To leave work on time?!!

[skyblueeee]

I find working full time (9-5:30) quite hard, I feel tired and restricted, which is why I can't wait for the clock to strike 5:30 and I can walk out the office, drive home, eat dinner and relax....

But the problem is, no one ever leaves at 5:30 I look around and everyone is still working while I walk out the door, I even get a few judgemental looks from colleagues. I'm usually the first one out, if not I'm one of the first.

Does it look bad to leave work on time? Obviously if I had something urgent to do I would finish it, but I don't want to stay just to look good. I already get home about 6:20pm depending on traffic and not keen to have an even longer day....

If you've finished your work for the day there's no reason to hang about.

Why are the others doing it?

Ignore the martyrs is my advice. I work flexi so can leave at 4 and i do, every day i am in the office

You're not unreasonable but i wish i had those hours!

I don't know @ilovesooty , maybe to get jobs finished but other than that I'm baffled

If you arrive on time or a few minutes beforehand, and don't have extended lunches, then fine.

Depends on the job you do, and the culture of the workplace.
In theory its fine to work the hours you are paid for, but, in some professional roles people are paid more 'to get the work done' rather than 'per hour'.
So, difficult for anyone esle to be able to say.

Some office martyrs may be in the office later to avoid a bad home life.

Personally I would never leave bang on 530. Give it 5 mjns or so. I know it’s daft but I think it looks desperate to leave exactly at 530 and two seconds

Others won’t agree I’m sure

I find working full time (9-5:30) quite hard, I feel tired and restricted, which is why I can't wait for the clock to strike 5:30 and I can walk out the office, drive home, eat dinner and relax

Perhaps it's giving off this vibe after a perfectly ordinary length working day...

If they can't get their work done in the hours but you can that's their issue.

It doesn't sound like a very nice place to work - or it's not fulfilling for you anyway.

I used to work at a company that expected you to stay after normal finishing time 'to show commitment'. One guy used to say sod that if I can't finish my work in the normal hours then something is wrong

Leaving work on time is perfectly reasonable, but in a presenteeism culture, with good jobs not easy to come by, I think you have to justify it by being ace at your job. If you’re great at your job, no one will ever be able to say a word against you, but if you’re thoroughly average and you always shoot out the moment the clock strikes, you’ll be known as a shirker.

Your poor attitude is probably quite evident to your bosses hence giving others more work than you.

I used to leave my office at 4:30 to catch my 4:45 bus and was called part timer but what they didn't realise was that I started work at 8:30 when they came traipsing in at 9:30 or even 10. I didn't care, would just wave and shout 'bye'

I hate it when there is a culture of working late (unless there’s s good reason). It always makes me think the people who do it are inefficient at not completing their work within the designated hours.

I don't know what you mean @DuchyDuke I don't get given less work and I hope I don't have a poor attitude... I'm quite a fast worker and don't have any work to do at the end of the day so I don't see the point in staying just to sit around doing nothing?!

I can finish my work at home so never stay until the end of my working day. But if I had an office based job I wouldn't start packing up my things and switching the computer off etc. until 5.30pm - but then I'd be straight out of that door!

How is it a poor attitude to work your contracted hours?!

Maybe it's the culture of the firm? I always finish bang on time but donfoes everyone else, there isn't a long hours culture where I work which I love sorry
I've worked other places where this is though, what a PP said is true too- some people do long hours to avoid home and childcare duties.

Are you getting all your work finished? Is then it doesn’t matter what time you leave. It you get in late, take long lunches and don’t put much effort in then it will matter but if you’re working hard otherwise leaving on time is fine.

How is it a poor attitude to want to finish work on time? I rarely work over my hours, I don't get paid enough to work hours over. If I was very senior then it would be different I guess.

Don't feel bad for leaving on time. I do 9-5 mon-Friday and by 5:57 I've got my bag earphones in & phone unlocked ready to run out home.
Let them look, don't feel any kinda way for leaving. They could leave on time if they wanted to.
Tomorrow shout bye to them... make it known that your leaving 😂😂

I love my job mostly but come home time you bet your bum I’m straight out that door. It’s not a bad attitude, it’s respect for my personal time

If my employees are walking out of the building at bang on finish time it tells me they have been packing away/getting ready to leave before then, not working up until then.

I work in a caring profession so it matters.