To think everyone works outside their paid hours ?

[relax2]

Evening all

Now I know we're in tough times with regards to jobs etc but I recently took a new job because in my last job I was working long hours and my work life balance was rubbish for my family.
So now in new job and it's starting to go the same way. I have a constant stream of work to do with little let up and in order not to feel stressed or get behind I end up doing some in my own time. The more people I speak to the more "normal" this seems that many people do this but I feel it's not right.
I'm allowed to accrue TOIL but not if I work at home in the evenings as our company doesn't want us doing it but then if I don't I'll always be behind!!

Do most people end up working in their own time? Just interested

My DP is shocked that people work over their hours as he is paid for all overtime and on-call stuff.

When I was young and eager I used to work crazy hours for very little pay and often worked to 8pm, sometimes until 11pm. I would come in when I was sick. I wanted to show that I was committed. One day my manager made a snarky comment about a mistake I had made - an oversight, a silly but easily fixable issue - essentially saying that I should take my role more seriously and try harder. I felt like I'd had the scales slapped from my eyes; it didn't matter how much I did, it would never be enough.

I am now very strict with myself at work and I will come in, work, take my 1 hour lunch break, and leave on time(ish). Contrast with my manager, who skips lunch, works late and regularly takes her laptop home with her to "work on stuff". I am her only direct report so goodness only knows what she is always working on.

If you're on £100k, you work as many hours as it takes. a massive generalisation. I make more than that and work around 35 hours per week and that’s just ‘contactable’ time- the actual face-to-face client time or hands-to-keyboard work is less than half that. I put in the hours to get to this point years ago when I was making a quarter or less of what I am now. But even then I didn’t work over my hours as a regular thing- it was rare, and I insisted that I was paid for it or that I earned the time back. Anything else is theft of Labour and should be massively illegal.

Absolutely not, clock off, work brain off

@Dollymixture22 that’s so grim. Do you really have nothing you’d rather do with the short time you have on earth?

I don't. I work my hours and nothing more. If they want more they can pay me, but I'm not doing it in my own time.

I’m minimum wage so I never do unpaid overtime. I won’t work weekends if needed either because they give us the minimum holidays they can get away with so I’m not giving up my weekends even if it is time and a half. Time off is more important to me.

If there's too much for you to do in your hours then there is too much to do. It's only by accepting that and being "behind" that anything will change. Your manager has already said that she doesn't want you working over your hours.

Are you good at managing the time and projects you do have? Are you keeping a to do list or using a planner/outlook calendar to block out time to work on stuff?

I do and I don't.

I mean, I do, but I'm never sure if I'd have to if I didn't procrastinate in actual work time.

Dimension - I am taking tomorrow off!

But yes I need to sort myself out. Having a mid life crises and need to decide what to do with the next forty year - twenty of which will be spent in work. Can’t keep this up

It isn't black and white, I put in the hours unpaid when projects are near release or the shit hits the fan, but then I am on over 100k and a very senior dev in IT, my friend clocks off 10 mins before her finish time because she can't claim 15 mins of overtime even though she is on a salary.

Depends on the person and the industry, no one anecdote is correct or wrong, there is no solution in 'no one should work more than their paid hours' or 'people should show willing and work extra hours for free' as it just shows they have no understanding of the difference in industries.

Some people are martyrs, some take the piss same with business, all part of being a globalised economy.

I’m contracted part time to work 3 days a week.
The rediculous unmanageable workload means I always do way over this. Some weeks close to full time hours

We don’t get paid overtime

It’s made me so resentful of the full time staff who get paid full time hours as at the moment I’m not doing far off but getting paid a third less.

I spoke to boss about it and he didn’t have much to say back so that made my mind up

I won’t be working for a company who takes that much advantage of its staff again

I am in a professional role and on flexi-time. I actually got reprimanded for working late when there wasn't a big deadline so it's definitely not expected.

