Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU, or should clients not expect you to be at your desk 24 hours a day?

99 replies

iamnotjustaworker · 09/02/2012 20:34

Namechanged for this, as don't want to get myself into trouble..

but

ok, so I work in the city. Yes, it's high pressured, and the pay is not bad.
BUT, clients, you should understand this:

  • I do, contrary to what you may expect of your advisers, have a life. I try not to express or reveal that if at all possible, but, yes, I have a life that exists outside of the office.
  • I do, also, have other clients. They also want my undivided attention. Sorry about that.
  • I do, also, have managers wanting other various pieces of me. Sorry about that as well, but if I didn't attend to that, I wouldn't be here in the office advising you at all as I would be out of a job.
  • If I don't respond to an email or phone call within 30 minutes, that does not mean I have disappeared. That means I might have something else that is equally urgent. It might even mean that I am busy taking care of your matter and ensuring that I can give you the best advice that I can.

I've finished now. Thank you for listening.
Do tell me if IABU. Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
iamnotjustaworker · 09/02/2012 22:30

type 'the City' into Google, and see what you come up with (other than an MTV show)

OP posts:
AKMD · 09/02/2012 22:33

I think most people in the UK know what the City is Hmm

I don't work in the City but I am here not on MN at 1030pm doing spreadsheets and emails because my internal clients expect daily weekly updates and follow-up telecons and don't care what else I might have on or how important their work is in the scale of everything else I'm doing.

I have refused to have a Blackberry or work mobile. There is not enough money in the world to compensate for being 'on call' at all times, in all places to the detriment of my sanity and family life.

Original poster
iamnotjustaworker · 09/02/2012 22:36

Thankyou AKMD - for a while there I thought I was BU to think that this might be unreasonable!

Exactly - don't even get me started on all the internal obligations, thereby asking you to be contradictory by fulfilling all of those obligations whilst also being eternally and imminently available for all external clients - at precisely the same times.

OP posts:
wotzypunkbunny · 09/02/2012 22:37

Well if it wer a matter of life and death a death, altogether a different matter. But accounts? I'm obviously not a city worker.

i have returned delayed emails with "we had a problem with our email server, inbound messages were delayed, sorry" :0

Original poster
iamnotjustaworker · 09/02/2012 22:39

hermioneweasley - what advice would you give to someone to make this achievable?

OP posts:
Original poster
iamnotjustaworker · 09/02/2012 22:40

Good one wotzypunk - might try that Grin

OP posts:
NewYearsRevolution · 09/02/2012 22:40

I know that feeling!

I once had a client get the total hump because I hadn't turned up for their weekend conference call. Which had been notified to me by an email 30 minutes earlier. Yes, I sit by my Blackberry every second of the weekend Hmm.

FWIW, I felt my pay wasn't enough for that. Hence why I'm not doing it anymore!

wotzypunkbunny · 09/02/2012 22:42

Life is too short, many companies will make you do this in all walks of life in any town or city. I used to work in advertising and reguarly did 10 / 16 hrs a week overtime for no extra pay because it was par for the course.

Once I had my second baby I left and took another career path.

maddening · 09/02/2012 22:44

sounds like my client - my son Grin

breatheslowly · 09/02/2012 22:44

I'd get out of London if I was that pissed off with the work culture. Things aren't perfect out of London, but they are better in my experience. People have a greater sense of balance and there is less of the macho posturing.

Original poster
iamnotjustaworker · 09/02/2012 22:44

it's annoying, because I actually like the job. I think think there is a line that has to be drawn somewhere.

OP posts:
AKMD · 09/02/2012 22:47

I did actually post a thread on here about a year ago wondering whether unemployment could be solved by everyone just working their contracted hours. The amount of 'free' labour given by everyone in the country must be colossal; more than enough for a large percentage of people out of work to have jobs...

Original poster
iamnotjustaworker · 09/02/2012 22:49

That's right AKMD - let's all just be paid less, do a more reasonable job, and create millions of jobs for all the extra hours we regularly put in. I like it!

OP posts:
AKMD · 09/02/2012 22:50

That thread got fairly vigorously flamed BTW :o

NewYearsRevolution · 09/02/2012 22:51

It's an interesting theory AKMD. I read an interesting analysis of our long hours culture a while back. Essentially long hours have no visible 'cost' to the employer, so there is no incentive to scale them back. This article supposed that everyone had to have an hourly rate and be paid for overtime, and wondered what that would do to the job market and working hours. Would employers rather have 5 employees than 4 if they were paying for the non-productive extra hours.

