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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you’re in a highly paid job but do very little…

254 replies

Workbutba · 01/12/2023 12:07

Do you feel uncomfortable or worried? I earn over 60k. I know this isn’t loads but it’s obviously decent. Some days I do very little. That said there are times I will work a whole weekend or very late night so perhaps it evens out. But on Wednesday for example, I sent two emails and had two calls and then had a bath and tidied the house. I used to feel anxious about it/job security and was always asking my manager for more work etc but they are relaxed and say it ebbs and flows, which it does I suppose. The company makes big profits generally.

Is this common? I now have a dc so I worry even more about job security. I have a friend in a different industry who earns similar in management and she has days she can be on the phone to me for 3 hours and it doesn’t matter. I wonder how common this really is?!

OP posts:
MarryingMrDarcy · 01/12/2023 16:21

EmpressoftheMundane · 01/12/2023 16:06

Without context and detail, it’s hard to understand whether people should feel a bit “guilty” or not. There are a lot of senior people making poor decisions driving extra work and risk into organisations, but they are hard to identify because of the subjective nature of the decisions. The people making those bad decisions often don’t even realise it. They are completely deluded.
In jobs with a lot of discretion, you can choose to work hard or coast. I am bossy, curious, and like to keep busy. I naturally seek constant improvements in my department and the way that it interfaces with other departments. Sometimes I have to take a hard look at myself, am I generating heat or light? Because it’s all linked together, I’m pulling the pace of others. Is this good? Or, am I unfairly overloading other parts of the organisation?

This is a good point. A lot of senior leaders say they earn lots because they make the ‘tough’ decisions, but actually drive companies into the ground through incompetence and then just walk away, usually richer and into another job at similar pay. Those people should feel guilty, though they’d need a conscience first.

Echobelly · 01/12/2023 16:26

Work does seem to be very unevenly distributed. There are plenty of people doing not all that much and others who can barely fit everything in. Bring underemployed is frustrating, my second job (not well paid!) was really only about 1 week a month and this was 20 years ago. I asked for more stuff but as it was a very beaurocratic organisation there wasn't much they could do on a team level.

My current role is well paid (not 60k, but well over national average) but some days, like today, just aren't that busy. When I'm at home and quiet sometimes I just think about it as 'being on call', I start by my laptop most of the time, I wouldn't go out and have a big shopping trip or something but I might ensure I do the laundry and errands but I am keeping myself available to my employer for the expected hours.

Sheerheight · 01/12/2023 16:34

I tend to read these threads and wonder what these jobs actually entail.
If its a case of some days mega busy , some days not then fair enough. But if week in week out you could do your job in 1 day, I feel a bit wtf.

(I have had a job where there was often little to do, but it wasn't well paid.)

Aydel · 01/12/2023 16:37

I’m paid to make decisions and carry the responsibility for eg finance. Also to nurture and bring on the next generation. Today was spent mostly mopping up a young man who was having a crisis of confidence as a piece of work he had done had been heavily criticised by his boss (rightly - it wasn’t fit for purpose and he shouldn’t have done it on his own). So we went through what was wrong with the report, both style and substance, and how bringing in others to contribute would have resulted in a better product.

madaboutmad · 01/12/2023 16:58

Allfur · 01/12/2023 15:56

Like a nurse doesn't have to make any important decisions

Absolutely, but they aren’t decisions on which £M’s are made. Unfortunately it’s ‘only’ life and death (I’m being facetious). My Dsis is a nurse, she has a higher qualification than I do (masters), works harder than I do, and it’s not right.

OnceUponAPileOFWashing · 01/12/2023 16:59

A lot of the time you're paid that amount due to your experience and you're trusted the make the right decisions at crucial moments.
It does make me think about the loooonnng lunches men used to take in yester-year without a second thought.
Just enjoy your cushy job.

Chaitales · 01/12/2023 17:01

Similar boat. There are days when I work an hour or so a day. However, as posters said, as an expert in my field I contribute in value, leadership and experience and I have a specific skill set so am quite head hunted. So I wouldn't feel too guilty, I would say value over volume. Far too many people sitting in endless meetings and contributing nothing of value, instead stcylaly delaying essential processes with their meandering. Better to get things done in a few minutes than nothing in an hour.

greencheetah · 01/12/2023 17:03

I actually work about 20 hours a week in my FT job (legal)

I chose to take a job a couple of rungs below my ability so I can do it in a fraction of the time. The lower salary is offset by my improved work life balance.

OnceUponAPileOFWashing · 01/12/2023 17:06

Sheerheight · 01/12/2023 16:34

I tend to read these threads and wonder what these jobs actually entail.
If its a case of some days mega busy , some days not then fair enough. But if week in week out you could do your job in 1 day, I feel a bit wtf.

(I have had a job where there was often little to do, but it wasn't well paid.)

At a guess - I would say these jobs are in very large companies (1,000+). And people are in roles such as:

  • market research
  • strategy
  • training / development
  • change management
  • risk (etc)

They're unlikely to be operational or something that's really visible like marketing, finance, or comms. In my experience, marketing and comms are usually always busy. Finance people aren't rushed off their feet but very process driven.

MarryingMrDarcy · 01/12/2023 17:12

OnceUponAPileOFWashing · 01/12/2023 16:59

A lot of the time you're paid that amount due to your experience and you're trusted the make the right decisions at crucial moments.
It does make me think about the loooonnng lunches men used to take in yester-year without a second thought.
Just enjoy your cushy job.

