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Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cerebrator
Perhaps I should have worded it more simply.
What about the increase in mistakes BECAUSE of working too many hours?
Anyway, next... Onto more coherent posters.
I'm perfectly coherent. You shouldn't be making additional mistakes if you're working a few more hours a week (no one said "too many"). In fact, you have more time to double check your work more than likely.
And largely, at least in places I've worked, it is all about the billable hours.
Quote:
Originally Posted by convextech
I worked those kind of hours when I was young and single. I don't anymore because I am settled in my career and have 20 years under my belt so I can pick and choose who I work for, and for how long.
Seems like those hours are mostly for folks just getting into the work environment and those who are young and single. I can't imagine being married and/or in a relationship with those kind of hours.
Exactly. They're done (primarily) by the new recruits at legal firms, public accounting, and finance. They're prove your worth / we all think we're going to become partner hours. When you're 25 it isn't hard to pull off.
I think it depends a lot on what the work day looks like. If you're regularly working 10-12 hour days, but you're also taking a two hour lunch, now you're working an 8-10 hour day. Combine that with heading out for an non-work related appointment (hair, doctor, etc.), or taking a few 30 minute breaks, and suddenly your "overtime" is really just 7-8 hours of work mixed in with a lot of down time.
At one job I had, I could have said I worked 16 hour days sometimes, plus worked weekends, and technically been accurate. But what I was really doing was working for 7 hours (one hour lunch taken) and then sitting at home with my computer in front of me. I'd check every ten minutes to see if any service emails came in, and if so, I'd answer them. To solve the problem and answer would usually take less than two minutes. All in all, since I regularly was on during weekends as well, I'm sure I did work overtime. But there was no way it all averaged out to ten hours a day, let alone 16.
I do agree that, in general, we work too much in the US. If not the amount of hours in a day, then just by how little vacation we often get. Five weeks should be the minimum vacation time. Maybe you can't take it all at once, but being able to regularly get away, without fear of reprisal, would have a positive impact on employee health and employee productivity.
I'm perfectly coherent. You shouldn't be making additional mistakes if you're working a few more hours a week (no one said "too many"). In fact, you have more time to double check your work more than likely.
Oh sure, in a perfect world. But we are not robots hence more mistakes b/c we are tired and stressed out. The research has spoken on this, period.
In my experience the vast majority of people claiming this are exaggerating. of those that aren't, it is likely their own limitations and inefficiencies that are causing it. Its as if its a badge of honor to work more hours than the next guy. I see it as a sign of poor time management skills in most cases. Most salary positions can be completed in 40 to 45 hours/week.
^^^That makes sense.
In fact, from my experience, many folks in salaried position tend to spend a fair amount of time completing their projects outside of the office.
And there are even some who manage to complete their work in say, 30-35 hours and are able to skip out the rest of the time for golf or drinks.
However, there are SOME toxic work environments where you're made to feel guilty if you're not working 55-85 hours per week like everyone else, regardless of how efficient you are.
On the few occasions I worked twelve hours in a day, I was ready to jump out of my goddamn skin. I don't know how lawyers or any other white collar people do it sitting in a chair all day. It must be horrible for their bodies as well.
I appreciate the feedback. However, I don't see anyone adding anything about actually getting things done outside of work. Like if you work 80 hours per week, how the hell do you even take care of anything else? Do people who put up these hours sleep poorly, accounting for commutes to work and the need to eat, shower, pay bills, get haircuts, go to the cleaners, and other errands.
I appreciate the feedback. However, I don't see anyone adding anything about actually getting things done outside of work. Like if you work 80 hours per week, how the hell do you even take care of anything else? Do people who put up these hours sleep poorly, accounting for commutes to work and the need to eat, shower, pay bills, get haircuts, go to the cleaners, and other errands.
For a big deadline, I once worked 129 hours in one week. I was also single at the time. I didn't do anything but sleep.
When I was working 50-60 hours, I did it at late afternoon into the night, and then in the morning could take care of stuff before I went to bed.
I was on salary and didn't make overtime so people thought I was nuts, but the work had to be done on time or it would reflect on us as a company and could have resulted in us being removed from the government's preferred vendors list.
Long story but I was a consultant that came in and had to clean up an entire department's inconsistent files after another consultant screwed everything up and then quit. I had three months to do the work.
After we made the delivery on time, by boss gave me two weeks off and signed my timesheet as if I had been there the whole time (since I didn't have any vacation).
I see much talk on here recently about 55 to 80 hour work weeks.
My job requires forty hours per week, sometimes just a tad more.
Do people even perform optimally past the tenth hour?
Has any of you who put up astronomical work hours ever suffered health or social or family issues?
Lastly, how the hell does one take care of anything outside of work if s/he puts up 80 hours?
My last job was as manager for an aerospace company. It was a small company, so I worked procurement, HR, management, logistics, and operations. We had two shifts so it was normal for me to work 10-11 hrs per day, come home, only to get called back to work around 11pm that night for issues. I worked this way for about 2.5 years until I started having blood pressure issues and had to start taking medication to sleep. The stress became too much and at 30 my doctor warned me that I was headed for a stroke based on my blood pressure alone. He recommended I find other employment (which I did) and all leveled back out.
There needs to be a big balance, and quite honestly the company I work for now is ten times more productive and we work 40 hrs per week. More if we need to, but that's few and far between. I don't personally think it's healthy.
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