If you have a professional job, do you work at the weekend?

[JNicholson]

I’m in a professional sector where I suspect it’s pretty much the norm to do some work at the weekend, even though it’s not officially required. But I don’t want to, and I also just don’t feel I have the stamina to - I need the rest of a full weekend. Just wondering how this compares with professional roles more broadly, and what the norm is. Do you do some work at the weekend, or take the full weekend off?

YABU - I regularly do some work at the weekend
YANBU - I take the full weekend off

I work in comms which includes social media and looking after a website; I have to be on call at the weekend every few weeks (we rotate this within the team). But normally this just means checking in with emails and looking out for any issues. It's rare that anything needs actioning. If anything newsworthy is happening I will keep on top of seeing what's coming up in our mentions. If there was a big crisis or event that required unplanned social media then yes, I would need to work.

I do if something breaks or the shit hits the fan. Probably less than once a month on average. I always take the time back in lieu, though. I deliberately work in a lower paid job for my industry with more flexibility. Could get the same job paying 25% more with less flexibility. But flexibility works both ways. So I take a couple hours out of a day to go to the School play or whatever and that's cool. But also, if I'm needed out of hours, I jump on and help out. It works well for me. No way I'd work for a company where the work load couldn't be fitted into my full time contract and I was expected to work unpaid overtime. (My workload is massive, actually and it doesn't fit into 40 hours a week but I don't work more than that and no one would expect me to. I've really got to stop dragging my feet and hire more staff).

That’s a huge amount of unpaid work. What would happen if you just didn’t do it?

Another barrister. I am excited that I'm not working this weekend, because I usually have to do at least a bit, and both days if I'm mid-trial (which can also require me to stay away from home if it's a multi-week trial). But as I have become more senior I've got better at taking advantage of the ups and downs and can take time off mid-week like @FrodoBiggins. Since my children were born I've also tended to try to get the work done late evening/at night after they go to bed (not so much of a thing now they're older) rather than at weekends but there is generally a bit left to do.

I don’t think you’re unreasonable, but I do bits and bobs at the weekend. I’d rather clear some urgent things than have the existential dread of not knowing what is in my inbox at the beginning of the week. For context, I’m a solicitor.

Another (Primary) teacher. Usually around 3 hours on a Sunday afternoon, despite being in school 8pm-6pm most days. Particularly high needs class this year so I don't see it reducing any time soon.

In my old CFO role I used to work at least a full day every other weekend (when my DC were staying with their Dad) trying to keep up with the workload, as well as working evenings after DC had gone to bed during the week.

In my current CFO role the most I will do is a couple of hours on a Sunday night prepping for the week, which always makes me feel like I’m getting the week off to a good start!

I do BUT I also finish early 4 days per week to do the school run, so do actually need to catch the work up somehow. So I tend to pop in and do a few hours on a Saturday afternoon whilst DH takes DC to swimming lessons (I could work from home but I find I have more interruptions so get less done).

I quite like it! I take dinner and snacks, put some music on and make myself a big pot of tea and find I can race through my work with nobody interrupting me. Also get all my personal admin done at the same time (on my own laptop when I am taking a break, not on my work computer).

Twice a month seems to be enough to keep on top of everything. Once DS is in secondary school I’ll probably go back to working Monday-Friday, but for now this pattern works well for me.

Solicitor. I only work my contracted hours.

I am a teacher and I never work at the weekends. I used to but realised I didn't want to. Now I am just clever with the way I do things

Very rarely do I work at weekends unless there is something critical goes wrong. I work in a manufacturing business where the factories are either 24/5 or 24/7.

I worked last Saturday, but luckily most of it was phone/email support with suppliers. I think that I can count onn1 hand the number of times inhave worked at a weekend in the 2.5 years I have been at this company. Previous roles, more but that is part of why I left roles. Unless it is contracted and I am paid for it then I am not prepared to sacrifice my home life.

Solicitor. Only if completely unavoidable- I'm talking urgent court hearing for Monday morning that went in as an emergency in Friday! That's only because I'm not experienced enough to give submissions off the cuff yet.
I usually work late at least once a week after my small children go to bed, so I have no guilt. Plus it's impractical for me as a single parent anyway, and not expected by my employer.

