What kind of work hours do you have?

[phaseone]

I've recently switched companies and I'm trying to fit in with the work culture. I use to work 8am-4pm Monday through Friday. Now, I end up working 8am-5pm with pager availability 24/7.

 

What kind of hours do you all work? I'm still trying to get use to it. I hate spending 50+ hours a week at the office. BTW, I work in the technology sector.

 

I really strive for "balance" but I fear this could dampen the potential for promotion. I don't want to be perceived as someone who just puts in the time, then again, I want a balance between work and my regular life.

 

Thanks for listening and for any feedback.

[Magic_Monkey]

I work in education (not a teacher) but I'm generally 8:30-5:00 three days a week then 8:30-3:30 the other two days. There's a little bit of potential for promotion in what I do but I'm a firm subscriber to the "Work to live, not live to work" school of thought. I go out a lot, have fun and I've got a good car. As long as I can live my life how I want I'm not going to get obsessed with trying to get promoted or trying to get a better career.

 

At the moment I'm working in a job that's related to the degree I have but I've recently been feeling that when I do decide to do something about changing my job I might just go off in a completely different direction. My friend and I always talk about if we can get the money one day we are going to attempt to set up a nightclub! Maybe just a pipe-dream and it'd be a risk but if we both decide and put our minds to it you never know.

 

I guess it all depends on how old you are, what's going on in your life, how much you want promotion and how much you actually enjoy what you're doing. I know people who are that obsessed with getting promotion and money they spend incredible ammounts of time at work and it's destroying their social life. I end up thinking, "OK, so they'll get promotion and lots of money but what are they actually going to do with it? They've no one to share it with and they don't really have a life outside work". Then I know someone who works behind the bar in my local pub on a rubbish wage but he's always happy and loves his life.

[ravens_folly]

haha enjoy your work hours.

I work on a dairy farm - my work week during the winter looks like this monday to thursday - 2pm until 7 or 8 pm (depending on how things go), fridays 4:30 am until approx 11:30am, 2:00 - approx 7:00 pm - weekend off

then the next week will be the same except I have friday off and work on the weekend which is around the same as my fridays.

 

In the summer however, it will be a lot more, probably 8 am until 12:00pm then 1:30pm - 7:30am with my 2 fridays off and 2 weekends off a month.

 

So really you don't have it all that bad!!

I like my work, but sometimes its tiring, especially when things go wrong...

Its time consuming, and smelly and physical!! But the good news is, I don't have to work out at a gym, cause I get all the workout I need there!!! haha!- love eating all the junk food I can handle and not gain a pound...lol!

[Magic_Monkey]

haha enjoy your work hours.

I work on a dairy farm - my work week during the winter looks like this monday to thursday - 2pm until 7 or 8 pm (depending on how things go), fridays 4:30 am until approx 11:30am, 2:00 - approx 7:00 pm - weekend off

then the next week will be the same except I have friday off and work on the weekend which is around the same as my fridays.

 

4:30am The only time I ever see that time is during a night out. I can't imagine ever starting work then.

So let me get this straight, you finish at 8 on Thursday after a 6 hour shift, then 8 hours later you're starting work again? Then only 2 hours off and another 5 hours? Surely there's some kind of law against that. When do you sleep?

[theantibarbie23]

I am a contractor that works in internet advertising from home. I work whatever hours I need to to get the job done. Sometimes it works in my favor but I've pulled my share of 12+ hour days.

[ravens_folly]

Haha! well actually farms are totally exempt from most labour laws.

 

The job I worked before was 5:30 am, with 1 hour lunch break and then worked again until 7 pm. (most days, sometimes we got done before 7, and sometimes it was later) Also in the 5 summer months I only had like 10 days off. (although that was my choice)

The most I ever worked was a 5:30 am until 11:00 pm at night with a break to eat lunch while I was in the tractor!

 

I don't mind it, its hard work, but sometimes it takes its toll!!!

 

And I only have to get up 1 friday and 1 weekend at 4:30 am. Better than my last job at 5:30 am every morning!!!

[RayKay]

Haha! well actually farms are totally exempt from most labour laws.

 

The job i worked before was 5:30 am, with 1 hour lunch break and then worked again until 7 pm. (most days, sometimes we got done before 7, and sometimes it was later) The most I also in the 5 summer months I only had like 10 days off. (although that was my choice)

The most I ever worked was a 5:30 am until 11:00 pm at night with a break to eat lunch while I was in the tractor!

 

I don't mind it, its hard work, but sometimes it takes its toll!!!

 

And I only have to get up 1 friday and 1 weekend at 4:30 am. Better than my last job at 5:30 am every morning!!!

 

I was going to say...farming is usually not subject to the same laws, especially because it involves animals which cannot fit a "schedule" that is imposed by the government. Even with grain farming, when it's harvest time you have no choice but to work almost around the clock to get it done in time.

 

 

 

Anyway, I currently work 8-4, but I have worked 8-5:00, 8:30-5:00 (that one only had a 30 minute lunch too), 5:00-11:00, 6:00-3:00...all sorts of fun stuff. When I was in the army my hours were a lot more crazy..more like 24 hours/day.

 

I think you can still have balance whatever your hours. Little harder when you are on call, but it's still doable. I have friends in police force, RCMP, with wacky hours and being on call, and they still manage that "balance". You just need to decide what are priorities. If you want to work out, you just do it after work or early morning to have a routine, if you want to make time for friends, you just do it. Sometimes it means having to be a bit flexible, but I think 50 hours a week it is possible to get balance, more so then if you were doing the 90-100/week some do (that's crazy in my eyes, I would be miserable without having time for my training, family, life!).

 

I am not fond of my job, in fact I am going back to school to go into Law (which will be a change in my "balance" itself!), but even then, it's not for money. I want to have a private practice with flexibility in hours for my training, and to have a family. But at the same time, also enjoy what I am doing and feel more challenged then I am now....that whole "balance". I don't identify myself by what I do, but I DO want to feel rewarded and challenged...and that I do make a difference of sorts!

[shes2smart]

I've worked in radio since I was 18. In that time, I've worked:

 

*overnights (11pm or midnight until 6 or 7am) 5 or 6 nights a week while going to school full-time in the day

*evenings (5 or 6pm until 11pm or midnight) 6 days a week

*middays (9 or 10am til 3 or 4 pm), 6 days a week

 

Weekend? What's a weekend? For the most part, we don't get 'em in radio...6 day week is pretty much standard unless you do a morning show. Same goes for holidays. Can't count the number of Christmases, Thanksgivings, etc. I've spent sitting in a studio spinning tunes.

 

For the last 10 or so years, I've had what I consider the cushiest radio schedule possible -- middays. I come in 9am-ish, do my show prep, go on the air, finish up with that around 3, then take care of whatever odds and ends my boss wants me to do. I leave work anywhere between 3:30pm and 5pm, depending on what-all else needs to be done. While we've gotten away from having to do a full shift on the weekends, I still have to come in for, like, an hour on Saturdays to make sure everything will run ok for the entire weekend...so, it's still technically a 6 day week most of the time.

 

Unless you're independently wealthy, work is going to eat up most of your waking hours...the key is to find work you genuinely enjoy and do that. Then, the stupid hours are not that bad.

 

Also, in most cases, if you are at the beginning of a career, you're gonna get stuck with the crap hours. As you get further along the seniority ladder, the hours will, generally speaking, get better.