To be sick of this, think it is utter bollocks and the next generation are actually bang on?

[Usunshine]

I’m in a professional role. Historically this career (like many others) is stay late, keep working, do absolutely everything you can for your job. I had a conversation with my manager in a 1:1 review meeting where he said I was doing fine, couple of bits to work on but all good and happy with performance etc. A normal review meeting really.

He then proceeded to say next I want to really mount the pressure, I want you to be feeling you have too much work and have to say to me ‘(Eric), I can’t take this on, it’s too much.’ I want you to almost feel like there’s so much on that you are non stop. That will mean next year we can talk about more money. It will mean late nights of course. We want to keep building more and more.

I have worked hard in my life. I’m late 30s and I’ve actually done the whole putting your life on hold to pass professional exams, worked late and weekends. I’ve done all that. I watch younger versions of me clocking off at bang on 5:30 and be called snowflakes by older members of the team. But I think good for them. For fucks sake why am I being told I have to have so much pressure I can’t manage the workload?! Why is that necessary? In my opinion the younger generation has it right. It’s not lazy logging off at half 5 to play tennis or go for a drink. It’s sensible. There’s no prizes for working yourself to the bone. Interested in others thoughts on this as I had a completely different view a few years ago.

Don't do it. Look for another job. I was in HE and was worked to the point I had to take medical leave. I finally wised up, saved my money, and retired as soon as I could afford it. Seriously. Employers only want the most work for the cheapest price. They don't care about you. Your workmates/bosses are not there for you, they are there for them. Remember, while you are working, they are taking your holiday.

Eric is a dick. As a manager, it’s my actual job to ensure that my team can get their work done in their allocated hours. If they can’t, I am doing something wrong. Very occasionally we will all need to stay late for some reason, but this is maybe once a year and they take that time back at a time to suit them.
I am the one at 5pm telling everyone to go home. Eric needs some management training I think!

Time to tell Eric you are taking your skills elsewhere.

Anyone focussing too much on Eric and saying leave etc doesn't work in this industry. Eric is in every dept in every company. We allowed the madness to take hold and now the younger generation are pushing back. They get told "ah well you won't make partner" and reply "I don't want to be partner, it looks terrible", which leaves the Erics utterly baffled.

Same here and I was just thinking it sounds like some asshole who is trying to be a City rainmaker.

This kind of bullshit is for dinosaurs and is on the way out.

I have no problem working really hard to get paid really well but that kind of performative machismo needs to get in the bin.

I worked really hard at school, and achieved top A-Level grades and an Oxbridge degree. I then had a baby pretty soon after graduating (she's now nearly 21). Since then, I have prioritised life over work. I am a teacher but work 0.8 and have no extra responsibilities other than those I actively choose to take on. Today is my day off, and I'm visiting two friends and taking the dog for a stroll in the countryside.

Two things have vindicated my choices: my mum died at 54, and I was diagnosed five years ago at 40 with MS. Touch wood, I'm well at the moment. But I'm damned if I'm going to wait until retirement, which I might not even live to see, to take time for myself.

So, yeah, my career has not been stellar. But my life has been much better than it would have been if I'd spent the whole thing at work. DH is very much of the old school - good for him. But it's not the path that works for me.

It’s a local culture problem, not a generational problem. The older workers in your office sound like they’ve worked there for years and become conditioned.

it is time to get woke. Or walk.

Do not demean the work that you do by giving it to your employer for free.

I've worked 75 hour weeks for thirty plus years. The DH 60. Two more years and we're done.
Our DS recently told us he and his gf had decided against 'big jobs'. Their plans were mid level and a clocking off at 5.30 culture. I don't blame them.

I had a hugely toxic employer last year and a little arse of a colleague who got in at 6am everyday to prove his 'commitment'. Turns out he was a fraudster and a sex pest.
I'm being medically retired save for a bit of consultancy. Do we say on our deathbed i wish I'd done more hours? No.
I'm quite enjoying telling the headhunters no to five days in London or two weeks overseas per month living out of a suitcase. It's very freeing.

