Working until 6pm

[peachypetite]

I work 9-6 with a one hour unpaid lunch break. Taking a shorter break and finishing earlier isn't an option. It kills me. Does anyone else have to work until 6? I hate it!

It would be fine if it wasn't for the commute. I used to work 8-7 with an hour commute each way, but that was the norm in London.

Woah so you are in London and only know people doing 9-5?! Where are these jobs?!

Loads of companies only make you do 37.5 hr week. Have friends who work at universities, charities, in marketing etc.

I work in an office and my shift is 9.30-6.30 with an hours unpaid lunch and 2 10 minute paid breaks. I also do one 11am-8pm a week too. Full time at my work is 40 hours (really working 35 given the hour lunches) I thought this was normal?

I’ve worked in offices all my life and never worked later than 5-5.30. In my line of work a 9-6 job would be very unusual.

I’m north though.

Threads like this make me want to move back to the UK where these kinds of hours are normal.

Here in korea, leaving before 8 is seen as slovenly and most people get in before 8 in the morning too.

This country is hell

Our std office hours are 08:30-5:30 (40 hrs) but most people work loads more.

But what do you mean by traditional 9-5 roles? I think the type of employer makes a difference too - some places will expect you to put in over and above your contracted hours and in others it's normal for people to leave on the dot. A lot of it comes down to office culture and business need too.

Plus, if you're supporting others and in a place where the people you're supporting are working long hours, the chances are that they're going to want support later than an office where everyone clocks off at 5.30pm would.

If it helps at all, 6pm is a normal finish time for support staff where I work (London office).

I technically set my own hours (within reasonable limits) but I still end up working a 50-60h week on a regular basis.

Don't mind it, really, but my commute is 15 minutes and get to order food and charge it to my expense account when working late. So ideal conditions.

40 hours is horrible - I’m 35 and that’s more than enough. 37.5 is quite unusual for my sector, although I have come across it

I work 7:30am to 6.00-6.30pm, 5 days a week.
Education!

I've worked in London offices most of my working life and 40 is unusual but I've always worked in government or charities where conditions are usually better. I'm assuming everyone who works full time in your office does 40 - not sure you saying it has an impact on you will change anything unless you could arrange to work at home for a day a week?

Dh works 9-6 with half hour lunch (if yes lucky as though he’s legally entitled he’s a teacher so sometimes has lunch meetings/marking etc. He also has an hour commute each way.

I used to work as an assistant manager in a gift shop, my official hours were 8-6 with a half an hour unpaid lunch break, but unofficially I had to get up at 6:30, my lunch break was often cut short, and if the manager wasn’t in and I was in charge I wasn’t allowed to leave the premises. I would also finish at 6:15 at the earliest and sometimes gone 7pm if we had been busy. It killed me! I had to quit when DS was 2 as I just couldn’t do it anymore.

It would be fine if it wasn't for the commute. I used to work 8-7 with an hour commute each way, but that was the norm in London

I also work in London and those hours are not normal in my industry. I've had a lot of interviews recently and they were all 37.5 hours. I don't know of anyone in London who does more than that.

I do 8-4.30 or 9.30-6 x 4 days a week
Then another 10-15hrs at a second job in the evenings, usually 5pm - 10pm

I work 7am -6.30ish and I'm only contracted to 8 hours... In the industry I work it's totally expected and it doesn't faze me in the slightest

Why can't you take a shorter lunch and leave earlier? Or like a PP says start earlier and leave earlier? Is it something you've asked about or are you judging based on work culture.

I've had 5 office jobs in my time and each of them have thankfully been flexible. The first 2 were both in publishing and across both companies the working week was 35 hours and they let me work 8-4 with an hour for lunch, which was my favourite set up, when working full time, by far and gave me an excellent work life balance. The next 2 jobs were in education and I worked 37.5 hours a week, 8:30 - 4:30 with half an hour for lunch. It was fine but I did get more tired with a shorter lunch break, but then some days due to workload I never took lunch anyway and finishing early helped. My current job (industry) is 20 hours a week and term time only and has the best work life balance.

In any job I've had there's always been that element of working until the job is done and often I'd start at 7:30 because I knew I'd have a busy day otherwise/might not get urgent jobs done and that I needed to leave on time. However having more flexible hours allowed me to do that. Had I been working until 6pm I couldn't have then stayed later because of childcare.

I used to work 8:30-5 with 30 mins unpaid lunch and no other breaks, with a 90 minute commute and it was the best hours I ever worked. My husband used to work 8:30-6 but it got changed to 8-5:30 which is much better. Both are office jobs.

You want to try working in the entertainment sector. Bingo Hall for example, 10am-3:30pm morning shift, then 5:30pm-1am and that 2 hours in the middle was unpaid.

Ha ha ha ha ha. I work for myself, working until 6pm would be a dream. Try midnight.

I don't think I know anyone who works fewer than 40 hours a week. Granted some of my friends are on hospital shifts but I also know plenty of office workers, manual labourers, teachers, pub workers etc. The only people in my circle who really clock in and out of work at the right times and take their allocated breaks are in retail; everyone else routinely gets in early / stays late, works through lunch etc.

Try working in construction! I was working 7.30 til 5.30 with a 90 min commute each way!! That was a killer :/

This is honestly such a weird thread. I don’t know anybody who only works 9-5 or 9-5.30. 6pm really isn’t late.

And if you raise it as an issue at the probation review meeting you may find they just don’t keep you on - it’s harsh but if you can’t hamdle their regular hours after only a couple of months then from a business perspective it makes sense for them to get rid now.

I only know people who work until 5/5.30 if they're office-based. I guess it depends on your social circle. Mine is clearly dominated by people who have to get to nursery and childminder collections at 6. So it's standard. My dh works 8-4 rather than 9-5. That's what he's always tried to do. He's never worked until 6. He's in IT.

Yes, I'm talking about office based roles, I've been informed by colleague that taking shorter break isn't an option.