Matthew Gates http://notetoservices.com 3m 778
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Nowadays, whenever people mention that they work a 9 AM to 5 PM job, most people do not really mean it because they may not be taking into consideration the mandatory unpaid lunch break they are required, by law, to take. A 9 to 5 shift would imply that someone would have worked a full 8 hour shift with an included paid lunch break or without any breaks or a lunch. People who work an 8 hour shift and go home should consider themselves very lucky. Finding an employer who is still on an 8 hour work day and actually pays for the lunch break is a very rare find. For the rest of us, a 9-hour day / 45+ hour week is completely normal.
If employers paid for lunch, whether it is a half hour or an hour, then their employees would actually only be working a 7 to 7 1/2 hour work week instead of a full 8 or more hour work day. Hardly do employers ever pay for lunch breaks and make their employees clock out for lunch and then clock back in; or they pre-set their hours to only pay for 8 hours, yet require employees to take a mandatory lunch break during their shift.
For the lucky few who only live a few minutes from home, this is not bad considering they can drive home for lunch or dinner in 5 minutes, spend some time with their children or families, and then head back. Almost all businesses run on a “9 to 5” schedule — which usually means that employees come in 8 AM to 5 PM or 9 AM to 6 PM and those working during that time need to figure out ways to get things done during those hours, as many businesses are closed on the weekend or have very limited hours. Some businesses allow for employees to always take an hour or two break in order to make it to a doctor’s appointment.
In any case, no one can really say that they work an 8 hour work day if they are required to be at work for 9 hours. Even if they half an hour lunch break — the fact is, that stretch of 9 hours is on company time. Regardless if they give you an hour on your own — beforehand you were at work and afterwards you are at work, so you are technically at work for 9 hours. The original concept of a 9 to 5 shift is nearly obsolete. Even those of us who are at work 9 hours are sometimes required to stay and work overtime. If you have a client or a customer, it is not likely you will end the conversation with them and tell them you will talk to them tomorrow because your shift is over.
You will either pass it on or take the hit and work overtime. If you are on salary, you may not even be compensated for your time, and hope that it just comes to you in the form of a bonus. With most jobs, you almost always want to do your best and give your all — 110% or more. The problem with that though is… is your job giving you 110%? If your supervisor or boss notice you staying an hour later every night — unpaid — and working almost a 10 hour shift, is it noticed? Well, that is between you and your job.
Breaking it down: 168 hours in a week. 9 hours of it is spent away from family and mostly at work. About 7 hours sleeping. About 1 hour in the bathroom (throughout the day per day). Not to mention the errands and chores one must do in their daily lives away from family. Time away from family can certainly be a good thing! Too much family time could drive everyone to want to be away from each other. The result is about 45 to 50 hours at work and about 60 hours with family per week.
Just know that the traditional 8 hour work shift is more of a myth than a reality and most of us spend a good part of our day, our week, our month, our year, our life at work – almost as much time with our co-workers and bosses than our actual families. Some of us are simply there for the paycheck and the money. Some of us are there because we have nothing better to do and we actually like the company. Some of us are there for both reasons — loving your job and getting paid to do it is the ultimate reward for anyone, especially if you get along with your boss and all of your co-workers — also a rare experience, but well worth it if you do happen to find it.
Matthew Gates is a freelance web designer and currently runs Confessions of the Professions.
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