To ask how much work you actually and honestly do if you’re highly paid? I am worrying!

[workworkbaby]

I’m on 58k. I know it’s not huuuge money, but it’s decent. Honestly, I do very little. I worry all the time about job security and have mentioned to managers I have capacity to do more etc. Sometimes more will land and other times not. As I work largely from home I often find myself just hanging around. I wonder if this is common? I have a toddler in nursery so I can collect them early sometimes which I love so I’m not complaining but I do worry… anyone else?

Yes, I had this for many years with various colleagues and bosses.

What really made the difference was not ditching these individuals, but learning to play my own game i.e. placing proper value on what I do.

some days I have literally sent two emails and had two 20 min calls
currently have 2k to my name! Something else I need to address

Most people in that situation, underworked & no savings, would get a 2nd job to earn extra. I can't think of any reason why you wouldn't. How can you not be bored if you spend most the day cleaning house & bathing?

Where the heck are u guys finding these jobs for ridiculous money to do hardly any work?

My work pays quite a bit more than yours, but it is usually madly busy. It relies on years of experience in understanding the industry and sorting out jobs that have gone wrong. I don’t think I’d be motivated to get out of bed for anything that was going smoothly.

How are you appraisals, and are you meeting your targets. If you are then don't worry. I work three days and earn 45k and I'm flat out.

My last job, I also had plenty of spare capacity. As others have said, I was paid for knowledge and experience, not for what I did day to day. Also for devising strategy and managing risk, taking over new projects as a result of changes in legislation or government policy. A safe pair of hands.
That said, I worked for many years in the same field at very low salaries. In the end, my partner said 'you could do that job!' and I believed them, applied, got the job and stayed at a senior level thereafter.

Where are these jobs?!

I'm currently self employed, only work evenings ( to avoid childcare costs) but have the odd look online from time to time. I can only find jobs advertised that offer £30k a year max. I have two degrees and a shed load of valuable experience at UK level pre kids.

Seriously, what jobs are these!

Are you me?! 😂😂

What financial stress do you have if you earn a good wage? You could do some charity work if you have some extra time. I have to say I have a job at a high level of education . I need to constantly learn and never the time too do that. No time to finish what us expected of me so everyday feeling as if I have failed so up until all hours . Only one step ahead most of the time . No time no help as eveyone is in the same boat.Have to travel a lot so away from family and home. I have a relation that earns more than I do a year in ten minutes. DOES bother me YES. Its also the lack of respect. People respect money more than education I can actually see it when I'm around people with money . Sad world . The health service is full of managers and the people who actually work are so underpaid. I respect the man that cleans my street and those that clean toilets. They should be paid more than than me actually. Oh and Chiropodists..

I earn £58k, but I only work 2 days a week. Those two days are hard going though, always extremely busy. I feel very lucky to be able to earn what I do in 2 days and be able to spend the other days with my toddler, so I don't mind how hard the work is.

Last year I earnt about £300k, the year before about £200k (my base is £135k - the rest is bonuses which vary according to company performance)

I work night and day. A lazy day is 10hours with no breaks beyond a quick run to the loo. Often still at my desk into the early hours. No such thing as a holiday (sure, I’ll book the time off… but it doesn’t really register with my boss… and I end up working regardless).

Not complaining - I chose/choose this. Just adding the perspective of a highly paid, but also very, very overworked person to the thread.

Interesting thread, but I think it also depends upon the nature of the work and the perceived value added of the work you do, not just the hours worked.

When I was a teenager I worked on a production line in a pie factory, ten hour shifts doing heavy and continual work with minimal breaks, for less than two pounds an hour. This was the early 1990s, pre-minimum wage.

Now I earn several hundred thousand and actually work for probably three or four hours a day, much of that checking out Mumsnet while on Zoom calls. But for the few hours I do work, the work I do is perceived as adding significant value. There are days I work more in advance of a deadline, but others where I do virtually nothing.

This is why I consider nurses, teachers, firefighters etc to be grossly underpaid compared with the value of the work they do.

Are you a (veterinary) receptionist by any chance?

It is no bloody wonder junior Doctors are complaining.

Yeah this sounds more like it. Very well paid but extremely over worked. Not necessarily stressed though as I like and am good at my job.

One other thing I would add to this for those asking how to get jobs like this is to take a chance. I never would have applied for my current role ordinarily as I thought it was too much of a jump but I was wrong and now I’m feeling the benefit. There were some many rejections along the way but taking the chance and pushing myself has ultimately paid off.

Never undersell yourself and your skills, apply for the better job if you want it. The worst that people can say is “thanks but no thanks” and you’ve not lost anything. I’ll bet that many of the people on this thread and elsewhere are in these roles at least partly because they took a chance and put themselves forward.

Are those of you who get big pay for little work employed by large corporations where you can be somewhat anonymous?
At my much smaller company we can work from home but woe betide we go offline for more than 5 minutes or don’t reply to messages/calls. IT can see your output - or lack of.

This ⬆️

My son has a job like this in a bank in the City. His job was veery hard to get but now the real job has started he is often at a loose end. He goes in to the office twice a week but does not need to and his manager often does not give him any work, it is a similar salary to yours.
He thinks that Banks hire to slightly over their capacity as people leave suddenly or become unproductive for some reason, and he feels that they are their as a reserve.
He, like you is worried about his job and so has taken on some side projects in the company to do with green tech. He has done some further training with them and is applying for other jobs.
I think in your position with a small child though I would hang on to the job- maybe do try and show you are keen and ask regularly for extra work to get a good review.

I earn £65k full time WFH 3 days. Bored out of my mind just coasting. I need to be busy, to have a purpose and deadlines to hit. I want to be made redundant.

Stop telling people you have extra capacity! Use it or keep it!

£86k and work really hard one day a week and the rest is pretty manageable- I have no meetings on Friday so have booked in some "me" time.

No, I don't feel bad. I've worked my way up.

The decisions I do have to make are really highly visible and can ruin me totally if I get them wrong though.

It's swings and roundabouts....

I work 14 minutes per day and earn £250,000 per annum. This isn’t a lie. I wouldn’t lie on Mumsnet.

In my spare time I drive around looking for National Trust properties I can just park my car at. I only use my membership for parking.

At Christmas, I tip my cleaner in buttons. We eat goose. My MIL is actually allergic to goose, which is pretty selfish of her because I earn £250,000 and if I want to spend it on goose, I bloody well will. But, that’s a whole other thread.

Question: do middle class people watch Doctor Who? My children have been asking if they’re allowed to watch it but I just thought I would check here first.

I’ve always been in jobs with weekly deadlines, huge workload, fast paced… as a manager I’d drop down to support the team. Now I’m in a massive organisation and the pace is sloooow! My work is project based with deadlines but much more spread out. I manage a team with some specialist who have skills I don’t have so I do hand work to them. I do have busy days with no lunch but that’s usually because I’m sat on teams calls so not hugely taxing, just giving my advice (starting the bloody obvious - surprising how often that’s new information for some people).

My line manager is always commenting how busy she is and looks hassled but I’ve given up asking if she wants me to pick anything up. Maybe she likes being stressed.