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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that no-one works till 8pm every Friday

52 replies

Jewels234 · 27/06/2014 19:58

My OH has just called to say (as per usual) that he won't be back until late as he is still working. He does a professional job in the city, as do I.

However, my experience of the working world is that while you may work late Monday - Thursday, on a Friday there isn't anyone around after 5pm in the office. We had dinner plans so I'm sat here starving, thinking I may as well have met friends!

WIBU to be grumpy at him when he gets home, and expect an apology? Or should I just accept this as part of who he is?

To give some context he gets in to work at 9.30am, so not exactly an early bird!

OP posts:
Original poster
Jewels234 · 27/06/2014 20:17

Neverending - that's exactly what he says. A lot of his deadlines are set for Friday.

Think this may mean me making my own Friday plans, rather than being mad at him! He might get the grumpy me tonight though.

OP posts:
eddielizzard · 27/06/2014 20:17

my dh likes working late on a friday. so he can get the stuff done he wasn't able to during the week.

i hate it.

APodPerson · 27/06/2014 20:17

I used to have to all the time at my old job. Also professional in the city. I hated it, but it was expected and I know a lot of people who do it.

flowery · 27/06/2014 20:19

If he's only just told you, when were you expecting him home OP?

DH has just caught a train home, and it takes an hour so I always have an hour's notice of when he'll get here. Which means if I was expecting him at 8.10, he would have caught the 7.10 and would have let me know if he hadn't caught it or wasn't going to catch it iyswim.

But if your DH is just not letting you know early enough when he's going to be late, that is annoying.

PhaedraIsMyName · 27/06/2014 20:19

I'm not tonight but I'm more often than not at work at 8pm on a Friday. 9,10 and later isn't unknown.

ilovesooty · 27/06/2014 20:53

I work for a charity and I've been known to work until nearly 8 on a Friday if one of the keyholders is still there.

I can see why you might be fed up though.

kali110 · 27/06/2014 20:54

Iv worked in banking. Same hours mon-fri i could be working till 9 or 10. It being a friday did not make a difference.

BubaMarra · 27/06/2014 21:10

It's pretty standard in the City. Monday or Friday, it doesn't make any difference. No one, and literally no one leaves the office at 5pm.

Sisyphus85 · 27/06/2014 21:14

I'm kinda with you OP.

I guess every firm is different, and I def have to work late some Fridays... but most people will clock off on Friday early and then go back into work on Saturday if they have to.

Does your DH work weekends? If not then maybe that is why he works late on Friday - so that he can spend the weekend with you.

Or maybe he just wants to go down the pub with his colleagues and knows that if he says that is what he is doing, then you will nag him

ElizabethMedora · 27/06/2014 21:14

I worked late today - I work for a local authority - because I have a big deadline on Monday. My husband also worked late - he's a doctor. Unless there is something else it doesn't seem weird to me to work till 8pm just because it is a Friday?

bloodyteenagers · 27/06/2014 21:16

Can still see plenty of live in the City. People coming out of the offices for cigarette breaks. Lights on. Signs of movements.

Xcountry · 27/06/2014 21:19

I normally work till 10pm on a Friday, its no big deal really. some people have to work till 11 or midnight even.

Sisyphus85 · 27/06/2014 21:19

Or does he work with people in the US. If so then it's reasonable for him to need to be in the office during their hours, or at least when their markets are open

Coveredinweetabix · 27/06/2014 21:31

I always liked to get out as early as possible on a Friday (so by 6.30 if lucky) but, if I had things to do, would much rather work late on a Friday than mess up the weekend. IME, it arises because (a) the client/other side has been meaning to get something to you by the end of the week so it will come in today; (b) some people are cr** at prioritising so will know they have to do something by the end of the week but that only became real to them around lunchtime on the Friday so, despite having been following the cricket/tennis/football commentary all week, are suddenly having to get their head down & get on wiyh it; (c) they don't actually want to go home. As a trainee, I had to work every Friday in one seat as, if my supervisor got home before about 9, his children would still be up & he'd have to do bedtime with cranky but over-excited-about-seeing-daddy DC so he never left the office before about 8.30 & I then had to turn the documents based on our discussions. Despite liking the department, I chose not to qualify into it purely because I didn't want to give up all of my Friday nights. However, that guy possibly had a better attitude than another partner whose DC went to bed by 7 so he could go home without fear of having to interact with them but then would use the slightest excuse to be in the office during the day on a Saturday & Sunday. I left that firm as got sick of working for him!

macdoodle · 27/06/2014 21:37

I was on call every Friday for 10 years (till we changed our rota), surgery closed 6:30pm, then finish off the call backs, any late house calls, finish the repeat prescriptions, check or send urgent letters, I'd be lucky to finish by 7, 8 was not unusual. Every single Friday unless I was on leave.

sicutlilium · 27/06/2014 21:39

OP, I love "hangry" - sums it up.

casparthecat · 27/06/2014 21:42

No one works past 8pm on a Friday?

I would say that plenty of people work past 8pm on a Friday and it's getting worse. Not that I condone it but different companies have completely different cultures and expectations.

MrsJossNaylor · 27/06/2014 21:54

I work in communications (can't be more specific than that) but Friday is our busiest day of the week.
Last Friday I worked til midnight and started again at 5am on Saturday. Just the way it goes fir many people, OP. This early finish culture is non existent in my line of work...

YeGodsAndLittleFishes · 27/06/2014 22:37

Hangry. Grin angry and hungry?

Soggysandpit · 27/06/2014 22:41

No-one works past 8 on a Friday! You've lived a very sheltered life. My husband is at his desk 7am - 9pm Monday to Friday and works a lot of weekends. Hospital consultant in the NHS.

WireCat · 27/06/2014 22:42

Husband works in the city. It's often the busiest on a Friday so close some stuff.

IckleBird · 27/06/2014 23:08

Im a cleaner and people do certainly get in the road stay as late as 9:30pm regularly in an office building..if you'd likr him to come home at a decent time then tell him so.

NormHonal · 27/06/2014 23:14

I can also confirm from bitter experience that Fridays can mean late work nights in the City.

I never wait on DH for dinner any more, unless I have confirmation that he is on a train. Even that isn't a guarantee.

Presumably he gets paid enough that it's just part of the deal with the devil and you can live with it? If not, you need to ask questions.

Flipflops7 · 28/06/2014 13:15

Normal in the city, to make Monday less awful.

Shahsham · 28/06/2014 13:23

I had used to have a lovely client who, when we finished a meeting at 9pm on a Friday, would ask us all back to his office for a debrief and action plan Angry. FFS he had 2 kids under 3!

But agree with PPs. My job has no set hours and any day can finish late (ie after 8pm which is normal) depending on whats going on.

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