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Agree. While I sort of agree with you, it will never happen in the U.S. $52k a year at 22? Wow, I would have killed for that. I couldn't find a job right out of college and was stuck living at home for another 2 years. It took me about 13 years to get to your current salary level. I think people just feel too entitled these days. I think its an issue with your generation. Having said that, I don't blame you for wanting balance, and you have it, so good for you. Don't go around telling people you wish you could work a 35 hour week, even if its true. As for working for a company that promotes balance, that took me 20 years to find! My company is similar to yours with the 5:00 quitting time, but nowhere near as good on the benefits. Stay there as long as you can!
Lol well, keep in mind that I started my career in NYC. So $52K is only average there. Jobs in the Northeast pay higher than any other area in the U.S. I work in Stamford, CT, where the jobs pay VERY high. I think the highest in the nation, according to some article I read. So, my $75K job would be probably around $60K at best in Oklahoma.
I see more workers going part time in the future. Many would rather do so today but work ful time for the benefits. But if Obamacare opens up chances for them to get insured they will reduce their hours. Add to that the growing number over 65.
I'm 29 years old and have been in the full time career workforce for 7 years now. As of now, the standard work week is 40 hours (or more) depending on your position, company, industry and profession. But I gotta be honest here. I think even 40 hours a week is slightly pushing it. I think a 35 hour work week would be perfect, and with at least 4 weeks of vacation per year. So, you come into work at 9 AM and have a 1-hour lunch and leave at 5 PM. What's so bad about that? And you get 4 weeks of vacation per year, so that's one week per quarter.
It's very common in Europe, but over here in America you sound like a lazy slacker if you advocate such things. I don't know...but 8 hours of work per day is when it becomes tiring and unhealthy.
For me, I personally only work at companies that value work life balance and vacation time. Fortunately, my work week is 40 hours and I get 23 PTO days per year, so I don't really complain. But I think 35 hour weeks would be ideal, with a 1 hour lunch break or combination of breaks.
I'm a corporate tax accountant.
Thoughts?
You know, I used to think 40 hours was a long work week, until I started working for the government. As much crap as people give to gov workers, I've had some extremely long days. Mandatory overtime, that you don't know about until 5 minutes before you were scheduled to leave: Surprise! You get to work another 7-8 hours! The only reason we got to go home after that was because the state did not allow more than 16 hours in a row. But that didn't mean that I didn't have to be back for my shift in another 8 hours....let's not forget commute time in that.
And I thought that was bad. Now I work from home. I'm self employed. And my hours are even longer. I work 60-80 hours a week now. So, no, 40 hours sounds pretty damn nice. I wouldn't trade working at home that much for a 40 hour week in an office with a bunch of people I can't stand, but remember, it can always be worse.
Besides, most people only appear at work for 40 hours a week. It doesn't mean they are actually working that entire 40 hours. Seems most people don't even actually work half of that. So, no, I do not believe they deserve even more time off.
For 10 years, from the mid 90s through the mid 2000s, I worked at a company where the standard work week was 35 hours (9-5 with an hour lunch). Although we would work extra hours when needed, that was the standard and we usually gave comp time for excessive hours over the norm. Interestingly, this was a Japanese company.
More recently, I worked at a company where the standard work week was 37.5 hours, but employees who had originally worked in the company's NYC office, before it was relocated to NJ, were grandfathered with 35 hour weeks, which was the standard in NYC.
My current employer does not specify a standard work week for salaried employees. We work whatever we need to in order to get our jobs done. I don't think anyone works less than 37.5 on a regular basis. That is not as ominous as it sounds, as we are also very supportive of a work-life balance. It seems to work very well. With that said, I'm sure our C-levels and some of the VPs and up work long hours.
Personally, I would not work at a job that required consistent 15 hour days (for example, not picking on the other poster). While I often work extra hours, or days, I value my family life too much to do that, and I still earn a very nice living. Early in my career, I accepted a job at a company that expected salaried employees to work 5 and a half days a week (half day Saturdays). I would not accept such a position today. Does that mean I will never be one of the one percent? Probably. I have no problem with that.
And the only company that I worked for that failed was the one that required the half day Saturdays.
Find a job as low-level retail employee if you only want to work 35 hours and be considered full-time. When I worked retail in college we had employees begging for more hours when they were only receiving 32-35 hours a week; yet they were considered full-time.
Until the holiday season, when they will have you working 50+ hours a week.
Would be nice, wouldn't it? Universities in Canada (mostly) have a 37.5 hour workweek, and employees above a certain level get 4 weeks off. Other employees get 3 weeks off. The 37.5 hours a week was too much for me because I require 10-11 hours of sleep a night, so I negotiated a 30 hour workweek with a corresponding pay cut. It was awesome.
I currently work 19 hours a week and run a business on the side.
Those of you who responded negatively to the OP should realize that not everyone has the same degree of mental or physical stamina. For every go-getter who works 60 hours, there's got to be one who can't work more than 30. It's known as a bell curve, and there's nothing wrong with it.
PS: I think Germany has the best compromise and it shows in their economy. France has gone a little too far to the other extreme and they are able to fund their system only by taxing the upper middle class 50% of their income.
What if the 5 hour cut also meant that your rent dropped by $100?
Why would the rent drop? It wouldn't. Just because you have 5 hours less to work doesn't mean the bank is going to tell the landlord that their mortgage is $100 less, and pass that savings on to you. That's not how it works.
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