AIBU to think this actually exists?

[Tomorrowsanotherday1]

Hi

I'm working in a middle management, marketing role in financial services. Since the pandemic (and before if I'm brutally honest but it's certainly worse since working from home full time) I find myself working crazy hours.

Work 8.30-5.30pm - mainly in meetings so little time to focus and get work done, put the kids to bed, then carry on working. Go to bed then rinse and repeat. It's exhausting. It's not just me either - my husband is in exactly the same position.

Is there a job out there where you actually work your hours, get paid well (in my eyes around £60k out of london) and have a nice work life balance? Evenings to relax.

It might just be my employer but really feel that we cram so much more into our days now we all work from home. And it's now just become the norm. And I hate it!

So...
IABU - no it doesn't exist, stop moaning and get on with it
YANBU - it does exist. If so what job do you do and what's your salary?

You need to get on the public sector gravy train - NHS or council jobs pay a small fortune and you have much better enforcement of worker rights than in the private sector because the unions have more clout. Plus in a lot of public sector job it's almost impossible to get fired unless you are intentionally negligent at your work.

Engineer.
I normally work my hours but sometimes stay a bit late if I'm trying to finish something off, or occasionally come in a bit early but only half an hour or so here and there. Also, although my hours are not officially flexible, I can take a slightly longer lunch break occasionally, or come in slightly late if I need to one day as long as my work gets done and I don't take the proverbial.
I never work after hours at home!
I'm on around 50k which I think is a good salary, but I'm still in a relatively junior role, so more experienced engineers and managers would earn a lot more.

@DeathStare

What are these jobs outside London warning £60k?

Doctors, dentists, specialist civil servants, accountants, engineers, health and safety professionals, senior academics, finance and law.

Plus of course, outside London, £60k goes a lot further, you can buy an actual house with a garden without taking on a massive mortgage or having a huge inheritence or deposit.

YANBU. It does exist. Look for a new job. I'd recommend the Mums in Marketing Facebook group for lots of people in similar roles.
I'm in advertising (performance marketing), outside London, WFH, earn more than you OP and I do 9-6 (with some flexibility) and don't work in the evenings/weekends.

@HarrietsChariot

You need to get on the public sector gravy train - NHS or council jobs pay a small fortune and you have much better enforcement of worker rights than in the private sector because the unions have more clout. Plus in a lot of public sector job it's almost impossible to get fired unless you are intentionally negligent at your work.

I am inclined to agree with this.

There can be big differences between the private and public sector. In my last job (private sector, with £22k salary) I had to work between 7 and 10 hours of unpaid overtime every week, in order to stay on top of the workload. I remember thinking that if it were in the public sector (where I worked in a couple of previous jobs) there would probably be an entire department doing the work, not just me and my boss (who also did loads of overtime).
I'm not sure if it's still the same now, but when I worked in an office environment in the public sector, we were all on flexi time and if we worked more than our designated hours we could build up time off in lieu and take a day off every 4 weeks. We were under no obligation to work beyond the designated hours - if there wasn't enough time to get all the work done, it simply didn't get done.

You could train as an actuary?

Working as a lawyer and on more than £60k. Expectation is very much 9-5pm and then take a break for food/evening and then log back on in the evenings to ‘catch-up’. Part of the role. I’m very fortunate in that I love my job and the company I work for so very happy with this. But appreciate that it’s not for everyone. Also I’m on maternity leave so will see how I feel about this when I go back and DD is in childcare. It does worry me a bit but as I say love the job so I’m excited to go back full time.

I work in the Pharmaceutical industry, 39hrs/pw salary above your expectations.
0800 -1630 Mon - Thurs Friday early finish. Flexible hours around core hours of 1000-1400 where must be onsite.
Compared to my old job the Work / Life balance is sublime!

@staffieslobber

You could train as an actuary?

Yes, this. The exams to qualify are relatively easy compared to the salary levels.

I'm on more than £60k, and work in finance in the civil service. I live in Derbyshire.

Totally do-able.

Well that's 3 times my salary, I work 1 hour a day less than you in a responsible job, so in my opinion YABU. Or it could just be I'm jealous...

