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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think working 64 hours in a week is too much?

149 replies

happinessisabutterfly · 02/02/2015 07:23

Concerned about a good friend who is doing this.

Are there laws against it?

Aibu to think it is too much and worry she'll make herself poorly?

OP posts:
Stealthpolarbear · 02/02/2015 07:26

Plenty of people do it
Is there a reason you think your friend cant

Stealthpolarbear · 02/02/2015 07:27

That said I wouldn't like that to be my contracted hours

eurochick · 02/02/2015 07:28

It isn't ideal but plenty of people do it. I've done that and more at times. Do you have any reason to think your friend won't be able to cope with this?

The law is the Working Time Directive but it is standard in many industries to opt out of this b

Original poster
happinessisabutterfly · 02/02/2015 07:28

It is just an awful lot every week stealth and it means she has very little time 'off' as it were.

OP posts:
Fabulous46 · 02/02/2015 07:31

Both DH and I work 70+ hours a week depending on the time of year. Loads of other people do as well it's manageable.

Eva50 · 02/02/2015 07:31

I couldn't do it now but I did for the 10 years before we had children. It was fine when I was young and it enabled me to buy the house we live in now.

Original poster
happinessisabutterfly · 02/02/2015 07:43

fabulous - that's almost double a 'normal' working week! What do you do?

OP posts:
DontWorrryBaldrickHasACunningP · 02/02/2015 07:47

I used to do it when working as a manager in the hospitality industry, DP is a head chef and will work more than that every week, probably around 70 hours. Needs must and all that.

bedraggledmumoftwo · 02/02/2015 07:55

My dh is contracted to work 35hrs(haha) with a "however many hours to do the job" type clause. Including travel time (not commute, and he largely avoids this by living in hotels) 60 hours is a very good week. 100hours is not unheard of, at which point he literally works through the night.

Its rubbish and he wouldn't keep doing it if there wasn't a very large carrot dangling in front of him.

bedraggledmumoftwo · 02/02/2015 07:57

And yes, lots of companies require ask you to opt out of the working time directive. It can be in your interests to do so if you are hourly paid, not so much if you do all the extra for free!

Altinkum · 02/02/2015 08:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
happinessisabutterfly · 02/02/2015 08:01

Blimey, i must be a lazy slob! I thought around 40 was standard!

OP posts:
Pensionerpeep · 02/02/2015 08:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DearGirl · 02/02/2015 08:03

As a nanny I work an average of 60 hours with a minimum of 50 and sometimes more.

Meechimoo · 02/02/2015 08:12

So if you and your partner both work 70 hours a week, you only see your children at weekend?
Anything over 40 hours a week and work/life balance is fucked.

Annietheacrobat · 02/02/2015 08:14

Really depends on what the job involves, whether they enjoy it and what other commitments they have.

Latara · 02/02/2015 08:15

Before I got MH problems my normal working week was 37.5 hours so then I'd do overtime, often working up to 60 hours a week.

The pay was good and I was fit enough to do it.

But then I got depression, then I got too caught up in the 'politics' of the workplace, got paranoid etc etc so now I'm only allowed to work 3 days a week!

finallydelurking · 02/02/2015 08:19

I would assume fabulous and husband are teachers!

TendonQueen · 02/02/2015 08:19

To say that it's 'manageable' is setting the bar low, though. And short term is different from long term. I work over my contracted hours, haven't ever really counted how much, and have just ground to a halt this weekend through sheer tiredness. Plus when you're young you can cope a lot more easily (I'm not anymore)

wobblebobblehat · 02/02/2015 08:19

Plenty of saddos people do it.

It's her life. Why are you worrying about it?

jimmycrackcornbutidontcare · 02/02/2015 08:20

OP - It is too much. People are prepared to work like dogs now and think that because they do others should do the same. Some people are also quite inefficient with their time and it becomes their norm. I think your friend should speak to their work.

Stealthpolarbear · 02/02/2015 08:22

Why dlurking?

Original poster
happinessisabutterfly · 02/02/2015 08:23

Teaching is not a 70 hour week; I'm a teacher. Yes there is work outside of school but I am talking about the time physically spent at work (contracted time.)

I know she can do it and she needs the money but I do think she's tired and since her job involves travelling I worry she may crash (her DD does the same job and had a nasty smash a couple of weeks ago.) It's anti social hours too.

OP posts:
PixieofCatan · 02/02/2015 08:23

This is pretty normal for a lot of people. I'm a nanny and a full-time job is easily 50 hours but often more. I work part time due to health issues, but the long days do mean that I'm maximising my income in the three days that I work.

treaclesoda · 02/02/2015 08:23

If I'm honest I think it depends on the job. I've worked hours like that in the past for not much more than minimum wage, with the promise that there would be a long term reward if I did. Guess what, the promotion never materialised. And why would it, when I'd done two years of work for what probably worked out at £3 per hour? And yes, it made me stressed and miserable. All that work for no financial gain, whilst my bosses got big bonuses for the increased productivity of the department.

On the other hand, if you're in a senior job, and are getting well rewarded for it, it's slightly different.

I hold a view that is quite unpopular on mumsnet which is that if a job routinely takes 70 or 80 hours a week to do then really it's too much for one person and the company should be employing more people.

It's different if you're self employed and you reap the benefits of the hard work.