In a previous role, I worked for a woman (who headed a major national agency) who told me that if people were regularly working over their set hours then there was a problem either with the person or the job, and that it was management's responsibility to fix that to the benefit of the employee, whichever it was.

Wood

Not saying it’s the same Situation, but I have a colleague who constantly complains that she does full time hours for part time wages. While she does put in more hours than she is contracted (around four hours more a week) she does nowhere near the hours of her full time colleagues.

There is an assumption in her complaint that the rest us is only work 40 hours a week. I work about 55-60. She doesn’t come close (now should she). But it does grate every time she tells me she works the same hours as me for less pay😊.

That should have read nor should she😊

I start at 7am and finish at 1715, thats me done for my day, as soon as 1715 hits im done and im in my car and i forget about work until 7am the next day, occasionally get asked to stay for an extra 30 mins as overtime but always refuse!

Im not a career person, i earn enough to pay for bills every month, ive got better thinks to do than work

Ok so not everyone is. I am certainly not earning enough to warrant eating into family time! I need to get a grip of it so I think I'll do just that

No. I start and finish at the agreed time

Ime. As soon as you work more than your contracted hours they expect it all the time

Why work yourself into the ground for an employer that would replace you in a nanosecond and anyway Why would I work for free? No way

I don't, or only by a tiny bit. I don't mind the odd half hour, but I'm part time for a reason and I'd be a mug to work full time for half pay! If there is too much work for one person, there is too much work for one person - you are not doing yourself or the company any favours pretending you can do it all.

Im a salaried GP and my contracted hours are 8.40-5.30.
I usually work 7.50-8pm ish. I only work two days now I have a baby though. Before that I did four but often had to come in for a couple of hours on my day off to complete left over admin.
My husband is a solicitor and works 9-7, contracted hours 9.30-5.30. He gets paid 50% more than my FTE though.

I work more than I am paid for. And i am paid less than the national average. My employers will replace me as soon as look at me (toxic work culture). But the expectation is that you have to look as if you are maiking an effort, otherwise you are treated with utter contempt.

I am paid 9 am-5 pm with an hour for lunch. I am in at 8.20, I work through lunch and I leave at 5.15. I log on again about 8.30 pm and work for an hour or so catching up. i work about 2 hours a weekend, and could do more.

Everyone in my office does it, while we all recgonise that management do not give a shit. I do not get a performance related bonus but my performance is judged by the money I bring in. I bring in about 5 times what I earn.

But- although i knbow it is crazy and I am being a mug, that is the workplace culture... that you work your arses off for people who frankly disrespect you and do not give a flying fuck about you. But everyone is doing it, nand if you are not then your colleagues mutter and bitch about you.

We are all fools.

No. I’m 35 and I’ve never worked during evenings, weekends or on the train. If I have too much to do, I raise it with my manager by saying “right, I’m at full capacity so can’t do all of this. What would you like me to prioritise and who can help me out with this?” Don’t be afraid of saying no.

No. I don't and never have.

I'm in retail and get paid for the hours I work. If I clock in early or leave late I get paid for that - in fact, anything I do over a 37.5 hour week, I get paid at time and a half.

I wouldn't work for free.

@Dollymixture22 your colleague certainly sounds annoying and that would grate on me. 4 hours extra is just working through your lunch. How does she think she’s at full time hours unless her part time hours are already 36?

I never did, I earn above minimum wage but not megabucks. In my experience managers didn't seem to look any more favourably on those who worked overtime anyway.

I'm in the veterinary sector. 8am start....finish at 6pm officially but usually later. Others take their letters etc home to write but fuck that for a game of soldiers...I want the boss to see how long it takes. Corporate owners thrash the vets these days....more cases....more money for them...."we own you"..."it is a vocation ". Bullshit it is....it is work and they lay emotional crap on you and wont pay overtime. And then they call you at 2am for advice and then there is weekend work. So how much is all of that worth in money...time...one's health?