YANBU but I essentially do the same thing you do. I may or may not be a step above (my company considers this an "executive" position as opposed to management and I have a head of department title, but we're not a large organisation) and I'm in a different sector, but I am home by 4:30 every day and work does NOT extend outside of work hours, barring crisis. On more than £60k by quite some margin, but am near the city.

DH is a software engineer for a global healthcare company; he definitely faces the "endless meetings" loop with less time for real work than he'd like, but even so he doesn't work beyond contracted hours unless circumstances force it -- more often than in my role but still not even a weekly occurrence.

I think that, given that you and I are in similar positions, it sounds like the company culture is more of an issue than the actual role itself.

DH and I both earn more than this. We're both in IT but he's civil service and I'm private sector. His balance is much better than mine, never works evenings or weekends. I do, depending on where in work cycle I am, but I do compressed hours so get full time salary with a Friday off so it doesn't feel too bad.

I earn £55k FTE in the civil service. I work 3 days 8:30am-16:30pm and never work weekends or evenings.
Nnnfffff, you’re doing my dream days/hours.

Using this thread as inspiration for the kick up the bum I need to job hunt for a 3-day role (currently on 4, which in reality is “cram 5 into 4 for 80% pay) – one spare day with DD, one to retrain. Thanks for starting it, OP. Perhaps I’ll get my evenings back soon!

@Shade17

What are these jobs outside London warning £60k?

In my circle of friends alone:- Engineers, senior teachers, IT/telecoms engineers, doctors, accountants, surveyors, owners of multiple companies. Some of these people are earning many multiples of £60k/year.

But the op can’t just suddenly decide to do one of these jobs without several years of study and then a few years of experience to get up to £60k.

I was under the impression that she wanted to just move to a new job?

I earn over that in marketing and have a good work life balance. Sounds like a bad company culture, I’ve definitely encountered it before but it doesn’t have to be the norm.

Thanks everyone for responding. Really interesting to hear jobs don't always have to infringe on life to get the salary I'm currently on. I know this is a good salary and i'm lucky - I've been in the same industry for over 20 years and worked my way up, with qualifications. But equally I know I could probably get more if I moved organisations. But if I'm honest at the moment with small children I'm not chasing more money I just want to be comfortable and afford the life we've built but not work all hours to achieve it. I've even been considering stepping down a level to bring more calmness into my life

I do think there is a terrible culture in the particular team I work in though and this thread has made me realise that.

I wouldn't be adverse to retraining perhaps but I do love the creative side of my job and need to feed that part of me to be happy in what I do.

Going to look what other jobs are out there! Thanks all

@burritofan glad it's inspired you! I just think after such a terrible 18 months and wfh constantly something needs to change. Life is too short and all that.
Good luck

@Rugsofhonour

I earn £55k FTE in the civil service. I work 3 days 8:30am-16:30pm and never work weekends or evenings.

Your employee is taking the piss (as are the employers of half of the people on this thread!)

Agreed! They are taking the piss

I earn slightly above that and it's tricky. I can work my hours but then I tend to struggle to keep up with some of the interesting stuff/opportunities so I do a bit more.

I try very hard not to work my weekends but sort of write off the weekdays - I tend to work til I'm finished rather than take a break and go back and I usually work 10/11 hr days.

"I also think to state in a roundabout way that anything under £60k a year isn’t paid well, is problematic as well as deeply privileged."

This.

"Doctors, dentists, specialist civil servants, accountants, engineers, health and safety professionals, senior academics, finance and law.

Plus of course, outside London, £60k goes a lot further, you can buy an actual house with a garden without taking on a massive mortgage or having a huge inheritence or deposit."

Health and safety professionals is the only one that surprises me there.

"I'm not sure if it's still the same now, but when I worked in an office environment in the public sector, we were all on flexi time and if we worked more than our designated hours we could build up time off in lieu and take a day off every 4 weeks. We were under no obligation to work beyond the designated hours - if there wasn't enough time to get all the work done, it simply didn't get done."

I think there have been cuts in some parts of the public sector, but not mine.

*not all, I meant to say