I’m a solicitor at a large corporate law firm, relatively senior. I will work a weekend if client demands require it (eg completing a deal) and will also work evenings / overnight. On the flip side when it’s quiet I have a lot of flex in my hours and can take some time back. I am available on email every day but on a weekend it is acceptable to take a bit longer to respond, equally if it’s not urgent I’m not expected to deal with it on a weekend or late at night. If urgent, I will be expected to pick it up promptly.

I'm in large enterprise sales and there is a Sunday night call every week.

Also work to do because it needs finishing

This is all explained before you join the team and in most cases the compensation is in line with this

Teacher here- marking whilst watching the golf ⛳️

I sometimes work on weekends, so I have a good start on Monday, and sometimes work has to be done out of hours (I'm a head of technology). I think part of being a professional is that you manage your own time. I do set boundaries and sometimes take the time back during the week. I think it comes with the territory, but your time should be respected.

I did and so did most of my colleagues. When the DC were young I couldn’t but would go to work very early and stay latish. As they got older I would go in on my ‘day off’ .

It's a funny one this - I work in the legal profession, where lots of people are very quick to tell you that they work all the hours god sends. But I've never worked weekends or even very late in the week as a matter of course and it doesn't seem to have done me any harm at all. I really do think that a lot of people make a rod for their own back with this - let it be known that you are willing to do it and you'll be taken for a mug and have work piled on you. But if you're half-decent at your job and can get through a lot in 'normal' working hours then the vast majority of employers/partnerships will settle for that, despite whatever ludicrous targets they may set.

Another one in education…I could probably do my job to a decent standard within my contracted hours, but I work the extra hours in order to complete it to a high standard and implement school improvement strategies.

I get a lot of satisfaction from my job, I just wish there were more hours in a day!

Schools are mad places to work, with no two days the same, and as a senior member of staff, my role is a responsive one, so I can go in with a plan for the day and then something happens, and the plans go out of the window!

I used to do hours and hours extra as a young teacher of a core subject.

Then I had a late-in-life baby and switched subjects.

Now I still work 10-15 hours a week outside of school BUT only for exam boards, so I'm being paid for it specifically.

Sunday evenings. I used to strictly keep the weekends free but with a toddler & nursery pickup & bedtime I have fewer hours during the week than I used to and I find it's a quiet time to do a bit of thinking.

I also do ~2h of evening work M-Th. I find this manageable but a) there are deadlines every other week or so and then could be much more and b) some weeks depending on workload I don't have to do any evening work and I feel so relaxed. I have time for hobbies AND a long bath AND time with my husband AND reading a book...

It's like when people who manage a 1h each way commute suddenly stop. Like "wow, was I really spending all that time?!" I hope to somehow get to a no evenings point eventually...

A few ideas - I’m not in your area. I went to a wedding do at an Indian buffet restaurant. The b&g paid £20 a head and was a paid bar and they put on a disco free for them too. Loads of fab food and a bargain. I’ve been to a wedding at the local RAFA club. It was free to hire if bar took over £500. They got 2 food trucks ( really good pizza and burritos) and gave people foood tickets then paid the food trucks about £12 a meal and put £500 behind the bar. It was a great event

If I need to to make deadlines, absolutely.

But it's on a need-only basis. I didn't work at all this weekend. Or last.

Same with late nights. If required, but not as a matter of course.

Also a barrister. I occasionally work at the weekend but only when it is absolutely necessary. However, I have been in the job for 20+ years now and do not accept work unless I am reasonably sure I can do it in the working hours I keep. This is not a job where you can rule out the unexpected, hence the occasional weekend.

I do not know any self-employed barrister in any area of law who didn't have to work regular weekends and late evenings during at least the first ten years of their practice, though.

EDT: I would also say that for criminal law, some areas of public law where emergency hearings are common and family law involving children, there inevitably will be emergencies and last minute curve balls and if it's your case you will have to do the work to manage them, especially if they come up in the middle of an ongoing hearing.

I think this is on the wrong thread 😉