If you earn over £60k...

[loveawineloveacrisp]

How much work over and above what you're paid for do you do?

I'm a month into a new job and it's clear that the previous person was only getting all the work done because she was working all hours. It's the job of two people, not one. I work 9-5.30 but people are sending emails before 8 and after 6. I was just letting off steam to a friend (who earns about £20k more than me) and she said oh it's just expected at that level. I earn £65k which I know is a good amount but it's not Megabucks and I'm being paid for my 30 years experience in the industry.

AIBU to want to just do my hours and log off?

I don’t think salary and hours are necessarily directly related, though of course there is a general view that the higher salary you have, the more you should be available ‘out of hours’.

I have a high salary well above £60k and I rarely work over my contracted hours.

But there are more junior people in my organisation doing much longer hours.

Sounds like you need a conversation with your line manager about reasonable expectations.

Variable in my job- if I have an important project or deadline, I will often work about my contracted hours.
if I see an important email at 1800 and can answer quickly , I often will
But in quieter times I’ll work less hours…swings and roundabouts…

I never do anything beyond my contracted hours. I am a head of team.

Too many employers get away with not employing enough people and expecting staff to work extra hours for free instead to try to deal with unreasonable workloads.

I refuse to support that type of attitude.

I work absolutely loads over my contracted hours but I don’t mind, I love my job and feel lucky to have it. This feels similar among my colleagues.

That's my view as well. Why would anyone give their time for free?

I’m on over 60k and I honestly don’t do much each day and never work over my hours. But my role relies on a lot of experience prior so I’ve done my time working long hours.

My salary is £75k and bonus usually around £15k. I rarely work over my contracted hours but if there’s something very important or urgent on then I will. But then I will take it easy again the following week.

I definitely worked much longer hours pre-covid when presenteesim was a thing and I was still a junior. No one is monitoring my hours now - it’s just about deliverables.

Are the people who are sending emails early/late working additional hours or are they just flexing? You might get an email from me at 9 or 10pm but it’ll be because I took an extra hour during the work day to do the school runs or something.

So what is others are emailing at 8 and 6. You just respond when it suits you anyway. Often people work early or later because they collect kids or go to the gym in the day.

I earn well over £60k and have for years. I’ve done jobs where I have only had to do my hours and jobs where I’ve probably done practically twice that. It just depends on company, team, line manager, role.

And no you’re not being unreasonable. Maybe just carry on as you are and see what happens. I’m my own worst enemy and a massive people pleaser so I end up working much more than I would like to.

Depends entirely on the job not the salary. Tell us what industry you are in otherwise no one can comment with any authority.

Agree that maybe some others flex their hours to fit in with childcare etc. I don't have a problem with that. I guess my main issue is the expectation on people working long hours because that's the only way to stay on top of the workload.

Account manager, financial services.

Financial services here, never do more than my hours. Line manager’s view is you work a bit more when deadlines and ease off a bit when no deadlines. Director is also supportive of not overworking and logging off/not checking phone when hours are done.

You prob need to have a conversation about resource. Count it all up, check its all adding value, raise it with your manager. Don’t frame it as ‘I’m struggling’, frame it as ‘I need this extra resource to deliver this value work well’

I earn 50k and was sat at my desk (in my office, not wfh) at 6:45 this morning. Left the building at around 4pm but have been catching up with emails on and off all evening. That’s quite typical. I’m always in the building before 7am.

i mean it’s not right but I’m doing at least 2 people’s jobs, if not 3 people’s! I’m using AI as much as possible to try and ease the pressure but I’m still crazy busy and stressed out.

You don’t have to reply to emails outside of working hours I suppose.

I earn just over £70k in tech and generally the expectation is people work to the needs of the project and delivery deadlines, however on the flip side they are very flexible so have no qualms with me taking a few hours out of the day to attend sports day for example. It’s give and take.

I’m on £90k and regularly work 5-10 hours a week over my contracted hours. I don’t mind though as I have flexibility elsewhere and there are a few weeks of the year my job goes really quiet and I probably work less than my contracted hours.

Ive tried sticking to my contractual hours but I spend more time thinking about work than if I log on and do a couple of hours after the kids have gone to bed.

In my experience, albeit recently retired, in finance in corporates there’s an inverse relationship between salary and effort/hours! 25 years ago as a young. finance manger on £60k or so I worked more hours a week than I did 5 years ago when I hit 50 and was paid many multiples of that.

I think the key is setting boundaries - don’t reply to out of hours emails; indeed, don’t even check them unless it suits you. Don’t set up your work email account on a phone - if you must access email on a phone, install the exchange app and turn off notifications. You can then check mail when it suits you :)

I don't work beyond my contracted hours, always take my lunch break and turn off work phone at weekend. I always use all my leave too. I made a decision a few years ago not to do more because I burn out easily and am no use to anyone. I decided it was better to be more measured and able to do my job rather than working frantically and massively crashing. I encourage everyone who works for me to do the same. It's a marathon not a sprint.

I’m on £69k. I work the needs of the job rather than set hours really and it fluctuates throughout the year with some points involving long days and weekends but also plenty of holiday and some points where shorter days are fine.

I don't read or respond to out of hours emails. I have a work phone which gets switched off and stays in my office. But the first half hour of my day is usually catching up on out of hours activity, and I'm concerned that my line manager will think I'm not doing enough.

I'm willing to quit if it comes to it. My last job was toxic and I ended up engineering my own exit because the stress was too much.

1 - 2 hours most days. But if I have a kids school thing that takes half a day, or a horrible headache and go home at lunchtime etc, I'm not expected to declare it. So it's worth it for the felt for me (mostly)

I work in Marketing - have worked in huge FMCGs and smes. Id say: 40 - 65k work ridiculously long hours over and above. Then there’s a sweet spot 85-100k where you work 9-5 and performative after hours. Then over £100k hours ramp back up.

Job title related. The 40-65s are managed by the 85-100’s. After that, you’re in strategic director roles and on all hours.

I don't work beyond my hours. 35 a week.
My manager is a great role model. Doesn't do more than his hours. I don't expect my team to do more than their hours and I have expanded the team several times due to increased demand.
It has been life changing working in /creating this environment

My FTE is £65k ish - I work 30 hours and can manage without any real issues. At busy times I might need to do a bit of additional and just take TOIL.

If I moved to a FT contract I would manage in my hours.

DH earns around £80k and routine overtime isn’t required.