Why do people brag about how many hours they work?

[dvd-4-life]

I-myself could care less how many hrs somebody works because its not my fault they don't have a life.One guy would mention that he worked x amount of hours at this time last year but he's broke now.You live life once-If you want to live your life at work-go for it.

[McHawkson]

I work full 40 hours a week. :up:

[BigPete]

I work 4 hours and get paid for 40. I'm very proud of that.

[dvd-4-life]

So far so good.

[Fok]

because they don't have a life as you say or they don't really work and need to justify their employment.

[Thunderball]

I work 50+ hours a week. Just the nature of where I work.

When I mention it I'm normally bitching about it :)

[foxdvd]

I have a guy that has worked for me the past 2 years. He has come in to work on one of his days off every day he has worked for me (he is in management) He does not have to do this, but he makes sure I know what kind of sacrifice he is making for his job, as well as those that work below him. It is almost a joke around the office, because everyone knows that the reason he comes in all the time, and works 12-15 hour days, is because he has no personal life. He would just be bored at home.

He pushed REAL had for a larger then deserved raise in Nov. Of course the extra work he puts in was the main thing he wanted to discuss. As much as I tried, he failed to understand that the quality, or even quantity of his work was no greater then anyone else at the company, nor did he understand that sacrifice needs to result in someone loosing something to truly be sacrifice.

Then it happened. He met a girl about 6 weeks ago. I never see the guy anymore.

[Nesbit]

I do this a little bit. I work 13.25 hours a day, 4 days a week. I could have a bit more of a social life if I didn't but I get paid hourly, I'm still somewhat young, and if you just deal with a shitty day here and there the lack of sleep isn't all that bad.

[Shazam]

Yeah. It puzzles me how people boast that they work "60 hours a week!" like they're proud of it.

Unless you're going for millions, you're being taken advantage of or you're just really slow. Or you're hourly.

[GreenEggs248]

It shows worth? A sense of accomplishment? I used to work 50+ hours and hated it. Now I get paid more for ~40 hours a week.

[SINGLE104]

I-myself could care less how many hrs somebody works because its not my fault they don't have a life. One guy would mention that he worked x amount of hours at this time last year but he's broke now.You live life once-If you want to live your life at work-go for it.
In some instances, people who work a lot of overtime, generally are deep in debt, and trying to live above their means for themselves, and their family. People who are in this predicament that work ridiculous amount of overtime, are still living paycheck to paycheck. And also, the main cause of this is: GREED. They're never satisfied. At my place of employment, there are a few guys who'll work 24/7 if the company let them. The more they make, the more they want.

[WallyOPD]

I work 37.5 hours a week and have no particular desire to work more. Fortunately my company has appropriate staffing levels so there's no need to stay late or come in early.

[mytzplyx]

Ok, I've "bragged" about how many hours I worked in my last job (about 55-60 hrs a week), but I REALLY BRAGGED about the hours I worked on the job before that one (anywhere from 12 to 35 hrs/week, for MORE $$).

The former "bragging" had to do with some type of sense of accomplishment while the latter was REALLY BRAGGING.

[MANBREASTS]

My wifes aunt used to work for a law firm for over 10 years and they had her working for 5 lawyers(she accepted this because she's crazy). well anyway they always treated her like shit and she was always crying and saying she was going to quit her job. She never did offcourse, well anyway she ended up developing capel tunnel and authritis in both arms so they had to fire her because she couldn't do her job(the job that caused her carpel tunnel by the way). Now she's on disability and getting a very nice check once a month but she continued to keep in contact with her old employer who fired her and they were saying how there having trouble finding a new secretery, they finnally found one but she's not that great. So here's the best part, my wife's aunt not comes in 4 hours a day and volenteers to train this new secretary and her old boss offered to pay her under the table to do it so it wouldn't affect her disability check and the dummy turns it down and says no thats ok I'll do it for free. so now she drives over twenty miles round trip and works for free for a company that fired her. WHO IN THERE RIGHT MIND WOULD TURN DOWN FREE CASH! Only someone who is so desperate for attention and self worth that they would be this type of martyre. people like this make me more sick then someone who brags about how many hours they work.

[maxfisher]

I work for a small company and there are times that our work flow shifts and I end up having to put in 60 or more hours a week. I'm salaried, so I get paid no more during those stretches. If I mention it to someone, it's usually just to explain why I want to stay home and relax or why I'm not able to make it to something they've invited me to. It's definitely not bragging.

