How Many Hours Do You Work in a Week?

Gnight asks: "After reading a recent article at ABC News stating that U.S. citizens work more than any other industrialized country, I have started to wonder more about the subject. So my question is, how much does the average slashdot reader work in a week? Where do you live? and What do you do?" Slashdot did an informal poll on this a long time ago, but it was more from the workday standpoint, though it looked like the majority of us were working 9-10 hour days. Is it still the same today as it was almost 2 years ago?

Comments

Yeah, but that's 10 _Canadian_ Hours

[Anonymous Coward]

Which is like what, six American hours?

Depends

[ptomblin]

Do you count the hours I'm at work? Do you subtract from that the hours I spend reading Slashdot and The Register? How about the Half Life games? And the time spent talking to my cow orkers about non-work stuff?

Do you add back in the hours when I've woken up in the middle of the night with a brilliant idea of how to solve the latest problem? And do you count just the time awake writing it down so I don't forget it, or the time I spent mulling it over in my mind while half-asleep or watching TV? Do you add in the time I spend going over the code in my mind while driving to and from work?

Do you add or subtract the time I spend at home working on my free software project, because while it's time I *don't* spend mulling over work problems, it's also time that keeps me sharp and remembering when software development was fun.

Face it, the concept of hours worked is meaningless, and mostly used by people who mistake action for progress.

I once worked on a job with a bunch of droids from Andersen Consulting. Andersen had a corporate culture of working 24 hours a day during crunch times, and it was *always* crunch times. I bought into it on one project with them, and used to wonder if it was worth getting undressed and into bed when I stumbled back to my hotel room at 4am realizing that I had a breakfast meeting at 6:30. But the second time I worked with these guys, I was working with a guy on this problem and we were going around in circles. I recognized what we were doing, and said that I was going home at 11:30pm. I got back into work the next morning, and the Anderoid was still working on the problem, having been there all night. And it appeared that all he'd done was try the same ideas we'd already tried twice before I went home. I, on the other hand, had realized what the problem was while showering and on the drive in had formulated a solution which had worked first time.

reflective of American values

[ragnar]

I think this simply reflects something about the American value system. Some Americans will regard other nations as being lazy, but it really just comes down to how you define personal accomplishment. In America one of the early questions people ask is "what do you do", and invariable the answer beings with "I'm a [insert profession here]" instead of "I do [insert profession here]" In America, you are what you do professionally, and it is natural to have some pressure to do it well.

I have lots of issues with this, and the 40 hour workweek is simply a mental trap for making good students into good consumers. Consider this for a moment... if there was some device that you could use at work that would increase your productivity by 20%, why do you still work 5 days a week. Why not be happy and work 4 days, assuming that the cost of the device were recovered.

My take on this is that the length of the workweek has nothing to do with the work that has to be done. There is always more work that can be done, and there are always ways of shirking off the task of getting stuff done. I know both from experience. ;)

My point here (and I do have one) is that this is a reflection of American values to work and consume. It is a value system I don't like very well, but I'll confess that I buy into it implicitely. This is an interesting topic though.

Re:reflective of American values

[Raven667]

I think the "When are you going to do something with yourself" crowd is the same as the "Look at the nice clothes on he Emperor" crowd. Subconsiously they are asking themselves "If he can live a happy, productive life without breaking his back at work, WTF am I doing?" Other people don't want to see a happy, well adjusted person working 20 hrs a week because it is a slap in the face, showing that they have chosen the wrong lifestyle and value system. Nobody likes to be wrong.

Re:reflective of American values

[aussersterne]

I think you're absolutely right; working long hours and spending money on useless consumer items is probably the most clear expression of Americanism that I can think of. It's a value system I personally hate, mainly because I feel the compelling need to exist outside of any possesions I own or job I perform.

But (and here's the point of my post) it's going to take a lot to change this. I know first hand that people aren't at all tolerant of those who have succeeded in not working a 40-hour week. I am a freelance writer. I make enough to live. I became a freelance writer specifically because I was tired of working long hours at a job that I felt was taking over -- that was becoming somehow enmeshed with my identity. I didn't want that.

But even though I make enough to live, I have become a social problem for many people. I have had a number of relationships end almost entirely because I wasn't "trying hard enough to be successful" and members of my family continually call to badger me about when I'm going to "do something with my life" and why I'm not "working harder to make something of" myself.

Credit agencies and businesses of all kinds -- sometimes even for little things -- don't want to sign contracts with me because as far as they're concerned, not working 40 hours PLUS is synonymous with "irresponsible" and therefore dangerous in any financial sense.

