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?

I'm on just over 60k and am rushed off my feet (just started a new role)

Old job was on about 10 grand less and did fuck all most days.

So this is payback!

I can relate to this - i earn the same as the OP and I'm also paid to just be available and to provide leadership but that doesn't mean my input is required 24/7. It means my work can be done in far less hours than I'm paid for.

Same as you - it also took 17 years to train / study to be where I am.

I got 31k and work my ass off as a nurse. Bloody enjoy what you've got!!!

this is one of the reasons I have imposter syndrome. I was on 21k 7 years ago in an entirely different field. I’m on 60k with no training, just passion. I see people within my business such as data analysts on far less than me but which greater technical skills. I have to remind myself that mine is specialist knowledge, it’s very specific. There’s only one of me and I do have responsibility for strategic direction in my field. Then I just end up terrifying myself…

My DH is on 93k and is busy but only during the hours of 9-5. It’s very rare that he has to work evenings.

I work in retail, earn £15 an hour and I’m on my feet the whole time. We’re both busy, one physically and one mentally.

I earn six figures and sometimes I work crazy amounts (all nighters and weekends at times) and sometimes I do bugger all for weeks. I hate the up and down, if the clients could just give a regular flow of work I’d work reasonable hours all the time but sadly it doesn’t work like that.

👋 @CalMeKate

NHS employee here.
Work beyond hard EVERY SINGLE SHIFT and for hours every week that I am not paid for.

@CalMeKate

But do you know what I absolutely love it!!

Then consider yourself one of the winners. Money does not = happiness or even satisfaction as this thread clearly evidences. In fact, lots of people who aren’t in jobs that challenge them enough, who spend time tidying their houses, cooking, waiting for the phone to ring and who earn decent salaries are worried, and bored in equal
measure.

The ingredients for job satisfaction are much more complex than simply earning ££££‘s

I'm so glad you started this thread. I feel a bit ridiculous bc I am.wfh 80% and there are days when I do little more than have a coffee and answer an email.

I can understand why you are worried in terms of job security if you are the sole earner. How long have you worked for your current firm?

I have come to learn the lower paid people often work the hardest. My role now is over double the pay and half of the work and it seems similar for everyone senior in my org.

Yeah, it took me 30 years to realise that this is the case for some jobs. My theory is that once you get to a certain level of quite specific skills and knowledge in some sectors it's quite easyt to pull the wool over other colleagues' eyes about what you're actually doing, because most people won't understand what it is that you do. Working from home has enabled that to happen more easily in my view. Basically for SOME roles, it's easy to "big up" the importance of your role and why your large salary is justified.

It's impossible to do that if you're senior or professionallly qualified in other sectors. eg. a hospital consultant, or even a junior doctor. Or a head teacher, or even a normal teacher. A pilot. You can't blag or hide anything and if you slack off AT ALL, all the shit hits the fan and it's your head on the block and often the heads of other people too. You do long shifts, work in your own time, at weekends, evenings, double shifts etc.

And of course, there are people who are MUCH less well paid, at really junior grades who work their assess off for very little money and if they cocked up it would still have major repercussions, even though they're at a much lower grade.

Education and health are the 2 sectors I'm thinking of where every single role matters, everything you do matters and every minute matters.

19k a year, work my ass off for 9 hours a day and lucky to stop for 20 minutes for a sit down and lunch!

What do you do? I'm sorry but 5 hours a week is ridiculous if you're getting paid a very high salary for that, I don't care if you're "always on". Lots of people are "always on", but that's on top of 8-10 hours day every day! Do you really think you give value for money?

What Industry is this? I’m intrigued!!

Honestly I would really worry about job security if I was coasting and not doing much as you will be the first to go if they want to cut costs. Do you never have reviews of your performance? Does no one check in with you about what you've been doing? Do you have deliverables?

c£120k - Finance, Law Firm- usually c 40 hours a week, rarely more than 50. But ultimately the buck stops with me on making sure all runs as it should and making sure we have the funds for 750+ people to get paid each month.

What jobs does everyone do. I am on not much more than minimum wage permanently busy and looking to retrain

Yes I want to know more about the jobs. I'm happy to retrain. Tons of experience in my line of work

Local council jobs often 20-23 and want experience...

If only there had been some clue in the OP 😉

On my feet constantly busy go twelve hour shifts regularly without breaks, 30k region of, you guessed it staff nurse.

Identical to this. Lots of guiding, fixing, advising rather then making or doing.

To be fair, I expect most people on these kinds of salaries who don't work long hours took a reasonable time to get there.

That’s certainly been my experience and the experience of people in my circle. Many years (decades) of very long, unpredictable hours and serious post grad study while doing those long, unpredictable hours. I don’t work long hours now, I’ve earned my stripes and while I work hard it’s not a hard job now and I have breathing space I didn’t have previously. I think very few people walk into a higher salary/lower work rate job

I'm on £31K and work 40-48hrs a week, 12-hour shifts, whilst I do get paid for my lunch, often don't get a break at all, am very likely to be kept behind, get days off cancelled, have regular leave embargos AND always on when I'm not there due to having a legal duty to act if I see something, even when not actually at work.
Sorry, but the always-on doesn't even cut it, there are loads of professions on much lower pay and hectic shifts and they are always-on!

Have about 15k a month net. Sometimes work every hour of the day for multiple days and then other days very very little (eg Monday absolutely nothing) but my job is my life and I am always with phone or laptop - holidays, birthdays, Christmas day. Phone calls at 1am, 5am, on a mountain, in a jungle on safari (thank you Huawei), no excuses. Friends are mostly work related and every conversation ends up with work. It's stressful and I won't do more than a year longer before I move to a calmer role and take the pay cut. I know it's impacted my health as well as my happiness but long term it's worth it.

I'm constantly monitoring sales pipeline and KPI delivery and basically always on it. The hours aren't the stress, it's the lack of ability to switch off.

What do you do? What are these mysterious jobs where you earn huge salaries doing nothing?! It just reinforces my view that money is incredibly badly distributed in our society... Care, education and health sectors should get the lion's share. They are the glue that holds society together.