Re: Average Hours Worked

Subject: Re: Average Hours Worked
From: Ruth Charles <ruth -at- tao-group -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 13:19:11 +0100


Well, I've recently switched jobs, and working hours was one of the primary motivators. I am now working an average of 43 hours, spread over 5 days, with lunch taken at my desk - this seem pretty normal for the Thames Valley (UK). My stated contractual working hours are 40/week.

In my previous job (with a US multi-national) I had no formally stated working hours. The company portrayed itself as a 'flexible employer' - flexible working hours, working from home, child care provisions etc.

I regularly put in 50 hour week (mon-fri, weekend working was heavily discouraged). I completed the tasks I was given in the time allocated. However, I received heavy criticism from my managers because my working hours were not considered long enough. I was told that the company had a 'long hours culture', the issue of delivering good quality work on time appeared irrelevant to this discussion - it was the actual hours chained to my desk that counted, not the work.

Higher management then started talking about redundancies, and the long hours culture became even longer. A strong blame culture developed within the tech author team, and the atmosphere (which had never really been good) became poisonous. So I left.

I agree with all the comments here about the inverse relationship between productivity and hours worked. As you get older, you see through the promises of share options, and other incentives. The software industry is a really just a 21st century factory. I come to work, I do my job, I go home. Exceptionally, if an employer needs more out of me than that, I'm generally willing to give it. If it becomes a regular occurrence, I will start looking to move.

Cheers,

Ruth


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Follow-Ups:

References:
Average Hours Worked: From: ASUE Tekwrytr
Re: Average Hours Worked: From: Bruce Byfield
Re: Average Hours Worked: From: Sandy Harris
Re: Average Hours Worked: From: Bruce Byfield

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