Put simply, there is no tolerance right now in American culture, not just in the technology industry, for anyone who feels satisfied to live outside of consumerism. Only lazy bums feed the ducks in the park... the responsible people would never be caught doing anything so worthless.

So please -- before you mod this down as trolling or flamebait, at least stop a moment and consider putting a little less pressure on yourself and (especially) on your family members and loved ones to buy things, earn money, get advancements, etc. After all, this is not a real-time strategy simulation! This is LIFE and it's the only one you've got!

A Typical Consultants work week.. You asked!

[cybrthng]

My typical work week:

Day 1

Sunday night, drive to Philadelphia Airport.
Fly to San Francisco (5 1/2 hours)
Catch flight to Portland Oregon (1 1/2 hours)
Take shuttle to hotel, Sleeeeeeeepppppp

Day 2

Wake up 6:00 a.m. Do the three SSS's.
Walk to client site by 7:30 a.m
Work till 8:30 pm
Check out town for a while
Sleep

Day 3

Repeat Day 2

Day 4

Start off like Day two, leave work about 5pm
Catch taxi to airport
Fly to San Fran
Fly to Philadelphia
Sleep on those flights
Arrive in philadelphia at 6:45 in the morning

FRIDAY!!

Have friday, saturday and sunday to be home

Its a tough life, but someone has to do it! I get to learn, see the world and meet the most interesting and talented people in the world.

Do i regret it? NO.

Is it hard? YES

I wouldn't do it the rest of my life, but since i'm only 24 i have nothing to loose and frankly sitting still is too boring, you just watch the world go by!

I get paid great, i get bonuses, and i get billions of miles from Frequent Flyer programs and i have more free hotel stays then i know what to do with.

But i get to take my friends to exotic places, i send family tickets to meet me at places, i give my parents hotel coupons for there vacations, and i keep in touch.

Keeping in touch is what counts.. not how much you work for somebody, but how much you make your life YOURS no matter what situation you are in.

Re:I work 40 hours a week

[RavenWolf]

Please, keep in touch, and give us your view on the subject after 7 years of marriage.

Re:this might just be me...

[ConceptJunkie]

It's not just you. Furthermore, some of us even figured that out before the "bubble" happened.

I've got a wife, 4 kids, and lots of hobbies, and while I enjoy work, I don't enjoy it more than the rest of my life. I left my last job in part because my peers were almost all single guys who thought little of 60 or 80 hour weeks (and the chaotic, poorly-managed environment made that necessary way too often) whereas if I'm as little as an hour or 2 late coming home, my kids are disappointed and my wife has to do extra work (feed the kids, get them ready for bed, reading stories, etc), so I place a high priority on a job which requires relatively few long days. Fortunately, I have found a place which doesn't (for a change) operate in perpetual crisis mode, with great pay no less. Also, the company has been around for several years and isn't walking a razor-edge of venture capital and market hiccups to stay in existence.

Rick

Varying the question...

[dmorin]

How do you determine what constitutes "work"? As Dilbert once said, "Here's my time sheet. You'll notice that it includes that half hour I wasted filling out the silly thing, but doesn't count the 15 minutes I spent designing our new product while in the shower this morning."

So is work only about writing code? Or when you go home and lie in bed for 3 hours with visions of UML diagrams dancing in your head, does that count? Surely not as billable hours (wellll, for most of us :)), but is it something that you personally consider to be part of what constitutes your own workload?

My experience as a consultant...

[GoNINzo]

Because I'm a consultant, I always have to try to bill at least 40 hours a week. But i've noticed that some companies prefer you to bill more or bill exactly 40.

Usually the larger the company, the more likely they are going to want a stock 40 hour week. in fact, some have moved to the 37.5 week. But these are usually non-IS houses.

In the middle of the spectrum, you have the larger Internet companies that require at least 40, sometimes 50, sometimes 60. These are the established places that can sometimes be kind of hectic.

Then on the far end, you have the startups. They *require* ten hour days, 7 days a week, with extra time for server outtages (which are frequent) so you end up billing a 85 hour week. which... kind of sucks. `8r/

All just IMHO.

--
Gonzo Granzeau

Hours worked in a week

[Calimus]

As a Systems/Network Analyst in Georgia US, I work an average of about 45-55 hours durring a normal week. If it's a week that I'm on call it can be anywhere from 45-55 all the way to 70+ pending on what kind of problems occure (server crash/router failure/switch blows a blade). The hours arn't the real killer, it's something that has been covered here many times and thats the lack of pay for the extra hours. As a salaried worker, I see nothing past 40 hours in my paycheck :-(

Time Management?

