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> One survey suggests that U.S. workers were logged into their employers’ networks 11 hours a day in 2021, as opposed to 8 hours a day before the pandemic. A m
by mabbo 3y ago
> One survey suggests that U.S. workers were logged into their employers’ networks 11 hours a day in 2021, as opposed to 8 hours a day before the pandemic.
A mentor of mine many years ago gave me the best advice: work sane hours, and live a life outside of that. He'd hold me accountable too, and say "It's 5:30, we got here at 9:00, we're going now" (half seriously).
The rules I work by:
1. Work 8 hours per day, 5 days per week.
2. When 1 isn't possible, work a 40 hour week.
3. When 2 isn't possible, average a 40 hour week per month.
4. When 3 isn't possible, talk to management about the problem and find a solution.
5. When 4 doesn't work, find a new job.
I have never needed to get to number 5, fortunately, but I hold myself accountable to do so. I have a family and they are my life. My job exists to support my life.
- nikanj 3y agoI’ve noticed that people tend to work about the same amount, some just do more hours. The 11-hours-per-day crowd spends much more time resting on Reddit / HN, because they haven’t rested enough at home. I’ve learned it’s better to put in fewer hours filled with work, instead of more hours of semi-alt-tabbing around
- hombre_fatal 3y agoThis is surely speculation or a hunch rather than behavior you’ve actually noticed in others. For example what experience would give you real insight here?
- mdrzn 3y agoThis is the main reason to push for a 4 days work week, or less hours each day.
- CoastalCoder 3y agoMy brain is only good for about 5-6 hours of software development per day, and I don't think I'm unique. So if 4 days means 4x10, I suspect I'd get less done overall. Not sure about 4x8. I wonder if 6x6 would be a win though, not that I really want to work 6 days per week.
- FalconSensei 3y agoI think either 5x6 or 4x8 are the way to go. Personally I would prefer 4x8, but my guess is that I would be more productive 5x6?
- faeriechangling 3y agoIf somebody logs in 11 hours I’m presuming they’re flex timing, not actually working for 11 hours.
- mistrial9 3y agoI clearly recall some California startup-minded engineers, pre-smart phones, who were shocked to see their European employers go home at 5pm or so. They gossiped about it and called them names for it behind their backs.
- ryandrake 3y agoI bet Chinese people who have normalized the 996[1] work system also gossip and snicker about the "lazy" Americans who eat dinner at home and take two back-to-back days off every week. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/996_working_hour_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/996_working_hour_system
- shrimp_emoji 3y agoYou'd bet wrong. It's not normalized at all. Everyone who does it hates it. It's decried everywhere it's practiced, and there have been protests against it. It's also illegal under the Chinese constitution (but the government turns a blind eye to it due to the workaround that it's not officially "required" -- merely "encouraged" by companies). Asians don't have a super power of working harder/longer than other races.
- azemetre 3y agoApparently there is a major backlash against 996 as well, colloquially known as "let it rot." [1] You can only be dealt a losing hand at life for so long before you actively give up or try to implement radical, often major societal, change. I think what's more troubling is how common this sentiment is across the world. Somewhat related, but it reminds of a sketch on "I Think You Should Leave" [2] where the main character is happy when he thought he was about to be eaten by a fictional monster and wouldn't have to go to work. (whole sketch is good, along with the entire show, but have the timestamp to the quote) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_ping https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_ping [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1pwyCl5ymE#t=1m26s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1pwyCl5ymE#t=1m26s
- mistrial9 3y ago
- Melatonic 3y agoDon't forget to thank labor unions for getting that standardized 40 hour workweek in the first place :-)
- euroderf 3y agoAs a dev in the 80s & 90s I found that it seemed to work well to state in a job interview that I expected to work normal business hours - BUT that when a deadline was imminent I could commit to the mega OT grind for a day or two or a few. Like (for example) Fri-Sat-Sun. The key word here was "deadline": a shared understanding that this meant one of those customer deadlines - a big deliverable - that comes only a handful of times a year. What's dev work like nowadays ? Does every week have a "big deadline" ?
- hirvi74 3y ago> Does every week have a "big deadline" ? Once my employer implemented Agile/Scrum, "big deadlines" seemed to occur much more frequently -- seemingly in two week intervals when sprints would end. Now, I know many are foaming at the keyboard getting ready to state how my employer is not doing Agile/Scrum correctly. Those individuals are probably be correct, but that does not change my experiences nor many others' experiences. I am not trying to shit on Agile either. I just noticed a strong change from how we did things pre-Agile and post-Agile. Every sprint is a new deadline. The overall quality of my work has suffered as a result too.
- gofreddygo 3y ago100%. Scrum makes it incredibly easy to sneak in poor quality work and cover it up with a web of user stories and tasks. The "board" takes the focus away from the product.