To ask how hard you work for your >100k job

[Shed82]

name Changed for this as high earner post.

am early 40s and several months into a >100k salary, eg this month I took home £7k after tax, and feel it’s an achievement to get to this level of income. But obviously it comes with increased stress and responsibility. I wonder what sort of hours others work for their six figure roles/what stress you feel and ultimately whether you think it’s worth it.

I am managing it much better than I used to.

I do do a bit at weekends but not a lot. Very rarely late nights. I will pick up calls whenever, but it’s fairly rare.

They are paying you for your experience and to step up in a crisis - so when it’s ticking along so should you, when a crisis hits then yes you have to be around pretty much 24/7 if needed, but that should be rare.

It varies. I work for myself so sometimes I work six days and long hours. Other weeks I do rather less, taking time off for lunches or a swim.

On the way up you tend to need to put the hours in for most careers but it can level off when you get high up.

Bear in mind that some people love what they do. The hours may be long but there is satisfaction and pleasure in work. A sense of achievement.

My DH is on 100k, which will rise to 115k in 6 months. He’s very busy but works 9-5:30, does three drop offs a week and two pick ups a week, two days WFH. He’s not particularly stressed.

I've given up weekends, holidays and worked past midnight before when I was on 25k.

It all depends.

Really? I guess that's a personal opinion not one based in fact

And "stress" is a very personal thing.

I can get irritated and overworked. I can worry about work, but I very rarely consider myself stressed.

I earn just shy of 100k fte, but I work part time 4 days a week. I am paid for my expertise in a niche area and my job involves a lot of brain-work. I have to make difficult decisions in sometimes high-stakes situations. But the job doesn’t stress me out at all: hours and workload are fine, it’s flexible, I work full-time from home.

Cannot stand the assumption that people on higher salaries all 'worked their asses off' and have tons of responsibility and stress. I worked far harder on just over minimum wage than I do now on a higher salary, and have much less stress now. so many people like carers work very hard and have high levels of responsibility for a pittance.

No one has said that carers etc don’t work hard.

Chips on shoulders are never useful.

I'm senior leadership in a school similar to one that educates most of your senior aged children. I work a 12 hour day every week day and probably about 4 on a Saturday and Sunday for less than half than that. (Note: I'm classed as support staff so don't get paid for holidays)

30-40 hours per week in my main role (but contracted for 24), plus on-calls, report writing, training, additional responsibilities.

It's pretty high stress. Multiple life and death decisions, legal ramifications as well. No protected breaks or guarantee of time to eat or go to the bathroom. Physical risks too - physical assaults, etc, aren't unusual - and my colleagues and I regularly get verbal abuse thrown at us.

But I love it.

I really don’t work that hard. Despite that, I am a top performer among my peers, and smash my targets. I have 20 years of experience in my area, am very well connected and respected in my area of expertise. I do have to travel for my job but on the whole work 9-5 from home and spend more time on candy crush during my working day than I should. I really should go for a C-suite job but I am currently enjoying the easy life on the rung below. I may go for it in a couple of years but for now I am just chilling. I did work very hard to get to where I am and it is only the last couple of years that have been this easy, so I don’t feel too guilty.

I'm on over £100k and work FT. It's a busy role but very flexible and I wfh 80% of the week and so can do school runs in the morning and pop along to school open events etc if needed. I generally work my contracted hours tbf. Sometimes a late evening here or there but I usually flex some time the next day back in lieu.

I work harder than STBXH, but he earns over £100k and I earn considerably less than him. However, he has particular skills and experience that companies are willing to pay more for than I do. That’s just how these things go. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm just below 100k. Don't work excessive hours. Often it's quite relaxed. I guess I get paid that much to get the job done no matter what and sometimes it can mean huge workload for a short period of time for example when there is staff turnover.

I'm cautious to not move up further as I do believe it would come with added stress (not necessarily more hours) and I don't want that.

My jobs pays well into the £100ks territory with bonus, and I would say the hours are cyclical over the year.

Some weeks I can end up working 80hrs on complex deals, while in the quieter weeks its less than 20hrs/week (just planning and management which is much more straighftorward and less stressful).

Averages out to about 45-50hrs/week

Nobody mentioned that, so why did you bring this up?

I've always worked long hours so it's not the hours that's getting me down but thre stress. It's a lot of pressure and I'm never clear of work. Never was before when I was junior but at least I could lean on senior people for support but once at the top there's no one to lean on and everyone leans on me.

The extra salary is not worth it for 60% tax rate. I don't fancy taking a step down for less though. I want the recognition.

The sector my husband is in has never had set hours despite a contract of hours…it’s a given that you don’t clock in/off

in the plus 100k bracket it’s still evenings and weekends and this won’t change until he makes a radical change (together 25yrs)

Architect

Also agree with this. In most of the schools I've worked in the Headteachers do far less work at home than the ordinary class teachers. However they have a much greater level of responsibility. Ultimately the buck stops with them so it's more stressful.

I’m on more than that and usually work 9-ish to 5-ish. I don’t find my job particularly stressful, have no managerial responsibilities and am not expected to make many decisions.

I do think it’s a myth that the more you earn the more difficult or pressured your job. It’s generally more a case of supply and demand.

Agreed on the tax rate.

So many people now are choosing more leisure time instead of working for higher pay because of the punitive marginal tax rates.

Not much point in working more for £0.40 on the £1.00

Forget it. They can find themselves another sucker.

I am not quite at 100 but not too far off. It's a patch work of consultancy work though, not a classic full time role.

I do all school drop offs and 2-3 pick ups as default. Mostly wfh. Travel to other U.K. cities once or twice a week.

The juggling is the hardest thing. Switching brain from one task to another to home to kids to packing PE kits to dinner choices to a conference call to emails etc etc. I couldn't manage without significant wfh. I have flexibility during the day which frees me up to do kid stuff on an evening. In theory I work 5 days but it's flexible and I will exercise & shop & meet friends for coffee during the day as it fits in.

Im on 135k incl bonus, work 4 days a week at home, 37hrs a week.
It's about results not hours...

I’ve always worked just my contracted hours, never weekends etc

my job is quite intense in the 8 hours a day I work but I also work at pace so that I don’t have to work overtime. I have zero interest in working above my contracted hours