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If she was stressed, then here reaction certainly wasn't a good one.
I figure a truly stressed and stretched beyond resources employee would either profusely apologize at such a meeting, ask for help, maybe break down crying? Certainly none of the behavior described by OP-she just sounds self righteous and unconcerned.
I was dropped from an internship where the job did not fit my personality well at all and I certainly did not act with anything but respect for those above me when confronted.
I get it and I agree that ambition is a good thing... If you read the OP's post though, he states that "Most of us work 50-60 hours a week (which is outlined in our contracts), and the 2 execs put in 70+." This implies that they're not only regularly putting in 60 hours/week, but that there is an expectation for this.
There's nothing wrong with working through the night to hit a final deadline. My issue is with an employer that would impose those kinds of hours and expect positive results. In my opinion, it is neglectful and a sign that the organization does not value the well being of its workers. Sure, employees sign this contract; however, many people agree to doing all kinds of ridiculous things because they need to put food on the table.
I know this has gotten incredibly sidetracked so I'd like to also comment that the girl's behavior, whether she agreed to work these ridiculous hours or not, was unprofessional and childish. While I don't know many people who would be a good "fit" for this environment, it is more than obvious she is not.
But I personally left to find better hours after several years of doing it to focus on my marriage and personal life. My hours are still inconsistent but much better.
Same here! lol I left as well and while my current company is MUCH smaller (~50 people vs 10,000+) and less known, I am much happier! I have a nice work/life balance. My boss actually told me in one of my quarterly reviews that I shouldn't stay so late (I only remember staying late for like 2 days the entire quarter!).
Overall, it was a good move for me and I'm happy it was a good one for you and your marriage as well
This company sounds extremely familiar........ I won't divulge who I think it is, but if it has an "X" in the name I know it and at least with that company they tell their interns UP FRONT that they are looking for young people with no kids that is willing to work 50+ hours per week. I wonder if it's the same one.
The employee isn't only being paid for 40 hours. She was given a contract where it was outlined that she'd be expected to work 50+ hours a week. She knew that going in. She wants to be paid for 50+ hours a week and only do 40. If she doesn't feel the compensation was good enough for 50+ hours of work, she shouldn't have taken the job.
The employee is acting like an immature brat. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to be on snapchat and texting throughout her work day regardless of what company she was with or industry she's in. To act so inappropriate, to ignore the conditions of her employment, and to be furious with the manager show that she's not ready for work life at all. Also, to somehow expect that it's OK for her to ignore her work contract and dump her incomplete projects on co-workers because she needs to have dinner with her parents every night smacks of someone acting like an entitled little child.
^^^^ I agree.
She is very immature, and is setting a bad example for the other staff. If she gets away with that type of behavior, she will create a lot of resentment amongst her co-workers. Eventually other staff will think they can do the same things, too.
If she was stressed, then here reaction certainly wasn't a good one.
I figure a truly stressed and stretched beyond resources employee would either profusely apologize at such a meeting, ask for help, maybe break down crying? Certainly none of the behavior described by OP-she just sounds self righteous and unconcerned.
I was dropped from an internship where the job did not fit my personality well at all and I certainly did not act with anything but respect for those above me when confronted.
At a previous job where everyone worked 60 hours a week and everyone hated their job (this was a job where everyone was under the age of 30 pretty much), I became pretty familiar with how humans act when consistently under a lot of stress and work. It was common for the women to break down crying at their desks. It was common for people to yell at their manager, so common that if they were to fire everyone who did it, they'd be left with few employees. Overall, it was a very caustic work environment.
The behavior in the OP sounds like a mixture of stress and an underlying bad attitude. Two weeks of consistently high working hours is enough to degrade someone's mood to that point. At my current job, by the time crunch time is over (which only lasts about a week, and it's once a quarter, so four times a year), everyone is cranky and irritable. Two weeks of that is enough to throw someone over the edge, especially if they are not used to that lifestyle.
I'm wondering how you know all about what was said at lunch? Did the boss come back and share this with everyone? Not good.
In all fairness, that is a lot of hours to work each week. Obviously, the gal said she would work 50+ hours when she took the job, but she just cannot handle it.