[birder]

I wonder how much of those 9-10 hours were spent actually working. These are not the factory workers who are monitored quite well.

How much time does a typical office worker spend on extra long coffee breaks, chatting with co-workers, surfing the web, talking on the phone to friends and family, going for an hour lunch when the union time is thirty minutes?

And then at the end of the work day, they have to stay late because they are falling behind schedule.

The worse part is that it normally affects other workers who get 'priority' work handed to them at 4pm when their boss should of had it to them much sooner.

Re:this might just be me...

[scoove]

or...

1)we're more likely to work 9-5 (okay, maybe 9-6 but NO weekends)
we're working 9-5 at our day job, while working 5-9 at our startup (and ssh'ing into it during the 9-5 whenever we can)

2)we expect more compensation and but have a greater realization we're not going to be millionaires (no options for me, thanx, I'll take the cash)
we're taking all the cash we can get out of our pathetic, underpaid current job, sitting with hundreds of thousands of upside-down options we'd be insane to exercise, while we fund our own thing

3)we enjoy our work environment much less than we did before the bubble burst
we're giddy about a worthless, unchallenging work environment during the day. it leaves our brains fresh for other things

4)we continually update our resumes and have our eyes open about better opportunities
and business plans...

5)we take much more down time away from our work and from our computers now that we're burned out from the past few years and haven't seen the reward we deluded ourselves into believing we were going to receive.
we've tossed out the palms, smart watches, and even locked up our kids gameboys because we can't stand the sight of another LCD. we spend our time instead rollerblading or *gasp* with people hanging out

And who says geeks can't be social?

this might just be me...

[kootch]

but I'd be willing to believe that the majority of us follow this general model comparred to 2 yrs ago...

1)we're more likely to work 9-5 (okay, maybe 9-6 but NO weekends)
2)we expect more compensation and but have a greater realization we're not going to be millionaires (no options for me, thanx, I'll take the cash)
3)we enjoy our work environment much less than we did before the bubble burst
4)we continually update our resumes and have our eyes open about better opportunities
5)we take much more down time away from our work and from our computers now that we're burned out from the past few years and haven't seen the reward we deluded ourselves into believing we were going to receive.

Re:Naive

[iso]

you're absolutely right, and i agree with you that your company doesn't care for you -- it's a business relationship. that's fine of course, but you have to realize that business is money, period, not friends or people you appreciate. that i agree with.

i don't agree with you however, that you should just treat work as a "service." i think it's very important to try to enjoy what you do, at least to a certain extent. if you're putting in a big chunk of your waking hours into it (and by that i mean anything over 30 hours a week) you should be getting more than just money or you won't be happy in the long run. you don't have to love your job, but treating it as just a service isn't the way to look at it. we're people, not machines, and we need more than just money.

let's face it, after you have enough to have a place to live and the necessities you require, everything after that is just gravy. it's better to please yourself than to acquire more cash. it'll keep you happy and make you think better of yourself and your life. as it's been said, how many people sit on their death bed and think "wow, i should've worked more overtime." :)

- j

I work 40 hours a week

[SirWhoopass]

I work 40 hours a week. My contract says that I work 40 hours a week, I get paid for working 40 hours a week. I, therefore, work 40 hours a week.

I know people who work 60+ hours a week. I even can think of one or two who get a lot done.

For the most of them, however, they are just unorganized. They don't make efficient use of their time at work. They don't have any sort of plan to indicate what they hope to do and how it will be accomplished. They are in the office until 8 PM or later and wear it like some badge of honor.

They can have that "honor" all to themselves. I rather like going home at 5 to have dinner with my fiancee, play with my dog, and whatever else seems interesting at the time. I doubt I'll be on my deathbed wishing I spent more time at this desk.

Re:I work 40 hours a week

[tylerh]

I've been married 9 years. My desire for work has gone down, my time at home has gone up. I am ALWAYS home by 6 pm. I walk my daughter to school at 8:30 am. I volunteer in her classroom. I never work weekends. Do the math for yourself. OH, I am USian.

As another poster wrote, " You can love your job, but can your job love you back?"

Re:I work 40 hours a week

[undecidable]

I rather like going home at 5 to have dinner with my fiancee, play with my dog

I'd rather have dinner with my dog and play with my fiancee.

Re:work

[dmccarty]

The US is the most prosperous nation on earth because we've got an abundance of natural resources, a growing population, and we're not afraid to exploit either one.

Sorry, but you're wrong on all counts. There are plenty of nations that have an abundance of natural resources--Russia, Brazil and Iraq, to name a few--that are not "prosperous." Conversely, there are also nations with few natural resources, like Great Britain, Japan (hence WWII) and Hong Kong (pre-1999) that are relatively prosperous.

