What is a "normal" work week?

[OLDFLM]

My only base of reference before working in corporate America as an HR Manager was my time in the military (which I miss EVERY day btw!)... and while I realize just how fortunate I am to have a job, I was wondering...

What is a "normal" work week?

Is the 40 hour week a thing of the past with downsizing and everyone having to do more to get the job done?

Is a 50 hour work week becoming the norm?

60+?

[Beegs]

I am a business owner, no employees....I work until the work gets done. Never have kept track of how many hours a week I work, don't know, don't care.....I am happy and that's all I care about!

[GregWeld]

I wouldn't know..... :rofl:

[Vegas69]

I'm normally in the 40 hour range. Plus or minus 5

[OLDFLM]

I wouldn't know..... :rofl:

I almost put in the "GW" disclaimer! LOL

[fesler]

The Norm is no longer these days.

Being a business owner with lots of employs is very difficult, we work our guys 45 hours a week some do a little more to get caught up but for the most part we don’t ask any more of them because they have families. Now on the other hand I could not tell you how many hours a week I work but I am OK with it because I get to do something that I love every day and I also get to work with my wife and son so the hours don’t affect me as much and the other person. Everyone expects more and more for less, even in what we do. The good o days as we know them are gone for a while and maybe forever.

You defiantly have to work for your money now and with the economy the way it is it’s a fight.

[toy71camaro]

40 hrs here... with the expectation to get 45hrs worth or work done in the 40hr allotment. heheh.

[Sieg]

I wouldn't know..... :rofl:

http://www.desmonorthwest.com/forums/images/smilies/action-smiley-027.gif

You need a retail business to manage.................:D

I was 60-70 hours 6 days a week in one phase, then 60 with alternating Saturdays, then 50-60, and now I try to keep it around 50. But it's 24/7 on the mind.

Phase one began in 1976.............

[OLDFLM]

The Norm is no longer these days.

Being a business owner with lots of employs is very difficult, we work our guys 45 hours a week some do a little more to get caught up but for the most part we don’t ask any more of them because they have families. Now on the other hand I could not tell you how many hours a week I work but I am OK with it because I get to do something that I love every day and I also get to work with my wife and son so the hours don’t affect me as much and the other person. Everyone expects more and more for less, even in what we do. The good o days as we know them are gone for a while and maybe forever.

You defiantly have to work for your money now and with the economy the way it is it’s a fight.

Sounds like you need a talented HR Manager who is also a car guy Chris! :unibrow:

[Flash68]

I am a business owner, no employees....I work until the work gets done. Never have kept track of how many hours a week I work, don't know, don't care.....I am happy and that's all I care about!

I like this answer. :thumbsup:

[214Chevy]

I'm a firefighter and I work in 24 hour increments. So, I'm easily pushed to or past the 60 hour work week if I work 2-3 days a week. But hey, I got the only job in America where you won't get fired for sleeping on the job. :rofl: :rofl: As long as that bell doesn't ring, we are at the station chilling..."sittin on our nuts" as we like to call it.

[Ron in SoCal]

Thank you Marcus for risking your life for others. Please be safe Brother...:cheers:

[andrew5]

i run a chevy service dept.i'm all in for 55 plus.

[out2kayak]

I am a business owner, no employees....I work until the work gets done. Never have kept track of how many hours a week I work, don't know, don't care.....I am happy and that's all I care about!

This is what my dreams are made of...

This week I did 63 hrs. Last week it was just a little less.

When things go sideways, the company pulls me in to get things back on track (if possible), which makes for long days and significant travel. In many ways, when I show up it's a bit like the grim reaper has just pulled the software engineering groups number.

Last year I ended up closing a ~100 person shop just about Christmas time. Was one of the hardest things I have had to do.

:cheers:

[LSX67]

I am a business owner, no employees....I work until the work gets done. Never have kept track of how many hours a week I work, don't know, don't care.....I am happy and that's all I care about!

Same here:thumbsup:

[Bucketlist2012]

Before I retired, during our peak of the season, March through November, I worked whatever it took, 10 to 12 hours, 6 days a week.

Service calls.. you work until you are done. And paperwork before and after the calls are done..Whatever it took..

That is how I retired at the Top...The slackers got fired...I worked until I retired..

30 employee's....I was the first to show up everyday, and one of the last to leave...

[DFRESH]

I've been in my new gig for just over a year now--it's averaged 60 or more hours a week--which includes Saturdays. I've had to create a brand new financial services department from scratch, hire in 16 staff thus far, bring up an entire system to manage 14,000 students, then develop a plan to transition all of those financial services away from the mother ship and into our new system. The next go live date is this coming Tuesday--it will be a push. I am hoping with all my might that the pace will begin to slow up. It really depends upon the stage of the company, type of industry, etc--however, I will say that it seems like most everyone is being asked to do more with less resources. It's quite a challenge for sure. I would vote at least 50 hours a week for most working stiffs like me to be the norm--especially in jobs such as mine where you are responsible and accountable for the money.