If she is just getting out of college, then she is probably from the millennial generation. Every generation has different values. You mentioned that the rest of you are young professionals also. Obviously, you buy into the culture of your office. This gal is not a good fit in terms of quality of work, values, and temperament. The job looked exciting when she first took it, but she cannot handle the demands of the daily grind.
I work for a small company of young professionals, and in many ways we are similar to a start up. Most of us work 50-60 hours a week (which is outlined in our contracts), and the 2 execs put in 70+. On the plus side, we are not generally expected to work on weekends or even really be available, so we just put in long days during the week. Yes, it's a lot, but it's also a good place to work, where the boss takes good care of all the team members and really makes time to mentor us and help us all advance. We are all young and childless, so this is the time to invest in our careers, right?
(snip)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tcoma11
Man, when did a 55 hour work week become the standard when you're only getting paid for 40 hours.
This is one of the reasons the economy is the way it is. Bust your ass for a company that exploits you, then they'll can you at any point when you start thinking for yourself.
So, your contract says that you need to work 50 to 60 hours per week?
Are you paid like you work a 40 hour week or paid like a 50 to 60 hour week?
Obviously, the newly hired employee shouldn't be passing off projects, goofing off during the work day or taking off early on a regular basis. But, does your contract truly say that you are expected to work 10 to 12 hours a day or does it say something like "employees will complete assigned projects each day" and are you sure that new employees are told about the 10 to 12 hour work days?
Frankly, it sounds like a crappy place to work (unless you really are paid for 50 to 60 hours of work & are not just working those hours for "fun" and experience). Let's say in a year or two you get pregnant or have health problems or can't continue to put in 60 hour weeks or (horror of horrors) discover that you actually want some leisure time? Will that "good place to work" just fire you and seek out another young, naïve, childless worker?
Westender, I too am interested in your numbers. As I said before, I know very few people working less than 50 hours a week across a broad spectrum of industries and experience levels.
Our industry is commercial real estate, and the employee makes a moderate base salary (which is significantly higher than my salary was when I first graduated college 10 years ago!) and has unlimited earning potential. There is about a 12-18 month learning curve in this field to build your own pipeline because the closing cycle is so long. The harder you work, the more money you make, but the upfront investment is your time. Team members who have been here longer have further flexibility to work from home some and flex hours as needed to accommodate their schedules.
Let me get this straight: This is an outside sales job where employees are expected to work 10-12 hour days for a salary that reflects a normal 40-hour a week schedule, and at the same time micromanaged to the point of not being allowed to use personal cell phones, or take normal lunch breaks?
Good luck finding anyone desperate enough for a job like that.
Westender, I too am interested in your numbers. As I said before, I know very few people working less than 50 hours a week across a broad spectrum of industries and experience levels.
Our industry is commercial real estate, and the employee makes a moderate base salary (which is significantly higher than my salary was when I first graduated college 10 years ago!) and has unlimited earning potential. There is about a 12-18 month learning curve in this field to build your own pipeline because the closing cycle is so long. The harder you work, the more money you make, but the upfront investment is your time. Team members who have been here longer have further flexibility to work from home some and flex hours as needed to accommodate their schedules.
Re: numbers, please look at the BLS (one example is linked below). Taking out the obviously non-professional work categories (like retail and restaurant/ hotel), you'll see that most salaried US industries average between 39 and 42 actual hours per week. Even finance comes in low, because you have accountants and loan officers mixed in with the long-hours of investment banking in this category.
You are the OP -- thank you for clarifying the industry, commercial realty. You mentioned startup, and now it's clearer that any contingent future income (which in technology might be an IPO or heavily discounted options) is really commission. In a way, your colleagues are partly working for themselves: the more hours, the more potential earnings.
Commission-based-comp. work is not apples-to-apples with Fortune 500 professional salaried jobs. After mgmt consulting for 25 years, I have experienced many dozens of different client workplaces. The vast majority of professional workers do something like an 8-5:30 or 9-6pm workday with a lunch break. Nowadays, many people login from home for a few additional hours per week, but you're still looking at 45 weekly hours, maximum, over the long-term. Yes, there are exceptions.
Having said all of this, this young woman is clearly not a good fit for your firm, both because of the differing hourly expecations and also because she reacted so poorly.
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