To not be certain what people mean when they say they work for 12 hours a day.

[topcat2014]

Now, I get that we are busy - but here is my question.

If people say they work 60 hours a week (say), then do they really mean:

At my desk from 07:00 to 19:30 with a half hour for lunch, every day - or

Leave the house at 07:00 and arrive home at 19:00.

I have never worked anywhere where staff are sat at their desks from 7am to 7pm, so not quite sure.

When I talk about work hours I wouldn't include my commute, but I would include lunch because I'd be working at my desk with a sandwich if I had that much to do. It isn't normally 7 am -7 pm though. It would more likely be 8:30 am - 6:30 pm then 2 hrs at home or something.

I'd also include all at work networking (i.e. talking to people at the coffee machine, but not going to the pub after work).

My husband often works 12+ hour days. He can leave the house at 8am and not get in until 10pm - allowing an hour each way for travel. The other day he left for an early meeting at 7.30 and got home at 11.40. And that wasn’t a networking event - just trying to meet a deadline. My cousin and his girlfriend are a nurse and a midwife. They start work at 7am and Work until 7.30pm and they’re lucky if they get to eat. Me - I’ve always been a bit of a clock watcher and unless absolutely necessary, i would always be out of the door by 5.30. These days as my own boss it’s not an issue.

I’m a teacher. If I’d done a 12 hour day that would mean 8 til 6 at work (with about 20 minutes for lunch) plus a couple of hours work in the evening after the kids are in bed. Occasionally I might work 8 til 8 at school but only on parents evening or similar.

I work a 14 hour shift. That does not include commute.
I am sat down at desk at 8am and clock off at 10pm. We get paid the full 14 hours. Eat when we can no set break.
Work in a busy mental health unit as a line manager. Support workers work a 24 hour shift . Come off shift at 11pm. Sleep in a bed in the office as they are on call. Hourly rate stops and they get a sleep in allowance. Hourly rate starts again at 7.30am.
DH works in transport. Starts at 9am and finishes office about 8pm. Comes home and is on call. Will take phonecalls and have to re plan routes etc on laptop.

DP a dairy farmer, starts at 5.30am and finishes at 8pm, goes out again for an hour at 11pm to put the little dears (cows) to bed. Usually takes 1.5 hours for breakfast/lunch. This is 7 days a weeks (112 hrs a week). He last had a day off in 2015. Never attends school events, all other parents think I'm a single mum or that DP is figment of my imagination. If I were to have an imaginary OH it would be Tom Hardy and not a knackered farmer.

I’m a midwife and I don’t work 60h weeks but I work 12.5h shifts, 0730 to 2000 or 1930 to 0800. Partner is a film editor and works 0830 to about 2000 most days, easily a sixty hour week and often more. Makes childcare a bitch.

I worked in Security and was sat at my desk for 12 hours. I worked on a one week on one week off rota.

Husband worked in IT and had a similar shift rota. 12 hour shifts one week on one week off.

My dad is an electrician and since he drives all over the country (like one day he can be in scotland, then in coventry the next day) he gets paid from leaving the house till getting home. He works anything from 8 hours to 15 hours a day. Door to door, in a building it can be anything from a couple of hours to full days depending on distance between jobs.

I arrive by 8am and rarely leave before 8pm - sometimes a lot later. I do take breaks in the day (for instance, it's 6.41 and here I am on Mumsnet) but the point of my role is that I'm here aside from to sleep, and I'm 'on call' the rest of the time and able to act if required.

I flipping LOVE my job, but it's broken a few EAs before me. I'm fortunate in that my other half was comfortable sacrificing her career in order to support me/manage our home/raise the children that I don't see awake Monday-Friday.

You must be loaded! Why else work such long hours?

A lot of people saying they do this are public sector workers who certainly don't get paid a lot (such as nurses and teachers). Why they do it? Love for the job I guess. I know I'd certainly hate to spend that much time working.

It's just crazy! If you think about it the extra hours that people put in at home, staying in work late, they're probably actually earning a bit more than the minimum wage! Especially public sector jobs!

Very sad society we live in! The more people do the more that is expected!

Where have the unions gone or people wanting to stand together?! What is it all about or for?!

I work to live not live to work!!

Capitalism is a hell of a drug

The thing is it's the Government that are taking advantage of the nice caring people who are made to feel bad if they don't put in the hours!!

That's why they like people buying property too so you have no choice!!!

Couldn't agree more Diego!!

The chemo nurses at my hospital work from 8am to 8pm

When I work from home, I sit at my desk at 7, eat lunch at my desk and finish about 7 or later. Today I left my house at 7:30 for a meeting that lasted 7 hours got back at 6:30 and will now work until DP gets home later. 12 hours or longer. We both earn decent money and have a good life but it's hard when your 4 months pregnant! I need caffeine!

Started work 8.30 am. Worked through 30 mins lunch until 8 pm when computer system shut down for updating. Went home, had meal made by husband then worked at home sometimes to 1 a.m. - 11.30 usually. so a good 12 hours most days . Also did work at home weekends. Worked in Local Authority. Left for a 36 hour job which was actually 36. Thought I was in heaven.

The thing is people are saying they do all these hours but they earn great money! That really is your choice for material gain.

What about the people who work long hours and don't get the financial rewards! They feel they don't have a choice! This country is going backwards!

My friend works 7 - 7 and gets less than minimum wage.

If I say I have worked a 12 hour day, I mean actually working.

Being out of the house 7am-7pm is a long day, but not working 12 hours.

Nursing 8am to 8pm

Only 3 days a week though

Well, after such a long set of replies, I really ought to come back again -

I worked in retail after Uni, and have family members who are in the fire service etc - so I suppose I didn't have them in mind when thinking of my question.

I am a finance director in a small firm (but not a shareholder..). The work is ok, the pay is comfortable. I do work an hour or so each day extra, and always have throughout my career - but never stupid hours.

I have, however, travelled abroad etc, and always treated the travelling time as 'my own time'.

If I (needed) to work stupid hours, I would be unable to be a charity trustee, help at Beavers, or be a school governor. Of course I nod there to the teachers who are also at the meetings.

To a certain degree, if one has choices, I guess some of it is down to what you knew growing up. When you choose a job, way back at 18/21 or whatever - who gives any thought to the hours required?

I certainly never did, and of course in those days had loads of exams to take after work.

Would I happily put more hours in - yes, I suppose, if the work was a little more varied and interesting?

Am I qualified to do anything else - not really!

Thanks again!

I think it totally depends on each person’s job. They might be rounding up or down. My husband often leaves the house at 5am starts at 6-7am and doesn’t finish until anywhere between 6pm and 9pm 6 days a week. That’s a lot of hours.

12 hour shift for me in old job would have been 8am to 8pm with 30mins unpaid lunchbreak. Most of our team did 2 long days and 2 short days and had 3 days off per week. The service covered 8am-8pm 365 days a year.

I thought advances in technology meant less work! More of a work life balance. More like you're on call and answerable 24/7!

It's almost like your committing a crime for leaving the time your contracted until!