To think 45 hours a week is too much

[Letthebodieshitthefloor]

Monday to Friday 9-6 with a 30 minute lunch break.
I'm sure there will be people on here who say they do 70/80 hours a week but I just feel that even 45 is slightly too much. Thinking of seeing if I can cut down to 4 days and 36 hours.

I work a lot more hours than that but for us it's necessary but it's not too much in terms of we need to do it but it is too much in terms of it's a real struggle keeping going and risk of burnout is very real but self-employed so have to put the hours in, hoping can cut back in a few years. Whether it's too much is different for everyone and if you feel you need to and can afford to cut back hours then do so. Only you know what is right and manageable for you.

Not only is it too much, here in the USA it would be illegal, even for a salaried person. 40 hours max, with overtime after that (time and a half), or other considerations for a salaried person. For instance, if a salaried person worked a 45 hour week, they could expect to leave early for a few days to make up that 5 hours in another week.

I work four days a week, paid for 30 hours. I usually worked 40-45. I’m thinking of going back to full time after my current maternity leave as then I’d actually get paid for the hours I worked and probably wouldn’t actually do many more hours despite the extra working day. I do get paid well though.

I suppose it depends on whether you need to put in that many hours. Here in France, full time is typically 35 hours.. i do think in the UK we do long working hours and then some, often unpaid! xo

Isn't 48 hours a week the maximum legally allowed? Or was that EU regulations. Either way, less than your hours. If you find it too much and have other options then go for it. If not, then I guess stick with it until you find a better position (fewer hours).

If you can afford to work less, work less! We have this culture of must work hard, be the best at everything- work, parenting, relationship, friends etc it's too much and it's the reason everyone is so stressed all the time.

I work 8am to 8pm(ish) 5 days a week and have to work longer (early hours of the morning) if I have a big deal closing. I get paid very well for what I do and love it though. So it wouldn't be too much for me, but it's all subjective isn't it and depends on whether it's something you love doing, with people you like and something you find fulfilling it whether you are clock watching and hate every minute.

@Paperplain

I work 8am to 8pm(ish) 5 days a week and have to work longer (early hours of the morning) if I have a big deal closing. I get paid very well for what I do and love it though. So it wouldn't be too much for me, but it's all subjective isn't it and depends on whether it's something you love doing, with people you like and something you find fulfilling it whether you are clock watching and hate every minute.

Do you have kids?

depends on what the job is really, pay and what the commute is.
Also is this guidelines- or set in stone- eg do you clock in clock out.
Ive always had a job with no maximum hours (the european working hours directive is a joke- every job ive ever had has required me to sign out of it! )

Get a grip

Longer working hours and frozen pay is a massive scandal imo and it has happened slowly in the manner of boiling a frog. When I started work in the late 80s/early 90s standard office hours were 9 to 5 or 9.30 to 5.30 or even 10 to 6 with an hour for lunch. I can't imagine any employers offer those hours now.

I always raise my eyebrows at the hours nannies are expected to do ... often 12 hours a day as they need to cover the parents working day plus commute.

When I started work in the late 80s/early 90s standard office hours were 9 to 5 or 9.30 to 5.30 or even 10 to 6 with an hour for lunch.
To be fair, that was just you and what you got up to back then. In the 80s my dad was getting into work at 7.30am and would leave anytime from 5 until 7. In the late 90s, I used to work 60+ hour weeks.

That's why I used the phrase "standard office hours".

@A580Hojas - You're extrapolating your own experience too far. The point is that lots of people didn't do the hours you've called "standard" in your theory that things have changed. I could say that hours have gone down since '00s because mine have, but actually they only reduced because of seniority and company changes, people with my old roles will still be doing longer hours.

I find the idea that tons of posters queue up to tell other posters its "too much" and they should be with their family vaguely disturbing, tbh.

As plenty of other people have said its impossible to take an arbitrary number of hours worked without any context about the pay, setting, the quality of the job and how much pleasure the poster gets from the job and tell someone they are working "too much".

Too much for whom? More than you would personally like to work? More than some vague idea about the amount of time a woman with kids should work? More than your mum worked? Who gets to set these standards?

Would you tell a random man you didn't know off the internet that doing a 45 hour week was too much? Didn't think so.

I am a part time primary teacher. Do 3 days a week. Work 8 - 6pm in school, extra at night, before anyone gets up, weekends. Probably work about 40 - 45 hours a week. I am always having to cover on my days off as the school can’t get supply, or treat staff like shit. When I do a full week I can work up to 70 hours a week. My husband is a full time teacher and also regularly does 70 hour weeks. It is still not possible to get everything done. I am looking for another job. It’s crap!

