How many hours a week do you work?

[Fishcop]

I've been reading a few posts of late about the cars we're restoring. Some of you guys are putting in some serious hours on top of work requirements...

I recognise that I live and work in one of the luckiest countries in the world (but not the USA) and only have to put in 36.25 hours per week to fulfil my obligations. I was just wondering what you guys are required to put in as a minimum where you work?

Cheers

[svandamme]

40

[IROC]

I am supposed to work 40, but was told that I am "expected" by management to work substantially more. I usually work 45-50 hours/week. Sometimes more - never less. I work with some people that routinely put in 10-12 hours a day and then come in on the weekends. I've worked as much as 16 hours a day, but that is only in rare circumstances

[svandamme]

that's something that i always wondered about

do people in the US just do overtime and not get payed for it??

[VINMAN]

Get paid for 40. As far as actually working, well......

[on-ramp]

Don't forget to add the time to get dressed in the morning to get ready for work. or the time commuting, back and forth, or the time for lunch.
Usually most of the day is gone.

[legion]

Someone explain being "exempt" to Stijn...

[svandamme]

Originally posted by legion
Someone explain being "exempt" to Stijn...

eeh , why don't you? what does excempt mean when it comes to overtime?

[Mr_Wizard]

Originally posted by svandamme
eeh , why don't you? what does excempt mean when it comes to overtime?

Salaried employee. By the contract I am requried to put in 40 a week, and most weeks only put in 40, but when I am out supporting deploying units I will put in up to 80.

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by svandamme
that's something that i always wondered about

do people in the US just do overtime and not get payed for it??

Most salaried positions don't pay OT.

My "on paper" work week is 37.5 hrs, but every couple of months I'll put in a week or two of 50+ hrs when we have a project getting ready for launch.

When I took the position they explained that the extra hours were already taken into consideration with the salary. Plus I have flexibility to skip out early or take a day here or there, outside of vacation.

Next year I'll have enough years in to 4 weeks vacation

[IROC]

Originally posted by svandamme
eeh , why don't you? what does excempt mean when it comes to overtime?

"Exempt" means that salaried people are exempt from the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The FLSA sets requirements like break times, hours per day that can be worked, overtime pay, pay on weekends, etc. It really only applies to hourly workers. Salaried people are at the mercy of management, to a great extent. There is flexibility, but I would hazard a guess that many (most?) Americans are working more than 40 hours a week and not getting paid for the extra time. I know I don't. It's "expected".

[svandamme]

so there is a difference, over here, salaried is still a fixed amount of hours, give or take a few, it's not that we claim every minute, an hour or 2 in a busy week is not something we make an issue out
but 50 hour weeks, fogetabout it, that's overtime

boss can expect what he wants, we expect overtime pay , strict laws a bout it , it can't even be forced

we get 30 days vacation , not including overtime compensation


note, managers are then "excempt" over here to a certain extent
but i don't rate that, they have no soul, at least mine doesn't

[Mr_Wizard]

Originally posted by notfarnow
Most salaried positions don't pay OT.

Plus I have flexibility to skip out early or take a day here or there, outside of vacation.

This is a huge +. I do love that fact, especially when it is slow at the office and beach weather here, I am out the door.

[svandamme]

well, we get that flexibility too, we have more holidays, and any overtime we do, can be recouped that way

depends on the manager, but i'm sure it's no different there, right?

there is also the salary difference, from what i hear , collegues of mine in the US , get a lot more it's only the exchange rate that kind of evens it out, but not quite...

yet housing, fuel , food stuff is all more expensive here
but we get cheaper health care (a grand a year, comes of the gross part of the salary, so it's tax free)

and all 30 holidays are payed, and many get a 13th month on top of it

so i think all in all, it's a different package, but not that much different in value of the package...

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by Mr_Wizard
This is a huge +. I do love that fact, especially when it is slow at the office and beach weather here, I am out the door.

Yep. The other side of the coin is that I've had to reschedule vacation based on stuff that pops up at work.

Essentially, they are willing to pay a bit more and be flexible, but I am expected to be flexible as well. Great arrangement as long as neither side is taking advantage.

Originally posted by svandamme
well, we get that flexibility too, we have more holidays, and any overtime we do, can be recouped that way

10 stat holidays (+2 "floaters") + 3 weeks

Originally posted by svandamme
depends on the manager, but i'm sure it's no different there, right?

You bet. I've worked under 4 different managers at this company. Completely different each time.

[71T Targa]

Originally posted by Mr_Wizard
This is a huge +. I do love that fact, especially when it is slow at the office and beach weather here, I am out the door.

It wouldn't be such a huge + if you were getting 30 vacation days a year instead of the 15 your probably getting now.

[Chocaholic]

In terms of work hours, the Europeans have it all over us. I used to work for a Belgian company. It seemed there were 3 and 4 day weekend holidays every month...sometimes twice in a month. Also, there is the 3 week summer holiday that is often extended to 4 or 5 weeks.

I get 10 working days of vacation each year. When I hit 5 years, I get 15. Whoopie.

[Mr_Wizard]

Originally posted by phred68
It wouldn't be such a huge + if you were getting 30 vacation days a year instead of the 15 your probably getting now.

9 Paid Holidays + 240 Hours (30 Days) vacation. I have been with my company for 5 yrs.

[IROC]

Originally posted by Mr_Wizard
9 Paid Holidays + 240 Hours (30 Days) vacation. I have been with my company for 5 yrs.

I had to be with my company for 10 years before I got more than 2 weeks of vacation per year. I have been here 18 years now and am up to 20 days (I'm maxed out).

[osidak]

40 to 50 hours a week - have seen as high as 90 (salary)
9 paid holidays
3 weeks vacation (get a 4th next year)
5 i am sick of work days

on call 24/7

get a pretty nice bonus at the end of the year split between cash and stock (average of about 2.5 months of pay and as high as 3.5 months pay)