Would you feel bad working less than you’re meant to be?

[ChangePlease]

I do FT compressed over 4 days, am on a good salary

I sometimes don’t do a longer day, because I just feel tired, CBA, have other things on etc. I have to travel every month or so, so sometimes away from home often overseas, during which times they get their moneys worth out of me

Would you feel bad? Should I officially cut to 80% to avoid any guilt??

My boss is happy with me and I am doing well in my performance reviews etc. I’m quite senior, so TBH no one seems to notice or care about ‘hours’ as long as I deal with sh*t.

Yes - I would feel guilty. Unless you’re happy to be open with your manager about your hours, you know you’re taking the proverbial.

I wouldn't worry. If you're senior I expect some of your best ideas come when you're not working. I think Google gives all its execs Friday to work on non-Google projects, but still pays them for five days.

I think there comes a point where your salary is for you and your experience and your ability to "deal with shit", rather than the exact hours it takes you to do it... I would retain a small amount of guilt, just to keep yourself honest and so it doesn't slip too far. But if your boss is happy, and you are happy, then it sounds fine to me.

I had similar in my last job. In my current job I do all the hours and achieve the same amount (maybe a bit less actually).

It’s been proven that you make your workload fill your time, so if you have three things to do and have 6 hours, you’ll complete them in 6. If you have 8 hours, you’ll complete them in 8.

If you feel guilty I suspect you’re like me and will do a good job because you care, even if you do it in a shorter day than you should.

Ha. Do not feel guilty at all. Some people do hardly anything on a Friday (lol not me, I go in every day, but I live with someone who ‘w’fh on a Friday) so long as your job gets done, who cares.

I do keep feeling guilty at the moment. And I argue with myself about it. I feel like I shouldn’t really as long as the job gets done, but I do

I think it depends on how many hours your subordinates put in. If they are really busy then senior staff should pick up the slack if they have the capacity.

I don’t have any reports

Very flat structure!

No, not a bit.

I wouldn't feel guilty at all.

Some of the issues that trouble Mumsnetters are baffling to me.

Maybe I'm just a bad person but aah well.

Those who say no, why not? This will be helpful to me, I’m not being goady

Mumsnet will tell you you're a thief who deserves prison time if you work 1 minute less than you're paid for.

If you're getting the workload expected of you done then I don't see the problem.

I wouldn't feel bad, you're paid for doing the job not the hours.

Because I see work as something that facilitates the things I want in life, a necessary evil if you like. Not an institution to be subservient to. I love what I do, have a great career, but I make it work for me by having boundaries. I do what’s required of me and if that leaves time to take a nap or go shopping then I will because as far as I’m concerned I’ve done the work and that’s more important than presenteeism.

As long as you are getting the work assigned to you done I don’t see the issue?
Presenteeism doesn’t equal productivity

My work life issimilar and I have a little guilt but as pp said my salary is really a retainer so they have someone to deal when the shit hits the fan.

I imagine this is why people don't especially want so many people to wfh.

I would feel guilty - but guess if nobody has noticed so far then they must be happy with your output.

If you're working away then I imagine that you are probably making the time up somehow anyway?

To me it depends on if you have to submit
timesheets (that are chargeable to customers) and are actively lying - or if you just have a contracted number of hours for your salary and if you’re hitting the deliverables everyone’s happy. Obviously option 1 is wrong… option 2 I don’t have a problem with. I have a similar pattern, and I have to submit timesheets so work every minute - 2 levels above me and no timesheets are required as they are seen as overhead - basically paid to be ready to deal with shit, travel when needed and no one minds if they “step back” during peace time.

No clients or time sheets, my time isn’t billable and I’m a subject matter expert, individual contributor

Thank you. I think this is probably exactly what I would say to a friend asking this question. And how I feel about work.

I don't feel guilty because I work hard for my money. I answer questions when necessary. I always have an eye on my emails and I never miss a deadline. I travel away when needed and arrange my childcare etc without complaint.

If there's a quiet day a week where I can chilll or meet a friend or whatever the hell i like then I genuinely have no guilt.

I do compressed hours - I would feel guilty if I never did my full hours but I am unbothered about sometimes finishing early.

The way I see it is that it's give and take - I am always happy to work extra hours when I am needed, I have often worked late nights and weekends when the job requires it and my perk is that I can finish up early/work flexibly when it doesn't.

Thing is the concept of hours doesn't always work well with roles that are more outcome based rather than menial. If you work in a role with clear tasks like serving customers, cleaning, etc it is very much hour based because presumably there is a never ending stream of customers and things to clean. When you're in a senior role it may not always be so clear cut, I give advice, some weeks I'm needed more than my normal working hours would allow, other weeks it's much quieter. I don't feel guilty about those quiet weeks, they're paying me for my availability is the way I see it.

No, I wouldn’t feel guilty one bit. You are performing well & getting everything done. I’m sure you have done your fair share of extra unpaid hours.

I used to work the most ridiculous hour in my old role. Working way above my pay scale. Lots of us were. It was the work culture at the time (fashion industry) The managers didn’t notice or care & would all swan off home on time. They all seemed to ‘wfh’ on Fridays too🤔

I’d often be the last one there in the evening. I was working the equivalent of an extra 50 in hours a month - unpaid. I did that for 3 years.
So, in quiet periods, when there wasn’t meetings or important things going on - I’d take a couple of sick days off, a nice long weekend for me. I never felt guilty, I call it recouping my time back.

The managers were also slack with holiday requests, I’d put them forward in good time and on occasion the manager wouldn’t put them through properly. I got away with an extra 3/4/5 days paid holidays each year.