As a teacher, Any time I leave before 5pm, to pick up the kids etc, I don’t get stuff done and get in trouble. So if I take books home, told off. Don’t mark books. Told off. It’s just impossible to get it all done.

Are you contractually obliged and PAID for 45 hours? If not then only do what you are paid to do. Negotiate how you spend your hours that are paid for with a working time agreement. Many jobs have a martyr culture of overwork but please value your skill and qualifications and only do what you are paid for otherwise you could end up working for below the minimal wage.

@Mamanyt

Not only is it too much, here in the USA it would be illegal, even for a salaried person. 40 hours max, with overtime after that (time and a half), or other considerations for a salaried person. For instance, if a salaried person worked a 45 hour week, they could expect to leave early for a few days to make up that 5 hours in another week.

That's just not true.

Many many industries work standard longer hours than this. Look at finance in the US, it's even longer hours than here

It depends on your circumstances, if you have kids/have caring responsibilities and your routine.

I wouldn't work those hours personally. It's too much for me. If the salary was good then it could be worth it, but if you can get the same salary for fewer hours elsewhere, I wouldn't stick around.

Haha, I'd missed that gem.
It's standard in the USA for people to work long hours, it's far too common in fact.
"In the U.S., 85.8 percent of males and 66.5 percent of females work more than 40 hours per week." (20somethingfinance.com/american-hours-worked-productivity-vacation/)

There are a range of employment laws in the USA, including some state laws. In some circumstances, employers must pay overtime for anything more than 40 hours. In others such as agriculture it's legal for contracts to mandate 72 hours per week. People really need to stop extrapolating their own experiences into general statements; it's fine just talking about your own experience and doesn't need the exaggeration.

@JustUseTheDoorSanta

When I started work in the late 80s/early 90s standard office hours were 9 to 5 or 9.30 to 5.30 or even 10 to 6 with an hour for lunch. To be fair, that was just you and what you got up to back then. In the 80s my dad was getting into work at 7.30am and would leave anytime from 5 until 7. In the late 90s, I used to work 60+ hour weeks.

No, this was my experience as well as a southern white collar worker.

I started work in the late 80s and a standard weeks was 9am to 5pm/5.30pm with an hour for lunch. I pretty much remember everyone having an hour as well. In fact, one company I worked for was closed between 1pm and 2pm with the receptionist taking messages.

There wasn't the angst and stress that there is now. It was completely okay to do a 9 to 5 job to pay the bills. Now everyone is expected to have a five year plan with ambitions to be the MD. I don't feel that we are better off and the slow and insidious creep of stagnating wages, no training and longer hours is a big factor.

I can't speak for the North or blue collar workers at this time as I have no knowledge of what went on in other areas/sectors.

@Mamanyt

Not only is it too much, here in the USA it would be illegal, even for a salaried person. 40 hours max, with overtime after that (time and a half), or other considerations for a salaried person. For instance, if a salaried person worked a 45 hour week, they could expect to leave early for a few days to make up that 5 hours in another week.

Haha, have you lost the plot? I'll tell my colleagues who work anything up to 70 hours a week. They'll have a good laugh.

Yep, depends on the job, depnds on your circumstances.

I did more hours than that and had a 1.5 hour commute on top. BUT I was younger, had no other responsibilites, was paid a shedload (so could afford cleaners etc) and my job was a large part of my life. I did it for about 10 years and can't say I felt OVERworked until close to the end when I took a 2/3 paycut to be able to do an easier job, from home because I wanted to do other things with my days/life by then.

However, if my job had been rubbish, my pay had been too low to afford outsourcing things like cleaning, or my life been fuller with children etc, I would never have wanted to do those hours at all.

@JustUseTheDoorSanta

Haha, I'd missed that gem. It's standard in the USA for people to work long hours, it's far too common in fact. "In the U.S., 85.8 percent of males and 66.5 percent of females work more than 40 hours per week." (20somethingfinance.com/american-hours-worked-productivity-vacation/)

There are a range of employment laws in the USA, including some state laws. In some circumstances, employers must pay overtime for anything more than 40 hours. In others such as agriculture it's legal for contracts to mandate 72 hours per week. People really need to stop extrapolating their own experiences into general statements; it's fine just talking about your own experience and doesn't need the exaggeration.

Absolutely. The work hours expectation varies hugely from country to country and industry to industry.

People who have never worked more than 40 hours/week keep tipping up to say its "wrong" -- well, it may be wrong for you, it's reality for lots of people. In my industry 45 hours/week is at the low end of expectations.

Also there's a lack of imagination here: plainly a lot of people on this thread are not breadwinners in their family and therefore don't have any idea about what's involved in being the sole provider. I am the only source of income for my family and I don't get to throw my hands up in horror and refuse to work more than a 9 to 5. I'd lose my house if I did that.