Don't major in Accounting if you want an easy job with reasonable hours:lol:

Follow in Greg or Charlie's footsteps. (I'm sure both of these boys worked very hard for what they've attained---it typically doesn't come easy) Work smarter and harder than the others--

Dub Wanda

[Vegas69]

Some of you guys need to start reading the Healthy 101 thread. :D :unibrow:

For the self employed and even some of you in management positions, you have to learn to delegate and make your employees more efficient. On top of that, you need to let them know your expectations from them and that can change by the day.

As the old saying goes, the tortoise wins the race. It's always a work in progress. My two employees have been with me for roughly 2 years. It keeps getting better and better. Karen is my personal assistant and her duties increase constantly. Sal is my team agent and he's taking on my less desirable clients along with working Saturdays so I have the option. To take this a step further, I prepare all my clients from day ONE that they may be service by an associate to improve our service and professionalism. I'm a Real Estate agent and I have set hours and really don't work more than 35-45 hours a week. I could work 7 days a week from bell to bell. Life is to important to me. You must work hard, but you must also work smart.

I didn't wake up one day and this all magically happened. I made small changes over time. The results are that I'm spending more time with my best clients. That's what I get paid to do.

[SLO_Z28]

Some of you guys need to start reading the Healthy 101 thread. :D :unibrow:

For the self employed and even some of you in management positions, you have to learn to delegate and make your employees more efficient. On top of that, you need to let them know your expectations from them and that can change by the day.

As the old saying goes, the tortoise wins the race. It's always a work in progress. My two employees have been with me for roughly 2 years. It keeps getting better and better. Karen is my personal assistant and her duties increase constantly. Sal is my team agent and he's taking on my less desirable clients along with working Saturdays so I have the option. To take this a step further, I prepare all my clients from day ONE that they may be service by an associate to improve our service and professionalism. I'm a Real Estate agent and I have set hours and really don't work more than 35-45 hours a week. I could work 7 days a week from bell to bell. Life is to important to me. You must work hard, but you must also work smart.

I didn't wake up one day and this all magically happened. I made small changes over time. The results are that I'm spending more time with my best clients. That's what I get paid to do.

Best post in this thread so far.

I ran a 25 million dollar a year retail operation, and my boss would ask why I didn't fire people if I ended up working more than 45 hours. People are inexpensive and expendable, and you need to delegate responsibilities. Its really not hard to hire people, and you can fire them on a whim, and if you perpetually over staff a location you will have people hungry for work that don't work enough hours to get benefits. Your job as a manager isn't to do all the work, its to make sure it gets done. Even when I worked as a dealership tech, if you're not flagging 60 hours in 30-35 hours a work you need to find a new field.

My current job is salary and I work 40 hours on the dot(not counting a 8 hour a month furlough), its 168-176 hours a month depending on the length of the month. The chances of me getting overtime are zero. I get paid the same whether I'm working my ass off or sitting at my desk reading employee manuals. With the furloughs I get 252 hours of vacation a year and the command allows me the flexibility to go and play around with race cars when I want to.

[toddshotrods]

I voted for more than 60, because that's what's realistic to me. As my ex used to say I , "never stop working - never." Maybe I'm wrong but this 40-hour work week stuff seems to have started with the industrial age because many of the jobs became factory type, do this for eight hours, tasks. Go way back and it was people farming their own land, building stuff one at a time - by hand, etc. People probably also tended to love what they were doing more, and gained a better sense of self-worth, satisfaction, and contentment, from it, so there wasn't so much of a need to get away, rest, and relax. I think the farmer or rancher is the ultimate example because that isn't so much work, as it is life. You wake up and live it; eat-piss-poop, and sleep, to have the energy to do it another day...

I think that's what's so addicting, for me at least, about hot rodding. It's a lifestyle, not a job. You live, eat, sleep, piss, $#!+, and breathe, it. I don't end my week thinking, glad that was over, I need some rest and relaxation - I really never stop, don't want to stop, until there's no air and blood flowing in and out of my body. It's not a money thing either (my wallet and bank account will confirm that), it's passion. I've noticed that when I stop to "relax", I am usually preoccupied with getting back to my "work" (physically, because mentally, I never stopped). :woot: :yes:

[booah]

When I'm at work its a 84 hr week, 12 hr shifts plus study after that. Thats for 3 weeks at a time, on a production platform, middle of the ocean. Its high stress, high production dollars and lots of experience around me for support.

I've been a part of the management team for the last 6 years and the key is delegation as stated above. If the swing offshore starts off hectic and you forget that 1 key word, "delegation" it makes for a long 3 weeks. The experience and knowledge is there its just knowing how to get it out of the people when and how you need it. In Australia you can't just let someone go, in fact the employee has all the rights and almost impossible to get rid of. When you hire someone its almost as expensive and stressful as a divorce if you want to get rid of them. Hire once and hire right.

The upside is that I only work for 21 weeks of the year, the rest is spent doing the things I enjoy, family,renovating and of course anything that moves.
When at work, I'm at work, when at home, I'm home. 2 different lives both satisfying for different reasons.

[Vegas69]

I don't want to make this to personal but those extra work hours could be used for other productive things like improving your life.

Family Time
Friends
Vacation
Charity Volunteer
Excercise

To much of anything is to much.

