To ask, how hard do you work at your job?

[Countrymouse1]

Curious as to how hard you find your job?

Do you do a lot of unpaid extra hours, work through lunch? Is your workload manageable?

What is the most stressful thing about your role?

I am going through a rough time with my work situation, and am eternally grateful to MNetters for just being there with me when I was panicking (a LOT) about it all this morning and over the last few days. I am sorting that with my doctor and going to find a new job. I need to do some serious thinking about what move will be right for me, my confidence is a bit low, and want to make a good decision and see what the norm is for levels of job stress.

In work for 8am. I work through until 4.30pm, I always have work that needs doing but I have to leave to get LOs from nursery or risk £10 charge for every 5 mins late to pick up. I also don't drink because I can't get to a toilet until I get home at 6ish. Will then work from 8pm until midnight most days and do about 3/8hrs over the weekend. Pre-DCs I could I would get in earlier and work later and do less in the evenings (I leave 5mins from work but the only childcare I can afford is 30mins drive away) but hey ho. This is the absolute bare minimum required of me in my profession, my colleagues all work the same hours, the few who don't generally don't last very long and many, many burn out and leave due to the pressure. Twice a month (on average) I'm expected to work 8am until 10pm, no breaks unless I drop things that I should be doing to take one. I then have to catch up in my free time. I do my jib because I need to pay the mortgage and bills and feed my children. If I had another option I would take it in a heartbeat.

I get in 30 min early, work through lunch and at least one hour at the end of the working day. Very busy all the time. No extra pay. I love the job (NHS). I don't know how to negotiate about the workload. It needs doing there and then and it's expected.

I work in the health sector, no one takes a break where I work. We are technically supposed to take a 30 minute lunch break as we don't get paid for it but due the cuts in staff numbers it's not possible. Most of us have back to back meetings or appointments throughout the day so there isn't really time to chat with your colleagues but on a positive note there's no time for annoying office politics either, everyone just gets on with the job! I tend to get in early in the morning, partly to catch up on some admin before my appointments start but also because I hate getting stuck in traffic or having to fight for a parking space. Before DC's I would always stay late but now I have to get back for the childminder so bring work home with me to do on evenings and weekends instead. It's bloody hard work and can be stressful but the day flies by.

Like other teachers, during term time I am paid 35 hours, work double that, sometimes more. Don't get breaks - maybe 10 minutes for toilet/lunch. Rarely get time to boil the kettle for coffee.

It grinds you down even when you try hard not to let it. I love my job but there is a lot of needless crap that we are made to feel obliged to do. I can't see it changing.

I expect to work longer hours as a professional but I do get resentful that I rarely get a day to myself without having to work, weekends included. This week for example is half term, I ran a revision session yesterday (paid, but less than hourly rate and only did it because nobody else would but kids needed it...) then need to do a load of admin, planning and marking so will easily work 30 hours this week.

30 hours in my 'holiday'.

I work very hard at my job. I'm a nursery manager and work way more than my 40 hours I'm contracted to. I often don't have a lunch, especially if someone is off as I have to cover to maintain the ratios
I do a lot of work at the weekends such as rotas, research and updating paperwork
My job is very rewarding and I love it
I am currently expecting an ofsted inspection and chasing that elusive outstanding. I am a bit obsessed at the moment.
It doesn't feel unmanageable or stressfullvas I recently spent 5 Years doing a degree and my EYP while working fulltime. Now that was stressful

I work allegedly part time but work in the evenings early mornings and weekends. I am sitting here shaking going hot and cold been up all night worrying about a potential mistake thats not sortable. Very basic mistake I like the work but hate the job

I work hard, but having seen the piss that some take, i will not work through lunch, normally. Nor will I stay late. I routinely go in early, though, because it suits me to feel prepared for the day.

I agree with Float, though. i am slightly disatisfied with Mgt at the moment, so am more inclined than ever to keep work within prescribed hours

I have felt very stressed and overwhelmed in a previous job and wil never go back there again. It led to depression and self esteem problems that lasted for years.

..... Would never become a teacher, for instance. The intrinsic reward of the work with children is not worth the rest of it.

I work 30hrs/wk, I tend to stick to it although I might go over one week and then claw it back the next. After experiencing being over-worked and under-appreciated I now make an effort to regularly assess my workload, plan sensibly and talk to my manager if I think my workload is or is likely to get too high. Thankfully I where I work the culture is starting to change from "long hours" to a more sensible approach and so my manager is usually very receptive and we work out a solution.

My point is the onus is very much on me to raise the issue if necessary. It would be very easy to take on far too much and probably no-one would notice or care.

I'm in publishing - responsible for a small department and so any work that comes in for our section has to be managed by us.

I always work through lunch and sometimes stay late if I need to. I also travel quite a bit overseas. I'm not well paid but I have a lot of autonomy, am creating policy as I go and generally getting quite involved with senior management. I really love my job and my company.

And on the flip side, there's no pressure about doctor's appointments or sick days etc - we are all pretty much trusted to manage our own workload.

I work in an insurance office and I've got to say it's the easiest job in the world, had loads of other jobs but generally office work is a complete breeze to a lot of other professions.
Obviously a lot of people in offices do work massively long hours but overall it's pretty cushy...

