any one else got a late night at work?

[wombar]

Fair enough

[mycarsavw]

what do you do? My brain stops working if I use it too much, I could never do a 90 hour week even if I was paid

Legal stuff

I got behind following an office closure, so I've been catching up for a few months and it sucks

Why does anyone work unpaid overtime (for jobs they don't like)? I don't know if anyone on here does this but it totally baffles me when I see/hear about this. When I was working for someone else (run my own business now and am happy to work all hours) I was what can only be described as a clock watcher. In 18 months I WAS NEVER EVER LATE but I only ever stayed late once and that was until 6:30 when my finish time was 5:30. I was always out the door at 5:30 sharp and as long as I was doing a good job, I didn't feel bad about this. I (not wanting to sound big headed) was excellent at my job and management recognised this by granting me a number of concessions (working from home 4 daysa week, pay rises etc), which largely resulted from me taking the bull by the horns and making sure that the people at the top knew what I was doing for them in measureable terms.

Sorry, but unless it was a job I adored, I'd never work more hours than I'm paid to do. If management aren't prepared to a) give you a pay rise or b) allot you sufficient time to do your job (including system upgrades) then they shouldn't expect you to stay late. If you love your job I can understand staying late, but the amount of people who work all hours god sends for a job they hate completely confuses me.

If you're working towards something (like starting your own business or promotion) fair enough, you need to pay your dues (believe me I've done this) but don't let people take advantage. Just don't work more hours than you're paid unless there's a good reason is all I say.

See above, I was behind, I wanted to get as up to date as I could before going off for two weeks. I have an assistant to do my work while I'm not there, but there are some things she can't do.

See below for some more reasons

Wombar,

Let me say that I completely respect your view on this, my grandad who recently passed away had constantly told me through my time with him that this was his view completely throughout life and that his father had always told him the same. Never work a minute longer than you get paid to do.

I can completely understand what you are saying, but there are other factors which drive people and i'm one of these people that has to see things through to completion and do things right. If that means working longer hours to get things done then i'll do it, don't need extra pay, don't need recognition, as much as its nice.

Just the personal satisfaction that its been done right. Call me crazy, but just like you, if you don't have your principles to stand up to and follow through on what is the point.

TiG

TiG's last two paragraphs are spot on. If I have something that needs doing, then I'll do it regardless of the hours of work or the time it takes. I too like to see something through to completion.

BUT!

I'm the first to moan and shout if what I've done is not recognised by someone, but when it is, that's good enough for me. Whether I had to bitch and moan to get the recognition is another matter

The bottom line is I care about my firm enough to put the effort in when I can. I also know that when I need time off, I'll be allowed, or if I need to leave early no one will mind and so on.

Another good Hexus topic

[TiG]

Yep, i'll agree with you there mycarsavw, great and interesting topic. I also liked the points that Wombar raised about recognition and talented people often getting sacked, left behind in pay because they don't know how to make the best of a good situation.

I'm not an IT manager by training, i'm a speech recognition developer doing IT management as a sideline as i got sick of the last 4 people who were useless over the last 3 years i've been here. I figured i could do a better job and thats not because of any more skills i have in IT. But the ability to control and influence the company many times more effectively than any of them previously.

For me it wasn't all about the bonus money etc, but the proving I could do it. Sure it benefits me, I've soaked up knowledge about AD, Exchange and loads of other technologies and the way my industry is going the integration to these components is getting closer and closer.

As to when I run my own company, only time will tell.

TiG

[mycarsavw]

I agree with those points too, and in a similar way I'm in the same situation as yourself.

I joined as the office junior. The technology was dire and at some point I mentioned it and that with a bit of planning I could probably make it better.

10 years later I'm still here, I now run the office, the IT, the accounts, the staff and so on.

[CMC]

i love my job... but i did a 17 hour shift yesterday, got home coming up on 1am this morning after starting at 7.30am yesterday, and i was back in here just after 8 this morning... its all fun and games

[wombar]

Looks like I'm much more mercenary than most people on here

[chriswood_7]

Im alot like that mycarsavw

Ive put a lot into the company im working at and hardly had even a thank you for the extra effort. Dont get me wrong, I worked 2x100 odd hour weeks when I was away working on our project earlier this year. While I was away I was paid 4 days late (bank charged me for being overdrawn as my payment was out 3 days after I got paid), and when I got back I got 2 lieu days (should have been more like 5) and no extra pay, and more annoyingly not even a reward for hard work (i.e. a night out or a nice celebratory meal once we got the project out the door).

Needless to say I done this for my "company" aswell as the experience for myself, but I wont be doing that again.

Some of you will say im mad I suppose, but sometimes you feel you have no choice.

[manwithnoname]

I have a good working relationship with my boss. I must admit I throw in a bit of extra time that I don't get paid for, if the 'system' throws a wobbly ten minutes before I'm due to leave, I don't just get up and leave at clocking off time. It does balance out a bit, if a turn up late for work or I need to get off early my boss won't have a problem. I care about the job I do and the quality of the work/service I provide, if I had an unreasonable boss I would care a bit less and work just my hours.

Tomorrow I'll be up nice and early to restart some software after a server re-boot, I'll be paid by the hour, about half an hour, so the money make little difference but my boss would have to do it if I didn't - he has planned to be away for the weekend. So a bit of money but more importantly more goodwill banked.

[Rave]

When I was the Assistant Manager in a retail store a few years ago I basically never left on time. I'd typically do 45 minutes to an hour of unpaid overtime sorting stuff out every single day. I still got demoted for being a crap manager- apparently if I'd been more capable I would have delegated more jobs to my staff and the store would have run better.

Now that I'm a bus driver, finishing late suits me just fine. Every minute that I roll up to the garage late because of traffic or whatever is paid at time-and-two-thirds. I only have to be four minutes late back to earn an extra quid before tax- and that adds into my holiday pay and my backdated payrise too. All for filling in a little form every day. You'd be silly not to.