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What happened to 40-hour work weeks?

9

96Firebird

Diamond Member
I am graduating with my BS in Mechanical Engineering, and therefore applying for positions left and right. It seems like whenever I go on an interview, the engineers are working 50+ hours per week. And they are getting paid salary, so no overtime. Is this the norm now, since the job market is so competitive? I don't want to work 50 hours a week and get paid no overtime, that doesn't seem right to me. I like to have a life outside my job, there is no point in working if you don't have time for play. Am I thinking about things the wrong way, or is that just how it is now?
 
This has been the norm for many professionals for some time now. It's why many blue collar hourly wage earners can make significantly more money per year than many lower level professionals for the same hours/week. My buddy is a MechE and jokes that even though he makes good money, the forklift drivers in the warehouse make more a year because they make a shitload in overtime.
 
If you don't like the hours don't take the job. Evidently for the positions you are applying for there is a sufficient workforce willing to work the hours for the salary offered.
 
The engineers where I work mostly work 40 hour weeks and get overtime after 45 hours. Our managers actually have to get approval from their management to allow us overtime.
 
I typically work 40 hours in the office. The place where they get me is time put in from home each night. Pretty easy to login and do 1-2 hours more.
 
96Firebird said:
I am graduating with my BS in Mechanical Engineering, and therefore applying for positions left and right. It seems like whenever I go on an interview, the engineers are working 50+ hours per week. And they are getting paid salary, so no overtime. Is this the norm now, since the job market is so competitive? I don't want to work 50 hours a week and get paid no overtime, that doesn't seem right to me. I like to have a life outside my job, there is no point in working if you don't have time for play. Am I thinking about things the wrong way, or is that just how it is now?
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Work for the government. Engineers in the government work 30-35 hours a week and get paid for 40 hours of work.
 
There are still plenty of 40-45 hour a week jobs out there. Keep looking. 50+ hours is NOT the norm.
 
I'm pretty sure that's always been the norm for salaried workers. There's a reason it's a salary instead of by the hour.
 
ioni said:
I'm pretty sure that's always been the norm for salaried workers. There's a reason it's a salary instead of by the hour.
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Here most salary people work less than hourly and get paid more. Salary here means less work, more pay.
 
My one-year contract where I currently work as a software developer has me doing 37.5 hour weeks. When I move to full time status at the same company this coming Monday, I'm expected to work 35 hours a week. It seems entirely sensible considering I myself can feel my effectiveness decreasing as I push over the 40 hours/week mark.
 
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Typically there is some amount of uncompensated overtime that is expected in engineering. Its usually either 10-20% (ie 4-8 hours) over the regular 40 hours that is expected. This allows the employers to present a lower average billing rate to the customer, which can decide whether or not the company gets a potential job. Usually any time worked over that in the pay period is compensated at your normal hourly rate. This situation isn't universal, but its common in my area.
 
Jumpem said:
The engineers where I work mostly work 40 hour weeks and get overtime after 45 hours. Our managers actually have to get approval from their management to allow us overtime.
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At my job (I'm an engineer) its similar, though if you make over $95k you no longer get overtime after 45 hours. If you work over 50 hours in a week my boss usually tracks you down the following week and makes you pick a day to take off. 😀
 
It's a give take game that only the employer wins. Some employees gave it because they feel like they need to do it get ahead..and the employer takes it. Some do it because they have no life outside of work...and the employer takes it. Some do it because they hate their family life...and the employer takes it. Some do it because they feel their employer will fire them if they don't. So the employer takes it. And it doesn't cost them a dime extra.

Only way to "win" is not to play the game. Set your boundaries early on and don't give your employer any free time.
 
Unless you plan to work for some government agency or crappy union place, some overtime is expected if that's what it takes to get the job done......
 
Corporate Thug said:
Less and less people are putting in 40 hrs at work. It's becoming the exception and not the norm.
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It's part of the economic cycle.... when the economy sucks and jobs are few and far between, employers know they can squeeze more out of the workers without having to pay more. When the economy is doing well and unemployment is low, workers can dictate the terms of their employment to an extent. Since the economy sucks right now, you have to be willing to put in your time.
 
I think that most technology workers that I know claim to work 45-50 hours a week. They probably only put in an actual 30 hours of REAL work a week, though, and spend the rest surfing the web and complaining how overworked they are.
 
Capt Caveman said:
Depend's on a company's culture, on the individual's job satisfaction and desire for career growth.
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Yep. That's something I forgot to mention in my earlier post. You can usually try and skate by doing just 40, but if you have ambition and want to get ahead, there are lots of ways to get yourself noticed, and putting in time to get the job done is one of them.
 
Between all the different things I do I put in about 60-70 a week with weekends....



f*ck the man holding me down......

wait I work for myself...
 
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