Original poster
iamnotjustaworker · 09/02/2012 22:51

Maddening - I have a son too - precisely! although they are children. Expect adults to be a bit more adult.

OP posts:
Original poster
iamnotjustaworker · 09/02/2012 22:53

but if they were paying less per hour, then it wouldn't cost any more (in theory) - obviously there are all the other costs like training, pensions etc.

OP posts:
Threeprinces · 09/02/2012 23:02

I was also a big4 accountant for 7-8 years in 'the City' ( and yes I agree most people know where you're talking about). I went back 3 days per week after DS1 but only lasted a year before I was so naffed off with the lack of work life balance plus the fact I got the crap jobs because I wasn't available 247 due to child care restraints.

I now have my own small practice and I still have some of the same problems, most clients are more relaxed but some expect me to jump when they call or email. I even had an ex client email me at 5pm on Friday then phone at 10am on Saturday as I hadn't yet replied!! I didn't answer obviously but he left a message apologising for it being he weekend but clearly expecting me to call back that day!! I emailed him at 10am on the Monday, bloody cheek after he'd decided he could do his own accounts (amusing idea as he had no clue)!!!

Some issues still but to me the key was getting out of the London accountancy world. I do earn a lot lot less though but I have a lot better life which to me is worth it.

Sorry, have rambled a bit. In the real world YANBU to think you should be able to have a life as well as a career but YABU to expect that in the world you're working in.

Either way, Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

thefurryone · 09/02/2012 23:08

AKMD I remember that thread, I was heavily pregnant, very bored, and had lots of fun pointing out to professionals that despite their great impression of themselves they are in fact being exploited by their employers by consistently working more hours than they are actually paid for. Blush

I do still agree with you though. The fundamental problem, is that a major driver of economic growth is improved efficiency within the economy, which of course means doing more with less. It's economically logical for firms to employ as few a people as they can get away with. Unfortunately, what is economically logical isn't always socially preferable so you end up with increased unemployment.

Tigresswoods · 09/02/2012 23:10

YANBU

bibbitybobbityhat · 09/02/2012 23:17

If you truly want to be at your clients' beck and call then have a go at being their agent! My dears, the EGOS! Thank God I don't do that any more.

yellowraincoat · 09/02/2012 23:21

Yes, it's annoying to be at people's beck and call, but that's why you get paid shitloads of money isn't it?

tigerlillyd02 · 10/02/2012 02:39

I was amazed when I emailed a solicitor today, they answered immediately. It did only require a "received with thanks" though. But, I wasn't expecting they'd receive the email amongst all those they must have so didn't think a response would come until tomorrow!

TheSkiingGardener · 10/02/2012 05:08

What's quite interesting is I've been studying narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder on my course. It's a very, very prevalent character trait in the city which employees exploit ruthlessly. Employees get gratified by feeling immensely important because they are needed to work so many hours and can be so demanding of others.

Just look at the defences given by bankers of their bonuses to see the detachment from reality.

Of course, if you don't have narcissisistic personality traits but are surrounded by people who do, they are going to drive you slightly nuts.

Shangers · 10/02/2012 05:35

YANBU but I'm not sure there is a solution! I was "in the city" for 5 years and I ended up agreeing to move halfway around the world to get out of it! Looking back now I can't believe that it was me who did it - I'm a totally different person now because I don't have this massive amount of pressure on me 24 hours a day 7 days a week. It's not healthy and you can never give enough - no client knows the full extent of what you're doing for them and for others as well as what's going on in your own life - and most clients don't care! It's horrible that it has to be that way but people are ultimately selfish so they just want their stuff to be dealt with so they don't get in trouble. I think that it's not sustainable - something has to give eventually - whether that's the amount of crap that you're willing to put up with (and most likely restrict your career development) or the rest of your life.

I was reading a book once and my husband walked in on me laughing hysterically at a scene where a woman was so stressed that she snuck her blackberry into a spa treatment in her paper undies...... it was so ridiculous but I could totally see myself doing it! I look back now and I think the whole thing was ridiculous - nothing is that urgent (and eventually it all becomes "super urgent" because everyone winds themselves up into a frenzy of stress) and it's all about cold hard cash. sad but true I'm afraid