If it's law then those people are at the top in every sizeable firm

This is my first thought too. If he’s offering a pay rise there should be an achievable route to getting it. How much is the pay rise? What are the KPIs? Etc. Not some bs ‘I’m going to work you into the ground because I can. After that we will talk about a pay rise’. No thanks. Tbh you should think about speaking to HR. Although that then can have your card marked… It sounds like he wants to offload his work to you with no guarantee of recompense or promotion. Piss off Eric imo

I'm not so sure it's an age thing. I'm your age and have never been told that.

I wonder if it's a sector/company/Eric thing. Has Eric ever worked elsewhere?

My response would be "Eric, I would expect the company values sustainability and staff retention over making it's workers feel overwhelmed, no? I can't see any value in getting me to burnout stage, for me or the firm. So whilst I understand, I'm not going to put myself in that position. I work as hard as I can in my hours but that's all I can offer; if you want more work done, let me know and I can maybe sometimes offer paid overtime".

Stand your ground. He sounds like a shit, and very short sighted, manager.

Where you will find more Erics if it's another firm in the same industry.

Eric wants to break peoples mental health so they all go off sick for 6 months.

There is a series of mini videos on youtube which may interest/entertain/support
you,
(I’m sorry I haven’t worked out yet how to link) of animated stick people,
‘Veronica’s Annual Review Showdown’ - ToonTribe Animation.
Tone of voice seems to be impactful.

What Eric is suggesting is that you could voluntarily be the willing horse
He also sounds like an Automaton which you, presumably, are not !

What if the "failure to plan" is by a client asking you to do something to extremely tight timescales? My experience is you can't tell the client "sorry that's your problem" so everyone ends up pulling a ridiculous shift.

OP I'm really senior in the tech industry which is notoriously hard work.

I have a team of 11.

I would never ever say anything like this as it's counter culture in the company I work.

If it's culture in your company to say or behave like this I would start looking for a way out.

Utterly ridiculous.

On your death bed no one says I wish I'd spent longer in the office. I work in hospices and in patients homes.

I earn a very decent amount of money leading a department. I don't work ridiculous hours unless there's extraordinary need, like an audit or regulatory concern. I've had to train some of my new recruits into working normal hours, and actually started disciplinary proceedings with someone who insisted on making themselves ill by working all hours. Everyone who works for me knows that I'm not impressed by them disguising resource needs by working beyond their contracted hours. If we can't complete day-to-day work with the hours we have then we need to buy in more hours, i.e. recruit more staff, or re-evaluate the backlog.

So no thanks Eric, you're a dinosaur.

Yeah ‘late night if course !’ Hard Nope Here!

Do you want kids ?

anyway I would ignore, work hard enough and earn ££ instead of £££. And have a lovely life

I’m going to guess lawyer. I work in financial services and would never expect anything like that. I would struggle not to laugh in his face . What a dick.

I'm a lawyer, mid 30s. I leave at 4-5 for childcare reasons but also tend to log on more at weekends or in evening if I need to catch up. Often less hours aren't actually being done, people are just being more flexible with their time. If any "older" generation moans at me for leaving when I'm entitled to I feel sorry for them - must be hard to be so bitter.

Has Eric not seen the "work life balance" paragraph in the HR handbook.

Used to work with a company like yours where the managers were put "under pressure" lot of them started going off sick/leavng until the company realised what was happening. Things changed.

A wise man - my boss at the time- once said to me ‘ a good job doesn’t love you back’.

I worked in a 24/7 industry , and some of my colleagues had, and probably still have that attitude, especially to those more ‘junior’ to them.

But I am with you Op, the younger generation make some very good points with their work/life balance . Work is about results not quantity, although I get that there are times when you have to work over to meet a deadline.

If Eric is typical of your workplace, find another.

You are so right. I did exactly this, in several different jobs. Not for extra money but because I felt responsible. Ended up seriously ill. Now I’ve learnt to say no!