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?

@measureofmydreams me too so I started a post grad uni course (funded by work with agreed study time). One that’s over I’ve got to re think my future. I could coast but I think it’ll ruin my mental health.

to me success isn’t always about intelligence but about tenacity. I earn 90k in a senior role in a law firm. I left school at 16 with nothing and essentially we ran away from home in the night. My mum could not afford to keep us as a single parent and we were sent out to work. I started my career in a supermarket, then a pub. It’s a long story but I managed to get a job in London in an IT role despite never touching a computer previously. I slowly progressed. I learnt stuff that others found scary. I just took it on and learnt it despite being totally useless at school and witnessing wealthier kids going to uni and higher education. I learnt something which was so scary to others (legal finance). I had no choice it was my job. Others said it’s too hard and not for them. That stood me in the best stead ever. I now earn an awful lot for being a rare subject matter expert in that field with large corporates willing to hire me at any price. (So I’ve been told by recruiters). I stay in my lane but it’s only recently with new recruits I realise what 30 years domain knowledge in a niche industry brings you in terms of recompense. It’s not always about being flat out, it’s about logging onto a call for 30 mins and resolving something that’s been an issue for years and has cost £££’s. They really couldn’t care less if I down tools to put on the washing.

All these posts are a worry for the uk economy. (People not doing much work for high salary’s isn’t sustainable).
I earn over 100k and am pretty much always busy. I generally never finish for the day, I stop as I’ve done as much as I can.
The UK should move back towards at least hybrid working. People sitting at home only working at 20% is a real worry for the economy/ what the UK will look like in 5 years time.

Experience is of huge value but the effort put in to get that experience is comparatively poorly paid! It's why when you get senior you can do much less but get paid a lot more. This old chestnut explains it beautifully....

A giant ship’s engine failed. The ship’s owners tried one professional after another but none of them could figure out how to fix the broken engine.
Then they brought in a man who had been fixing ships since he was young.
He carried a large bag of tools with him and when he arrived immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.
Two of the ship’s owners were there watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away and the engine was fixed!!!

A week later, the owners received an invoice from the old man for $10,000.
What?! the owners exclaimed. “He hardly did anything..!!!”.

So they wrote to the man; “Please send us an itemised invoice.”

The man sent an invoice that read:
Tapping with a hammer………………….. $2.00
Knowing where to tap…………………….. $9,998.00

Earn £80k managing a team of sales executives in the medical technology and device industry. A couple of days a week I WFH on Teams management meetings/admin and then out and about the rest of the time doing field visits with the team. So a nice mix really and it's my choice to work it that way.
Probably put in 25- 35 hours a week on average but sometimes more if extra driving around is included.
Was once an intensive care unit nurse, moved through the ranks and then went into medical R&D globally. Not overstretched and do less nowadays than I did in previous roles. However, there is a multi-million pound target I have to help my team achieve so I'm paid for my strategic input really.

I swear mumsnet write posts like this themselves for click bait for facebook. 1. That's huge amounts of money to us normal peasants and 2. If you're hanging around then you don't deserve to be paid that much. 3 what exactly is this job?!

@VeterinaryCareAssistant no, customer service!

@TorroFerney

Tell me you're a lawyer without telling me you're a lawyer

And the stating the bleeding obvious which does not seem obvious to a lot of people.

Strange, that even being anonymous this problem solver won't divulge what problems they solve. I think lots of stuff on this thread is bull, sorry.

to me success isn’t always about intelligence but about tenacity.

Quite often it's a mix of both!

Local authority 33k
37 hours work about 47 a week not paid overtime
its relentless, recruitment freeze so people leave and you get more work
some agency staff but they do as little as possible and are total waste of £

I need to know what jobs these are thay earn high and have nothing to do. Please share job roles be amazing to see what they vary from!

Outing here, but respect, I did six weeks of consecutive 12-hour days once - gave me an unbelievable high, but messed with my head and my body clock.
I think that some of us who grafted very hard when we were at the bottom expect the work to grow in line with the pay.
I'm just about to take a big pay cut to tackle a really interesting job and to my surprise, someone personally close to me assumed that it will pay a third of the actual wage. I obviously don't dress to impress.

What job do you do/industry do you work in, if the former is too outing?

@NewPririt ooh how did you get your current job? i think i could do that!

Only on MN is everyone on 100k and do sod all for it (and admit it!)

Well that's a silly remark bc by no means is everyone on this thread on £100k and "doing sod all".

Pop your specs on love.

I earn about 50% more than the OP and feel I don't fill my time.

When I was on c£50k I got so bored I did a law degree. I put in under half the hours the uni recommended, while working full time, and got a first.

I think I just work faster than other people. Every boss I have ever had had worried about how "overloaded" I am, but I always deliver. And I create work, I write training for more junior staff just for something to do.

Today I had to amend a complex letter, took me under five minutes, I had done it almost before the call where it was discussed had ended. When I do notes, they are done ten minutes after the meeting, other people do them for me I seem to wait days for them.

I'm glad not to have to work in the office any more because now I don't have to pretend to do things, I used to download books to read and make it look like I was doing research (I do need to do research, I spent most of yesterday reading legislation), or play around with my pension spreadsheet.

DH earns between 85-100k. I’d say he works ‘less hard’ than me in much lower paid roles. He would say he works smarter not harder!!!

Ive never earnt good money.. but I worked v hard at all the jobs I’ve done. Since seeing DHs career I have learnt that most people who are in low paid jobs work very very hard / in challenging contexts. Everyone I have met who earns a great salary might carry more responsibility but they work ‘less hard’ as in less of a daily grind and in much better context/more comfort.

Also on 58k and I work FT and am flat out most days. It is a busy time of the year for me but it's relentless. I don't really work late though; am always done at 5ish although I do work on my train journey to the office two days a week. Occasionally I have to be on call out of hours.

I earn similar to OP and don’t do a lot. I have occasional busy periods but generally can do my days work in an hour plus the odd meeting. It’s disheartening and boring but I need to start appreciating it more I think as wfh 95% of the time in my scruffs with my dogs and completely flexible hours. I just wish I was a it busier and more interesting

50k wfh contracted 30hrs a week, probably work about 15.
been in my sector for 30 years. Worked for the local authority for 15 years earning peanuts then went into the private sector and doubled my pay in 2 years. Took a pay cut last year to reduce my hours and wfh.
continued to upskill all my working life and did a degree at 35 with 3 small kids. I am about to be promoted and my new salary will be about 65k for a 30hr contract.
I am paid for my knowledge and experience, I am reliable, trustworthy and a team player.
I paid my dues working for the local authority , shift work for 15 years for peanuts, I neither feel guilty nor troubled by the little amount of work I have to do now.

Director (within R&D) for a pharmaceutical company.

@Starseeking Sorry - forgot to tag you on my reply.

I'm not a mega earner but earn a good salary for where I live in a fairly senior role. Honestly, a close family member who worked in a care home for a number of years with elderly dementia patients worked harder than I ever would need to on minimum wage. She loved her residents, worked nights, bank holidays, weekends etc and then had to deal with residents passing away which always hit her so hard because she bonded with them. Meanwhile I have busy times and quiet times and unless I have forgotten, have never missed school school appointments, sports days etc as I can manage my own diary around them.