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Subject:RE: Average Hours Worked From:Goober <techcommgoober -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 2 Aug 2002 10:03:43 -0700 (PDT)
Right. There's a big difference between doing it
because you WANT to, and doing it because you are TOLD
to.
I worked for a company who instituted what ended up
being a 6 month "crunch time". That is, the
expectation was set that you would put in overtime and
weekend time (they specifically asked for 60 hours)
until the product shipped. The first two weeks went
well. Everyone was there from like 7am to 9pm. We ate
together, were given paid dinner, and snacks. The
novelty wore off quickly, as requirements and targets
changed. By the end of the release cycle, the company
was threatening to mandate employees work during
vacations if milestones weren't met. The whole thing
blew up in their face, and now the company is about
50% lighter as a result, with a crap product gone to
market.
People burn out. If motivation to work long hours is
entirely perk-related, the novelty of those perks
wears off very quickly. Compensation should be
increased. I love what I do, and I do it for free from
the confort of my home on my own time, but far be it
for an employer to try milking me for free stuff.
I use my work time wisely, and yes, I do put in over
40 hours a week, but because I want to. I like to do
good work, and that motivates me more than any perk
like free dinner or munchies. But, if it becomes
expected or mandated, then I expect direct
compensation. This isn't charity in exchange for a
wage, this is purchased service (salaried or not). If
I get it, great. If not, well, they need to settle for
what I consider solid work for the salary (which for
me is about 40-50 hours of labor a week, usually - it
can go over 50 occasionally if I feel the need).
The consultant in a story shared earlier was in part,
correct. If you can't do what you need to do in a
reasonable amount of time, you have a problem. Either
the people doing the work are inept, or the facitities
are inadequate, or the project is mismanaged.
--- Sean Brierley <sbri -at- haestad -dot- com> wrote:
>> I like writing. I am good at it. But, open-ended
> workdays for which I am
> not compensated are patently unfair; and they hurt
> my wife and kids to
> boot. That doesn't stop me from writing on my own
> time, for myself, for
> my own reasons. But, to be put by an employer in the
> position of working
> 80 hours a week when compensation is for 40 is
> really not right. If you
> are your own employer, well, that's different.
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