to think this is not a workplace culture that should be encouraged

[jazzingaround]

A friend's son has just started a new job and was telling my friend that 'it's not the done thing' to leave the office at your contracted time. Apparently everyone hangs around, not wanting to be the first to go, finding stuff to do, deliberately sending emails to their managers so the time will show up etc etc.

AIBU to find this increasingly prevalent attitude sad and unhealthy? Obviously, in some jobs, long hours are unavoidable. In others, staff are overloaded and unwillingly working ridiculous hours.

But people deliberately and needlessly hanging around the office after their contracted working day is finished, and management encouraging and rewarding this kind of behaviour, seems like a backward step to me.

Depends on the role. I know in high-flying jobs it would be unheard of to leave within usual 'office hours'. For example, barristers. Especially if you want to progress in the career.

That sounds ridiculous

It's indicative of how fearful people are of losing their jobs. Work life balance has gone out of the window sadly.

Ridiculous when they're not even getting things done, and management that doesn't stop it is bad management. Everyone is just wasting their time.

I hate this sort of thing. When I stay late it is because I have actual WORK to do. Same with my colleagues. Haging around 'to be seen' is really stupid.

I would respond to those emails with "why are you still working GO HOME"

I don't think it's an increasingly prevalent attitude, indeed I think it's quite the reverse, it's an attitude that is losing favour, now only in those excessively hierarchical face showing closed shop jobs like barristers mentioned above.

Most jobs have fully moved to flexibility being the way to retain good quality staff, it's only where there's an excess of good quality staff or huge barriers to entry (such as a professional association) and a group of senior staff that grew up in that environment so perpetuate it.

It's the same at my husband's office. Everyone gets in early and leaves late. Often 7.30 till 7ish.

He, however, gets in at 9 and leaves around 5.30. I'm sure he gets a few raised eyebrows but no one's said anything in 5 years (two different offices). He's fulfilling his contact and doing his job, there's not much they can do about it.

I don't really think it's a hierarchal thing. As someone above said, the whole life/balance thing has become very skewed and 'flexibility' often works one way only.

When I was a child most people's working days wound down around five o'clock, dads were home by six, and no one was easily contactable at weekends or evening.

It's like that at my place. 8-6 but more like 7 pm some nights. People want to be seen putting the hours in (even though it's backwards) I don't feel bad for leaving on time. we work the legal max as it is ....

A couple of comments:

Barristers are self employed (generally) - so staying late, they are working for themselves

I think this a cultural thing. I worked for a "Big 4" accountancy firm for many years and this was expected.

angelos Barristers are self employed so in my experience spend as little time in chambers as humanly possibly.

But it is true working 9-5 can be the death knell to you career in some professions

I think it does depend on the workplace. I have a friend who is a lawyer and she does the same thing. Apparently leaving at 5pm is pretty frowned upon and you would have zero chance of getting promoted is you just worked your contracted hours. In my role (NHS nurse) I usually work through my breaks etc and that's pretty standard, and I stay on if required (often unpaid). However I certainly wouldn't stay on just for the sake of it. If the ward is settled and my shift is done, I'm gone. That being said my standard working shift is 14 hours long so I'm certainly ready for home time by then!

Can't stand presenteeism, it's such a load of bollocks.

A friend of mine works in recruitment and this is the done thing in his office too. Nobody wants to be the first to leave, they're meant to finish at 5.30 but will often stay for another hour or so to look good in front of the managers.

My office as soon as our time's up we're straight out the door!

Well now in my 40s and legal sec with a long and tricky commute I leave on time.

Previous role accountancy PA it was asked why I left early which is a bit if you're a sec!

When I worked we had flexi time so we had people in early and people staying late. We just had to be there for core time 10-4 and cover the phones 8.30 - 5.30.

It just naturally worked that we had a good balance in our office. But no one stayed beyond 6pm because the caretaker came to lock up

Dh goes in early, 7.30 but leaves before 5pm to be home for dinner with us (teeny commute) He has always done this because the firm see it as beneficial to have family time/free time away from your desk.

Is this in the City? It happened in a company that I used to work at, unwritten rule that you didn't leave at 1730, start time was 0900 but really you were expected earlier too. Hence why I left.....

See also, every law firm in the City and every in-house legal team I've encountered.

I absolutely detest this attitude. It just creates a new kind of clock-watching, where everyone is hanging about waiting for an acceptable time to leave / a certain manager to step out.

Dh works in the City and is appalled when this happens. New staff who do this are called into his office and questioned about their need to be in the office after a certain time. His theory is if you can't get the job done between 9-5 then you must question your ability to do the job.

Yes from what I heard this seems to be the done thing nowadays. Instead of clocking off on the dot. It's not about how late you work it's how good you are at your job. If peopple work fixed hours they should be on time and leave when they should give or take the exceptional time they have to work late for an urgent task.

Oof, C, lunchboxes at dawn....

My brother rang up to tell me that actually he'd paid me last week and the cash had taken a week to go through. True, I checked. How is Seniorboy today?

no its ridiculous

makes me despair