[Bucketlist2012]

21 weeks out of 52 sounds like it leaves plenty of time to enjoy life..

:thumbsup:

[Sandbagger]

45-50 hrs . Commision Body tech . Its a dying proffession . Large high prodution shops continue to give the work away and kiss the insurance companies ass . so the rates are the same as they were 8-9 years ago
Another local 30 year shop just closed up .
I look for something else everyday .
I make the same as I did 10 years ago when there is work .
State Farm has Five yes Five corporate jets ...wtf

[John510]

When I first opened my store I was there 7 days a week 12+ hours a day. That sucked!

Now Im at 2-3 hours a day about 5 days a week running around getting supplies, making sure stores are clean, collecting deposits, etc.

[booah]

21 weeks out of 52 sounds like it leaves plenty of time to enjoy life..

:thumbsup:

All the weeks off are great and leaves lots of time to travel and see and do all a person would want to do without being retired.

Its taken awhile but it feels balanced now.

[Beegs]

When I first opened my store I was there 7 days a week 12+ hours a day. That sucked!

Now Im at 2-3 hours a day about 5 days a week running around getting supplies, making sure stores are clean, collecting deposits, etc.

I'm curious.....what type of store?

[John510]

I'm curious.....what type of store?

Restaurants

[slck6t9]

Mine is unusual also. After retireing from the Air Force (flightline maintinance) where you worked whatever hours it took to to get the jets ready. Now I am a contractor for the AF and deploy for 4 months where I work 7 days a week 12 hrs a day (84 hrs week). Then I come home and have 4 months off to do whatever I want. So during that time off I get to recharge the batteries.

[randy]

50 hours a week but on call all the time

[ord27]

I work about 20 hours a week. I too am in the restaurant biz. There were many many years of 80+ hours.

I am about to open another location. My friends wonder why in the heck I would want to work a ton again. I tell them that the longer weeks will be short term. The goal is to set the store up with the right team.

John510, how many restaurants do you run/own?

[Rick D]

45-50 hrs . Commision Body tech . Its a dying proffession . Large high prodution shops continue to give the work away and kiss the insurance companies ass . so the rates are the same as they were 8-9 years ago
Another local 30 year shop just closed up .
I look for something else everyday .
I make the same as I did 10 years ago when there is work .
State Farm has Five yes Five corporate jets ...wtf

What shop just closed? I didn't here of another one gone lately.

As for work it depends, some weeks I'm over 50 hours, some weeks it's right at 40. Last week I had over 40 hrs before Thursday, it's not hard work any more at least from a physical stand point but some weeks like last week was very demanding on the brain :( so this weekend I got to go camping with my son and the boy scouts and we had a great time, helps that some of the other dads are friends :thumbsup: .

Now this week I get to go to boy scout day camp with my son for two days :woot: :woot: ! But work call in a faver last week and I have to in on Wedensday instead of being off for the whole week :( but don't think I would want to go back to running a shop for anything :lateral:

[214Chevy]

Thank you Marcus for risking your life for others. Please be safe Brother...:cheers:

No, thank you for appreciating the work I do Ron. It's good to know others are praying for us. Like I said before, we sit around the station alot doing nothing, but when that bell hits and it's time to work, trust me...it's time to work. Battling a fire at over 1500 degrees while holding a hose pumping out 150-175 lbs of pressure is not for the faint at heart. :fire: :fire:

[strtcar]

Restaurants

franchises?

[Tony_SS]

Speaking of restaurants... my parents have a great opportunity for someone.. they've run this family business since 1959. They want to sell and retire. It's great income... turnkey operation in the St. Louis area.

[John510]

franchises?

2 are franchises and 1 is something I invented myself.

Oh and Im back to working those lovely 50-60 hour weeks since I just let go of the manager.

[Shmoov69]

Well, I'm in roofing and I work 60+ in management. My guys (and me when I was on a roof!) average around 50 year round. But very few Saturdays, just long week days.
I can't imagine only 40!!! :willy:

[XLexusTech]

Talk to a lot of people about this... as far as I am concerned I am n 24X7.
Carry a work phone and have international customers.. so if the **** hits the fan in Australia @ 2am EST i still have to deal with it.....

Absolutely SUCKS... were dong more with less and the companies are taking very clear advantage of the worker these days....

[youthpastor]

depends....SEMA thrash.... 70+

I've learned to delegate I think, but I guess I continue to learn how to delegate better. I don't take a lunch. When I'm here I don't leave. so 45-50 hrs are the average.

[MattO]

When I'm out opening new stores, 70hrs is easy to reach, especially surrounded by friends. When we opened in Texas, the first two weeks were a minimum of 90hrs each week. It was nuts. It was 80+ for another 3 weeks. and eventually settled down to 70ish after about 2 months.

I think of being back home as a vacation by comparison at 40hrs. Feels liek there's so much time left in my day that I just get bored alot :lol:

[Bryce]

I am an engineer for an aerospace company.

I work 60-70 a week. I am the manufacturing engineer, the design engineer the project engineer and the test engineer.

I also work part time (8 years now) at a local industrial hardware store.