I do 22 hours over three days. My workload is insane. I can manage my time well and I have become very good at prioritising. I went from ft to pt but it is still very much a ft role. A reorganisation in the department meaning that I am more senior now means that I have even more on my plate.

Currently looking at ways to delegate a big section of my role which I may be able to do next year. I may also increase my hours when dc2 starts school.

It's partly me why I am so busy. I am pushing to make changes, driving the implementation of new software because I think it's the right way to go, not because I have been told to. I like to think that I am productive - I have never missed a deadline, which is more than can be said for ft colleagues - and managers respect that.

Always check and sometimes deal with e-mail on non-working days but try not to when on annual leave. Don't work in the evenings. Take 20 mins for lunch partly because I cannot stand spending time in the staff room sometimes. I also leave "on time" to get the dc. But we have flexi so I will have been in "early".

I reckon I work at around 75 percent capacity for 3 days out of 5 and at full blast for 2 days. I mostly work through lunch but leave on time and do some emails. Etc in the evening.

Rarely have lunch/breaks. regularly work outside my contacted hours/weekends (no overtime pay). Highly pressured job with a lot of work. Blackberry flashing red already and I'm on leave today.

But I love my job and do extra willingly. The work I do is recognised by my bosses (not financially, I'm public sector) and my career is doing well. When I'm not travelling I leave dead on 5 to pick children up (although I will work at night if necessary). If I say I can't do something because of the children then this is accepted. And I'm about to get extra resource to help with my workload which is far in excess of my equivalents in other areas. Hoping that takes the workload down to busy rather than all consuming and I can have a genuine day off.

I've just left my job but the worst thing was the politics and constant back-stabbing and bullying of colleagues

Before leaving I did as little as possible and my mantra was 'never offer never volunteer'. I'm not really that kind of person and in the past have forfeited lunch and tea breaks to get the job done. My self-esteem has been very low because of my workplace and i've had a long time off for stress but now i've left I feel optimistic for my career prospects for the first time in ages. It did feel scary to leave and took me a long time to make that decision but sometimes you just know it's right to move on.

too bloody hard for the money I get

Tbh I am a bit slack. But I've just been awarded the company's Diligence award so I guess I am doing something right!

I used to work in a job where stress levels were incredibly high. Short staff and actually put in quite dangerous situations for both me a clients. Never took breaks. Always worked late.

Ive just moved to a different department and cannot believe the difference!

I now work set hours, set breaks! My workload is busy but definately doable. I have time to have office banter. I have a sunny disposition rather than a crazy scared look about me.

I love my new job!

I changed jobs after a horrendous experience with a boss who was a very poor manager/leader (prob alcoholic) and made my/our lives a misery. I was working long hours (on my part-time days) in a very stressful situation.

I changed jobs to one which on the face of it looks more stressful but is definitely not as I work within a great, supportive and proactive team, have a highly competent boss and my work/life balance is waaay better (despite me now working full time) 10 years on and I'm still very happy.

Time to move on, OP. My only regret is that I did not truly acknowledge the stress I was under at the time - I should have definitely been signed off from work. Maybe you should too?

I work as a CM and generally don't stop for 11 hours a day. I eat lunch standing up, dinner with the mindees, breakfast with mindees; usually have a mindee following me to the toilet.Rest of the time is spent playing with them, reading with them, changing bottoms, tidying , washing up and cleaning. Then I start on the paperwork if they are all happy playing independently for a few minutes.
Absolouetly non stop.
I guess it's to balance out the 11 years I spent in research where I did bugger all!!

( only got 3 bigger kids at the moment who are having breakfast as 2 lo's are late before anyone jumps down my throat for mnetting)

I am contracted to work 37.5 hours (excluding lunch breaks) over 5 days (Mon to Fri) per week. Until about 18 months ago I was actually working between 50 and 55 hours each week, for no extra pay. I did that for about 7 years, because I didn't want to let my employer down and also because if I didn't work those hours then I would have an ever-increasing backlog to deal with.
I came to my senses, finally, and started claiming time off in lieu, like many of my colleagues do. I realised that the long hours were not doing my health any good and that ultimately no-one would thank me for them.

I now have a better balance between home and work. I do sometimes need to work 50+ hours a week, during busy periods, but I always note the extra hours I have worked and ensure that I take t.o.i.l.
If I don't have time to do a task, then it simply doesn't get done. I've cut out the pointless filing and keep electronic records and have stopped doing anything that doesn’t actually need to be done.

I work quite hard at the moment (I'm an office manager), have been in my new job about 6 weeks, so am keen to make a good impression (although not too good as that can have it's downsides too).

I get overtime but only at the regular hourly rate. I worked it last week but don't think it'll be a regular thing. I only work 20 hours a week but I travel for 40 minutes each way. I do 5 hours a day, 4 days a week and don't take a lunch break, just eat my sandwiches at my desk.

I work hard but its very project based and there is afair bit of travelling. So some weeks I work crazy hours to get things done and others its quieter and I can relax a bit. At the moment its manic.

I don't reallythink about the hours and don't always take set breaks, but then other days I will go shopping at lunch time and not come back for an hour or more. This annoys people in the office that are very strict about their hours but their jobs are different to mine so what they don't see is that I am then logging on at 8pm to finish off when the DCs are in bed.