We all hope the hard working medical professionals who care for us and the people we love make ‘the right decisions at crucial moments.’ And are paid probably a fraction of what many of the people doing these other roles are, for much more of their time and energy. So the idea of linking it to decision making is, in a word, horseshit.

The reason y’all get paid so much is CAPITALISM!! Not because your time is inherently worth more.

SharonEllis · 01/12/2023 17:17

I'm busy all the time and earn a fraction of what you people earn. I hope you do something useful with your leisure & your excess income.

EmpressSoleil · 01/12/2023 17:19

I'm a bit under 60k but my job is like this too. I don't feel guilty. I've done plenty of MW jobs in my working life and worked really hard.

My manager knows that if they want something done I will do it. I train other staff, give them advice whenever they ask. I've helped out other depts. I'm in my 50s and I don't want a full on stressful job which is precisely why I took my current role, as it was actually a step below where I was. So if it was full on/stressful why would I take it on for lower pay? That wouldn't make sense.

OneMoreStepAlongTheRoadIGo · 01/12/2023 17:21

I have to account for every half hour I work and I work more than I am paid. I am not paid well.

I have several degrees - what are these jobs.

I saw training and development on one of these lists... can teachers move into these roles?

OneMoreStepAlongTheRoadIGo · 01/12/2023 17:22

And in my (not a school) role I've often thought the subject specialists are paid per hour whereas the "managers" really do seem to act as most on this thread do. 😔.

lemoncurd1995 · 01/12/2023 17:24

OneMoreStepAlongTheRoadIGo · 01/12/2023 17:21

I have to account for every half hour I work and I work more than I am paid. I am not paid well.

I have several degrees - what are these jobs.

I saw training and development on one of these lists... can teachers move into these roles?

Exactly this. Learning and Development roles are paid very handsomely and do very little work a lot of the time (based off what I know from 3 people in those roles). Yes there are times they are busy but it’s never consistently busy and mostly work part time.

myphoneisbroken · 01/12/2023 17:25

This is fascinating. My friend was telling me that all her friends have jobs like this and I didn't believe her.

In my sector (higher ed), the more senior/expert you are, the more responsibilities you have and the busier your diary is.

Perfect28 · 01/12/2023 17:25

Yeah this thread is annoying and highlights so much inequality. I run around like a blue arse fly all day and barely earn the median wage as plenty of professionals do. I genuinely hope that if you are this lucky you contribute to your communities and to others and use your time and privilege wisely.

notimagain · 01/12/2023 17:32

senua · 01/12/2023 12:50

Isn't it like being an airline pilot? Most of the cruising is done by autopilot; the proper pilot comes into their own at the tricky times i.e. lift-off and touch-down or in an emergency.

Well maybe, as long as you're aware autopilots are basically dumb machines and you always need to keep an eye of them....

It is in a way like other jobs in that you get peaks and troughs....and often the big money decisions are actually made on the ground, maybe on a difficult day, when everybody turns to the occupant of 0A and asks them to make a possibly six digit in pounds decision about whether a flight should operate or not.

I never ever felt guilty about taking the money, even on an easy day.

madaboutmad · 01/12/2023 17:33

I will add I worked like a fucking dog to get to this level - 4.30am starts for meetings at the other end of the country. 19 professional exams done after 7pm each night, report writing at midnight.

Now in here, too right I’m maxing it, but it doesn’t make it right. It is indeed capitalism.

Nowherenew · 01/12/2023 17:34

Wow what do you do??!!

Most days I don’t get time to pee, sit down or eat lunch.

I receive less than £20k a year including benefits.

Jeannie88 · 01/12/2023 17:37

So this is wfh? Yes, some of my friends who wfh in highly paid jobs can do very little hours at times but extra at others. Many of us who can't wfh are envious of this and are looking into different positions in the hope of being able to experience this sort of flexibility and lifestyle. Would love to not have to do the commute, be at work all day, often with meetings after, then commute home, login to complete new tasks, and update and give feedback to post work sessions. Just how society has changed, when I qualified in my career in the 1990s things were different lol. X

OnceUponAPileOFWashing · 01/12/2023 17:39

@MarryingMrDarcy yes of course it's capitalism. I didn't say it wasn't. And of course, it is completely industry dependent. Obviously nhs staff work their arses off and aren't paid fairly for what they do. Also freelance jobs aren't cushy - you sit around, you don't get paid.
But my point is... if you're in certain industries you get paid handsomely for your experience and ability to make the right choice.

PurpleCar02 · 01/12/2023 17:40

I work in tech. If things are running smoothly, my job can be done in very little time, but anything can go wrong at any time and if it does I would need to snap into action immediately and would be inundated with calls for hours on end, working evenings/weekends until a solution was found. So I might be able to do odd jobs round the house like loading the dishwasher but I need to be very close to my laptop at all times. I think I preferred it when I was in more junior roles and the workload was more even.

OnceUponAPileOFWashing · 01/12/2023 17:43

OneMoreStepAlongTheRoadIGo · 01/12/2023 17:21

I have to account for every half hour I work and I work more than I am paid. I am not paid well.

I have several degrees - what are these jobs.

I saw training and development on one of these lists... can teachers move into these roles?

Several degrees would ring alarm bells for me when looking at an application for a role.

TooOldForThisNonsense · 01/12/2023 17:44

I wish lol

i congratulate you for your honesty. I bet there are very, very many men in “senior positions” doing next to fuck all but using it as an excuse to absent themselves from family life by convincing themselves and their wife how busy and important they are. Nice to hear some women getting a bit of it too.