Hours of *work* - what's your view (slightly lighthearted debate)

nancy_31

I believe that when the office hours is from 9am to 5pm. I should be expected to sit on my desk at exactly 9am and prepare to leave the office after 5pm. not in between. Because i believe, we are paid base on the time we should render. It should be a productive time. So, you know which side I chose.

misssmcc

at my job we are expected to be in the office ready for report at 8am, i usually get there at about 7.50am ish, so i have time to hang up my jacket, look on the staff notice board etc. finishing time is 3.30pm, we can leave dead on time if we are able, or 5 minutes early if the shift leader says so, or we stay late if we are in the middle of a task.

cgk1

I've never had a 9am-5pm job and I think I'd struggle to adjust to one now. I'm self-employed so I make up my hours to suit - before that I was a researcher and not only was there no requirement for me to go to the office, it was pretty usual for many staff not to come in for two to three months at a time. As long as you kept bringing in the cash and turning out the papers, nobody cared where you were or what you were doing.

Keith

My hours are 9-5.

Most days I get in at 8:50 and will start work straight away in the clothes I've just cycled in and then as soon as convenient change into suit. Some times my pc will be off until gone half 9. Occasionally I'll arrive 30 minutes early.

I'll grab some lunch instead of my full hour 4 days out of 5.

And then I'll leave the building a few minutes after 5. If there is something urgent I'll put my head down and work to finish it rather than leaving it to the following day.

I think in a modern office, it's nice to have a 9-5 role but you really should be able to adapt to the business so that your work is done if that means late finish or arriving early some times then that is what you need to do. It bothers no body when people start & finish on time if their work is done.

mayfair1985

My hours of work are 9 - 5:30 but it's rare i do it. I usually start about 8:30, don't take a lunch (but do have fag breaks) and leave at 5:30.

However ther office I work in is a call center. The operators are expected to be in at their desks and logged on ready to take calls at 9:00. Also, if it gets to 5:30 and they are on the phone, and expected to finish the call. Anything over 20 minutes is paid overtime.

Being in an admin role rather than on the phones it's quite flexible for me so if i come in late or leave early it's no big deal and the time is ALWAYS more than made up. Working hard as an operator got me this role and earned me the flexibility.

They operators that are in and ready and do their hours and finish calls at the end of the day without moaning are more likley to be given flexibility should they require it. The ones that moan about loggining in and moan about finishing their calls at 5:35 don't get that.

And FYI - log in is a 30 second job and so is log out.

lostinrates

My dh is opted out of EU work hours directive. Official hours are 9:30-5:30 but he often works ''all nighters. His ''normal'' leaving offcie time is sometime between 8:30 and 10:30pm. If he's worked till midnight, or 2 am, then he doesn't feel bad going in at 10 if there is nothing pressing before that. Similarly, he often works weekends and all but one holiday in the last 5 years has been cancelled, takes calls 24/7 .....so if he can get on an afternnon train on a friday instead of an evening one he feels the office still get a fair deal. His employers seem satisfied and are aware that if you work crazy hours you still need to fit in things like a trip to the barbers etc.

I've got a new start up business. I don't work many hours, but they are at anti social times. I've had two people wanting to work for me atm and will be taking one on in the autumn I hope. I will expect them to work the hours we agree but also, (the nature of the work), to flexibly be available for more on occasion but the pay back there is that they won't be expected to hang around filling time when not needed. Its this ''flexible'' mature attitude which decided which is the right person for me. Both are known to be through their self employed work, one gets stuff done and is always prepared and never rushed the other little manana when on their own time and would be equally good if I were offering a more structured environment.

Going4TheDream

Reading these posts I can only wish that some of you worked with me. I have colleagues who turn up late continually , always have to leave early and take extended breaks when they are there, spend hours talking and do very little in between!!. I personally treat as I find, if the company is flexible with me then I am flexible with them. Whilst I am a believer in being ready to start work at my start time and not just be entering the building I am also a firm believer of not working for nothing and always try to leave on time. If on the odd occasion there has been need to stay for something urgent I always ensure that the time back is paid to me by adjusting my hrs accordingly in the next few days. At the end of the day we are all resources and I see work as exchanging my skills, experience and time for the best renumeration I can as I work to live and not live to work.

Mistral001

As others have said, it all depends on the employer and type of work. Generally speaking the time you start depends on transport, sometimes early and sometimes maybe a fraction late perhaps considered ok in offices in my experience. However, the time you leave in offices is perhaps the most contentious one. Stopping work 10 minutes early and then putting on coat and out the door dead on the time can give management the attitude that you are a "clock watcher"

In saying that, I once worked as a labourer in the council parks department when I was a student, where it was the opposite. Being on time was important as the lorry would geneally leave the depot just a few minutes after 8.00am so most people came early to work. Whereas it was accepted that the lorry returned about 15 to 20mins before 5.00pm so that everybody could put things away and also to have a chat with others about life and football etc. The manager joined in and it was I suppose it was just a winding down time. Nobody left one second later than quitting time excecpt perhaps the manager.