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.

I work in theatre production. Depending on the point in the life cycle of a play/musical I can work 8.30am-10.30pm daily. I don't work at a desk, and overtime pay doesn't exist.

I run my own business and was working 16-18 hour days when I first set it up. I was up at 6, in bed at midnight and working most of that time apart from breaks to eat and go to the loo etc.

Used to work 10-10 Tuesday-Saturday

My OH is often at work before 7 and leaves after 7. Has lunch at desk. 30 or 45 min commute each way depending on what site he's at. Some people work very hard.

When I worked in a care home the shifts were 8:30am-9pm or 8:30am-11pm, if I was on a sleep shift that night. The usual shift pattern was 4 days a week including 1 sleep over.

I’ve also worked in hospitality where one of the most common shifts would be 11am-close (usually around midnight).

Mon: 7.30-7pm - 10.75
Tue: 8.30 - 7.30 - 10.25
Weds: 8.30 - 6.30 9.25
Thurs: 8.30 - 9 11.75
Fri: 8.30 - 9 11.75
Sun: 12-7.45 7.45
So, 60 hours. DH does the same - used to do more. I used to do more like 40 when the dc were younger (grown up now).

Always had help. Always needed it: au-pair, cleaner, gardener, window cleaner, odd job men. Sorry we'd never have managed it without.

In my case 0715-2015 or 1945-0745

I get up about 5.45, do about half an hour of work in the morning before my DD gets up. Start work officially at 9am, work until 6 (never have a lunch break), usually work again from about 9pm until 11pm.

Then I usually work about three hours on a Sunday. Only day I (almost) never work is Saturday.

My fulltime academic colleagues would be teaching/doing research/admin at their desk/in the classroom between 9 and 6 and do extra reading when they get home, then taking work home for the weekend, or maybe running an Open Day on Saturday and marking on Sunday, and spend their holidays doing research. I'm only part-time so can usually getting away with working a 5-day week and reading on the bus. No overtime paid.

Unless you're a) senior management b) self-employed or c) have signed the opt-out from the Working Time Directive, it's illegal to work more than 48hours a week all year. You can do it for a limited time only.

I have often done 12 hour days in the office. Then a 90 minute commute each side of that. I don't think it's unusual.

@Gwenhwyfar Unfortunately there are plenty of employers who make you sign an opt-out as a condition of offering you a job.

12 hrs shift is common at 24/7 places but not 60hrs a week. Normally 4 days on 4 days off or something similar.

In an office at my desk 8 to 8. Sometimes 8 to 9 or more if really busy......day after day for periods of perhaps 2 weeks. Then back to a normal day of day 8 to 7 if things are going easy. This is in financial services. I don’t do these hours anymore but they were expected of me if I wanted to keep my job.

My dad is an engineer (contractor) he's had jobs where he's worked 6-6. He was very well paid for it though. I used to work for a law firm doing bids & tenders a 9am start 10pm finish was not unusual at all.

Doctor: on long days I start work at 8 and leave at 21:30. On nights I do the opposite (it takes an hour to hand over, so arrive at 20:30 and leave at 9:00). On normal days I arrive at 8 and leave between 18:00-18:30 depending on how much work there is to do.

I’m not sure why this is confusing for you? Do you just not believe people when they say they work long hours?

Fred - yes I know and it shouldn't be allowed. I wonder if they'd necessarily not hire someone who refused to sign it though.

In my previous job I was working 10am to 10pm 4 days a week plus 10am to 3pm 2 further days. That was with an hour each way commuting on top, working solidly throughout that time often without stopping to eat or pee, and doing extra work from home during the few hours I was there. It was killing me and I am so glad I stopped.

HCA start was at 7am finish at 7:30pm with one half an hour break, luckily it's only a 15 minute walk each way

When I work these sort of hours, which isn't always, it's a mixture of being at my desk, meetings, working on the train and time working from home in the evening or early morning.

*@LanaorAna2 *
Overtime in the NHS is seriously well paid.

Hilarious

I used to do 12.5 or 13.5 hour shifts, often 7 in a row. No set breaks. Often no time to eat or rest (medical).

Big improvement on the shifts we used to do when I first trained though!

Doctor Arrive 7.45 am leave 9 pm ish. No break. Used to do it 5 days a week plus half day at weekends. Had to go part time as never saw children. Do it 3 days a week now.

Paid for 8-6.30. No overtime paid. Amused by nhs overtime comment.

I’ll often work 8 hours in the office then a couple more at home in the evening.