we had enough of EVERYTHING to service our patients. The professionals that we worked with knew that they could rely on us to source unusual items. We had a large pediatric patient base as well as hospice patients. Working a few hours extra could mean that a patient was more comfortable and was always worth it.

To put my pencil down when the clock struck 5:00 pm would have been irresponsible as I have higher standards for MYSELF. Having flexibility in my schedule enabled me to have children, and participate in their lives, while still working (joyfully) and climbing the corporate ladder.

The “hourly” mentality is self-sabotaging. I’ve rarely seen anyone promoted that turned off their light because it was 5 pm. If you feel gypped because you put in some “unpaid overtime” then you’re in the wrong field!

By: Financial Samurai

Financial Samurai — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:15:48 +0000

I STRONGLY feel that if you aren’t working at least 10 hours a day for the first 5 years of your career or new job, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

There is so much to learn, than putting in single digit work days doesn’t cut it.

Best, FS