[Bushdog]

I'll tell you after I finish my 104 hour week. *beats chest proudly*

[RoQuEr]

I avg 169 hours per week...

[The Bus]

I do this a little bit. I work 13.25 hours a day, 4 days a week. I could have a bit more of a social life if I didn't but I get paid hourly, I'm still somewhat young, and if you just deal with a shitty day here and there the lack of sleep isn't all that bad.

Whatever it takes to break that glass ceiling!

[garolo]

One of the "perks" of being an hourly contractor is that my boss is very reluctant to keep me past 8 hours a day. But then again it's also a liability. Snow day? No pay. Sick? No pay. I'm proud to say that I worked 1822 hours last year. That's not bragging; just the facts ma'am.

OT: I just noticed that Mrs Nesbit is no longer a missus. I guess "she" saved enough soda can tabs for that sex change operation. Congrats! :)

[edstein]

I usually work 45-50 hrs a week. I get time and a half pay for any hours over 40, that helps make the overtime worth it.

[Vibiana]

I've been a secretary for 23 years. In that time, I've mostly worked the standard 8 to 4:30 or 5 -- and it's one of the things I've liked about clerical work: you don't usually take work home. The times I worked overtime were when I was working for lawyers, who never get anything done during the regular workday. They THRIVE on keeping their secretaries there till 9 PM. :lol: On the other hand, I worked several years for a judge and never put in a minute's overtime. Go figure. :shrug:

I work for a religious official now and the main reason I work overtime is that certain seasons of the year are busier for me. January to March happens to be one of them. I don't get paid for overtime, but I pile up as much as I can so that come October, when I'm feeling like taking a few Fridays off, I've got comp time. :)

[darkside]

I brag constantly about the fact I'm paid for 40 hours a week and barely work 30 and I'm only productive about 10 of those hours. I consider that a major accomplishment.

[Save Ferris]

Where I used to work, it was the only way to move ahead in the company. You had to really campaign how hard you worked or it would go completely unnoticed. I quit pretty quickly.

[4KRG]

I think it makes people feel important when they tell you that they work 100 hours a week. As in the company couldn't possibly continue without them being there. :lol:

I put in my 40, more when there is no way around it, but I am never happy about it. If I could work 24-25 hours a week, I think that would be the ideal job :)

[eXcentris]

I thought the point was to work as little as possible while making as much money as possible. That's what I strive for and I'm pretty good at it. :)

[VinVega]

I put in my 40, more when there is no way around it, but I am never happy about it. If I could work 24-25 hours a week, I think that would be the ideal job :)
I was just about to post the same thing, but since you said it already, I'll just give you a big :up:

[12thmonkey]

I-myself could care less how many hrs somebody works because its not my fault they don't have a life.One guy would mention that he worked x amount of hours at this time last year but he's broke now.You live life once-If you want to live your life at work-go for it.

I always chalk it up to martyr-wannabees...
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l147/pointyskull/cross.jpg

[Vibiana]

I always chalk it up to martyr-wannabees...
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l147/pointyskull/cross.jpg

As a church employee, I feel it my place to inform you that this post relegates you to an eternity in the smoking charnel pits of hell.

:D

[12thmonkey]

As a church employee, I feel it my place to inform you that this post relegates you to an eternity in the smoking charnel pits of hell.

:D

I think I'd prefer a non-smoking charnel pit of hell, but since I'll already be dead, what the heck....

[Quatermass]

Yeah. It puzzles me how people boast that they work "60 hours a week!" like they're proud of it.

Unless you're going for millions, you're being taken advantage of or you're just really slow. Or you're hourly.

Or they are lying. In my experience, most people who brag about quantity of hours (in an office environment at least) are not very productive and just trying to justify their useless positions.

[12thmonkey]

Or they are lying. In my experience, most people who brag about quantity of hours (in an office environment at least) are not very productive and just trying to justify their useless positions.

We've got a few of those around my workplace. They're the biggest complainers if someone puts in their normal productive day and leaves on time, because "wah-wah I have to work late because if I don't do it no one will".

The funny thing is during the day they're the ones coming in late, taking long lunches and many, many "smoke breaks"... jeesh.

I have yet to see a direct correlation between long hours and high productivity.