There are also nations with growing populations, such as India and Mexico, that aren't prosperous. So it can't be that. And every nation tries to exploit its resources for what it can get. Japanese fisheries. Romanian gold miners. Brazilian loggers. Zambian copper miners. Take your pick. The US doesn't have a monolopy on exploiting their own resources.

The US is the most prosperous nation right now. We certainly weren't always so, and likely we won't always be. It's a matter of historical accident, not the fact that our workers are over-worked.

There's no such thing as a historical accident. History just is. There are no particular "accidental reasons" for how events have unfolded over the course of time. Don't minimize the importance of small factors hundreds and thousands of years ago that influenced where our planet is at today.

--

Cultural Prejudice

[Glowing Fish]

(Slightly offtopic)
It doesn't surprise me that Americans work more hours then any other industrialized nations. Or that, as an addendum to this, that the majority of Americans are probably sleep deprived.

It seems to be that many Americans, even those in the medical field, don't realize how serious sleep deprivation is. Do you think that we, as a society, would think that about half of our citizens going hungry most of the time would be acceptable? Probably not. Yet when that many Americans lose sleep regularly, no one sees it as a bad thing.

Take this for example: a college junior goes around bragging to her friends and family about how she hasn't eaten anything but water and carrots for the past two weeks. Would people think this was a sign of maschismo? Or would they think this was a person who was endagering themselves, and needed medical attention? Now, take the same college junior and say that she has been going around bragging about how she has been pulling all nighters and has averaged 4 hours of sleep for the past two weeks. For a lot of people, this would be a normal sign of collegeiate bravado.

The point of all of this is, is that many people, including doctors (who have to go through their own intiatory period of losing sleep, but that is another subject) don't seem to realize that a wealthy society where the majority of the people don't sleep enoug is just as ludicrous as an industrial society where people don't eat enough.

Philosophically Unsettling

[Bluesee]

I have formed a value system that actually considers the impact on the quality of life and tries to balance it with the need to become a multi-millionaire by 30. It's hard to maintain these values in the face of dotcommers speeding by me on the freeway in their jags with bleach-blonde babes at their side, but I figure it all balances out in the karmic universe. I get to drive my Yugo home every night. The prevailing attitude of engineers around here that we are expected to put in our 42 hours (in fact, we were told that it is expected of us - hey, I only signed up for 40) each week, and it's some sort of badge of honor to say that you have already put in 60 hours by Wednesday infuriates me, frankly. What sort of mass self-hypnosis have you bought into? What a stupid, unenlightened, lemming mentality! Now, I have never said that you shouldn't be allowed to work however long you want, and I have been known to stay until 1am if I am enjoying myself (I love debugging my code, go figure), but this work ethic only serves the corporation, and not the individual.

In my business we analyze rocket trajectories. I asked my boss the other night, over beers after softball "How many trajectorites could you analyze in a workday, twenty years ago?" He told me "We used to be able to do 3 kilofeet in a day (about 1/30th of a flight)!" So I told him "Well, I can do 200 trajectories in an hour, can I have the rest of the week off now?" hah, hah, hah...

Seriously, though, I often marvel at the thought that all this automation, which presumably was supposed to free us all, has actually enslaved us, as we serve the machines we create, day in and day out.

So, please don't brag at how many hours you unwillingly have to slave over your keyboard. All I can think of is "what an idiot."

As a final note, I can only attribute this to the ills of capitalism that we should all understand by now. Remind yourself that the capitalists now have control of the schools, and that they are training you to be net slaves. If you don't fight the power today ("I'm a human being!" versus "If you don't work 80 hours, we'll find someone who will."), you have only yourself to blame, guys.

Working hours...

[glebite]

I live in Canada - I typically work 50 hour weeks... I found a good 10 hour day beats out some of the fools who try to do 18 hour stints every other day. They look run-down, burned-out, and at generally, have made critical mistakes because of their fatigue. On a few occasions, a breakthrough has happened, but usually the code had to be reworked again to clean up really ugly hacks.

And to be honest, although I used to do some of those 18 hour stints, I listened to an older co-worker who asked, "So how productive are you now after working 18 hours?" I answered, "Not really I guess - stuck on a stupid problem." His response was simple and clear: "Go home!"

I did, got plenty of sleep, found a decent balance between work, sleep, homelife, hobbies, reading slashdot, and I found 10 hours to be great.

I take a .5 hr walk at now noon to really clear the cobwebs out of my head...

hours per week.

[saintlupus]

i work zero hours per week... i've been laid off. thanks, new economy!

--saint
----