Do you *really* work 60+ hours per week?
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Anonymous
How do you know your boss really works that much? I say this as the PI of a lab myself that develops new therapeutic strategies. If I count thinking about work when I am doing other things, then maybe 60-70 but much of that thinking is very hard to measure and I’m probably half engaged as I drive down the highway or make my kids breakfast... Not criticizing again, just wondering if I am just not putting in the effort I could be, and if so I how I start. Did these people have children or families at the time? |
Anonymous
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I've always worked hard and worked long hours, or worked 2-3 jobs and/or side hustles when I was younger.
I got into civil engineering and at one of the companies I worked for I got stuck with an engineering project where the higher-ups really screwed the pooch and grossly underestimated what was involved and left us grossly overwhelmed and shortstaffed and I ended up working every singe day 7 days a week 8AM til 10PM or later for about 2 and a half months straight. As we got closer to the deadline I was working every day til 2 AM. On the final day as I wrapped the project up I worked an all nighter from 8AM straight through til 11AM the next day and left the office as soon as I was done... as I was driving home in the rain I actually saw visual hallucinations from lack of sleep, stress, something. I made buckets of overtime but very first thing I did after a long sleep was start looking for another job. That kind of work situation totally isn't worth it but I think nothing of working 10 hour days - but these days I also take care to take time off and relax. |
Anonymous
I saw him working. He wasn't married at the time, and he expected the rest of us to be as dedicated, even those of us with families. I have fond memories of weekends at the lab... When I left he was about to get married so I imagine his work output has diminished a bit since then 
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Anonymous
| I do computer animation. I'm definitely working 60+ hours the whole time. |
Anonymous
Let me guess...consulting? |
Anonymous
That’s my partners job too and he almost always works 9-9 |
Anonymous
| It’s hard to gauge because wfh blurrs how I spend my time. There are days when I have back to back video calls. And then there are days when I have two and I go out for a walk or exercise. I also don’t hesitate to schedule hair coloring and doctor appointments in the middle of the day. Last week I logged off at 3 to get my nails done. But sometimes I’ll log in on the weekend to prep something for the upcoming week. So all in I’d say I average 35 hours per week. |
Anonymous
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I’m a lawyer and my jobs have all been only between 45 to 50 hours a week.
But I’ve dated several lawyers at big law firms. They all legitimately worked at least sixty hours a week. One regularly worked eighty. I saw them work many of these hours (taking calls in the car, typing in the living room, working on planes when we travelled, typing on their blackberries, etc). It was real. The one who regularly worked eighth was on adderall for adhd that was diagnosed in law school. The ones who worked more live sixty five to seventy on a regular basis were not on drugs. I’ve seen studies that argue the ideal work week for maximizing productivity per hour is thirty per week. Apparently after six hours a day many people drop off in productivity. |
Anonymous
Two biggest lies people tell: 1) # of hours they work 2) how humble their background was Knew someone who worked at an investment bank who claimed it was a 15 hour day BUT: - they had breakfast as a group together - same with lunch - went to the gym at 5:00 - had dinner at work. So when you added all this up, it was probably a 40 hour week. But that was the culture - you had to LIVE at work. |
Anonymous
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Another example of how many hours do people work:
- someone leaves at 6:00 PM - does nothing for work between 6:00 - 11:00 - answers an email at 11:00 The boss:"what a determined guy who is totally devoted to the company: Hey dumbass, the person was not even working for those five hours. |
Anonymous
| I normally work 60-70 hours a week, but it’s the nature of the beast for my field. I’m very efficient and sometimes have a 55 hour week but I’d be really suspicious of a coworker who said they got their hours regularly down to 40-50. The people I know who obviously have more free time judging by their hobbies or social activity are the ones who make a lot of mistakes or are clearly phoning it in. We had a coworker who wrote a novel and then was astonished at her poor evaluation. |
Anonymous
| Fed who has been working 60 hour weeks during Covid. There has been a fair amount of organizational dysfunction, however, and I would say that a good ten hours of that is spent hearing staff out, offering advice etc. over what I did when were in the office. |
Anonymous
| Yes, I’m a nanny and I work the entire time. My boss makes 20x my salary and is currently ‘working’ at home napping, watching Netflix, and ignoring her kids. This used to make me so bitter, but now I just think about what a waste of a year she’s had, while I’ve been enjoying her kids. Imagine be on home all day and never spending time with your own children- unless posting the pictures I send her of the kids as her own on Instagram counts..... |
Anonymous
Similarly when I wake up, I reach for my iPhone and can fire off a couple emails at 6:45. I look like a rock star and I haven’t even gone to the toilet yet. |
Anonymous
I was this mom last year. I had anxiety from work (work is not a checklist, I had to come up with very thoughtful ideas). Hoping to leave soon so I can be nicer to my kids. |