[Vibiana]

I think I'd prefer a non-smoking charnel pit of hell, but since I'll already be dead, what the heck....

Don't worry, I'll save you a seat. ;)

[stingermck]

Im working 25 hours a week, and making more than my last 3 full time jobs. So screw it. Whats the point of living if you dont have time to do anything will "all" this money one is making.

[Mrs. Danger]

It's hard to tell how many hours I work a week. It's hard to tell the difference between "working" and "goofing off".

I suppose, if I eventually get paid for it, it was "working".

[Save Ferris]

"Temp Hides Fun, Fulfilling Life From Rest Of Office

BOSTON—Ty Braxton, 23, continues to hide his fun and fulfilling life from the full-time employees of Hale & Dorr, the Boston law firm for which he has temped since July.

"At a job like this, where you're surrounded by angry, perpetually stressed-out lawyers who are working 80 hours a week, it's important to hide the fact that you're enjoying a normal, balanced, happy life," Braxton said Monday. "People get really pissed when they hear stuff like that."

Braxton, who earns roughly one-fourth of what the firm's lowest-seniority full-time employees make, said he has no desire to make his coworkers feel bad about their "boring, shitty lives."

"If somebody complains about how bad it sucks to work overtime five days straight, I just nod and agree," said Braxton, who spends his weeknights at parties, at concerts, and playing basketball in the park. "No point in rubbing in the fact that no matter how busy things are, I leave at exactly 5 p.m. every single day. If anyone asks me to stay later, I just say my agency doesn't let me do overtime."

After graduating from Wesleyan University in May 2000 with a degree in Russian literature, Braxton worked a series of part-time jobs in and around Boston. In December 2001, he signed on with QualiTemps, the city's largest supplier of temporary office labor, which currently pays him $8.44 per hour.

"I have so much going on in my life right now," Braxton said. "I'm helping a friend start up a little Cajun food stand, I've gotten way into this Russian poet Mayakovsky, I've been hanging out with this really cool girl I met when my band, Sophie Drillteam, did a show with hers. Honestly, I just don't have the time or energy to put into some job."

In spite of his happiness, Braxton said he makes sure always to project an air of dissatisfaction, in both facial expression and posture, while in the office.

"If I had a great time staying out until 4 in the morning the night before, I make sure to wipe away all traces of a smile before I walk in these doors," Braxton said. "If anyone found out I'm not living a hellish existence like they are, I'd be asking for trouble."

Braxton is also careful about engaging his coworkers in conversation.

"I stopped talking about movies, because no one here ever goes to them," Braxton said. "Every time I mention a movie to someone, I have to sit there and listen to them go through the process of figuring out the last movie they saw. The other day, Andrew Walser, this intellectual-property attorney who's trying to make partner, told me that his last movie was Gladiator. I was like, 'Oh, man, that's depressing.'"

In his long-term temp assignment as conference coordinator at Hale & Dorr, Braxton schedules employee use of the firm's five common meeting rooms and is responsible for keeping the rooms stocked with cold refreshments and snacks. His other primary duty is to procure audio-visual equipment for meetings when requested, a situation that arises "only, like, one or two times a month."

"People e-mail me about needing rooms, and I have to e-mail them back with room assignments," Braxton said. "I also have to post the schedule on the meeting-room doors and order paper cups and things. All in all, though, it's pretty easy. Everybody's usually way too busy to give me any work to do, anyway."

During his three to four hours of "down time" each work day, Braxton reads, surfs the web, and e-mails friends. He also works on long-term personal projects. Over the past six weeks, Braxton has translated 41 pages of Alexander Pushkin's unfinished novel Dubrovsky for a new English version he dreams of one day publishing.

Braxton has never mentioned his translation project to coworkers, nor has he mentioned any of his other pursuits.

"I don't want to rub in how much I get to do the things I want to do," Braxton said. "I feel sorry for them. They go home after a hard day, and they're so fried they just spend the night sitting in front of the TV. You know how these people spend their weekends? Resting. They rest."

Another advantage Braxton enjoys over the full-timers is a significantly more relaxed dress code.

"They're always on the way to the dry cleaners or the barber or shopping for another expensive suit," said Braxton, who estimates that his average coworker spends five hours a week maintaining his or her personal appearance. "As long as I wear deodorant, keep my tie reasonably clean, and wash my one pair of Dockers over the weekend, no one really gives a shit what I look like."

In his efforts to hide his happy, fulfilling life from his coworkers, Braxton has even resorted to lying.

"Just yesterday, somebody asked me about my last temp job," Braxton said. "It ended in May, but I told them it ended in June. See, after it ended, I took about a month off and just kind of dicked around, traveling around Europe until my money ran out. I knew not to mention that to people who won't be able to do anything like that until they're 65."

Though Braxton said he sympathizes with his coworkers, he added that the decision to pursue a prestigious, high-paying career path was entirely their own.

"They wanted to go for the brass ring and really live the good life," Braxton said. "What they don't seem to get is that the key to living the good life is to avoid that brass ring like the fucking plague."


http://www.theonion.com/content/node/27698

[pedagogue]

work = identity for most people. Therefore, they are further establishing themselves by working more. More = Better...duh!

-p

[Duh Vuh Duh]

Peddy got it. A lot of people, including the SO :( value themselves by their success at their job and have to work a lot and put in more hours to make themselves feel valued, rather than pouring that time and energy into the family and relationships and the stuff that matters.

[eXcentris]

I think I'd prefer a non-smoking charnel pit of hell, but since I'll already be dead, what the heck....

I think Vib wants you as her sex toy. :D

[Vibiana]

I think Vib wants you as her sex toy. :D

:eyebrow:

[CinemaNut]

I am an advocate of work to live not live to work.

I also dont believe in giving 110%. 100% is enough. 110 is "usually" for suckers.

My last job, my employers were total pricks but we had internet. I was good enough at my job to have it done in about 4 hours and the rest of the day for net surfing.

So even though I had to be there, I only put in about 20 hours per week. I didnt view as stealing time, since I always did what was required of me.

I also dont believe in finding MORE work just because you did what was expected of you in half the time. And as a manager, I lived what I preached thru my subordinates as well. IOW...if they finished early, my only rule was dont make downtime look obvious.

I learned a lesson on my first job when I soon found out being rewarded for doing my work ahead of time meant more fucking work, while others were smart about it and took all day to do theirs. Work for me has always been a necessary evil and I truly envy people who have jobs they dont consider work. I tried the "do what ya love" thing, and it didnt work out for me - NO CONNECTIONS, NEPOTISM, etc usually means hard work DOES NOT PAY OFF and we should be teaching that to our kids so when they realize the so called American Dream, though attainable is usually NOT, they wont go postal one day cuz they bought into the white picket fence apple pie bullshit fed to them in youth.

Maybe I should have my coffee before posting. ;)

[Sonicflood]

I am self employed and could care less what someone thinks of my schedule. I also never judge anyone else or ask how many hours per week that they work as it's not my business.

I don't really track it as it's tough to say exactly how many hours I work per week as I mix "work" and fun together. There are days that I decide to say, screw it, I'm going to play today & there are times that I may be at home or at my office working on research for a listing or adding to our web site & realize it's midnight.

It all works out for my situation. I try to schedule off time just like it's a business appointment. I truly love my "job" and it rarely ever feels like its a job as I have a lot of fun in what I do.

[pedagogue]

Peddy got it. A lot of people, including the SO :( value themselves by their success at their job and have to work a lot and put in more hours to make themselves feel valued, rather than pouring that time and energy into the family and relationships and the stuff that matters.
Yeah...i pretty much rock! :lol:

I use to work a lot...then I realized that was a fucking waste. I am now a work to live....f' the live to work. I don't mind if I worked 50+ hr/wk if I really liked what I do (which I do).

-p

[12thmonkey]

I think Vib wants you as her sex toy. :D

But I'm allergic to cats :eek:

[Mrs. Danger]

That's okay, she thinks sneezing is sexy.

[Save Ferris]

That's okay, she thinks sneezing is sexy.

so is swelling up!

[rabbit77]

One of my friends who's a tax accountant is such a martyr. He acts like he's miserable because he works 70 hour weeks but he just enjoys complaining. He also brags that he has like months of vacation saved up that he can't use because he's so busy. I really don't get it.

[Pressplay]

I hate it when people brag about their long hours. I find that most of the people who do that are poorly organized and don't work well to begin with.

There's a brand director at work who makes a point of sending emails late at night or on the weekend just to make sure that everybody knows just how hard working she is. Hate !