Do YOU stay later at work unpaid?

[Converge]

I always feel guilty when i leave dead on my leaving time. But as people have said, that's your contracted hours, so why should you have to stay unless you REALLY need to finish something that's due soon.

Annoys me that people routinely stay longer and think they're better workers because of it, when in fact you see them sitting around chatting twice as much.

I had someone say to me the other day 'Oh, you're leaving already?!' and it's ridiculous, i'm leaving at my contracted time, bugger off!

 

[MrKeeno]

I finish my shift at 5pm so im back in the depot for 4:40 at the latest. Gives me time to unload my van and be out the door asap

 

[Von Smallhausen]

I have done it on a regular basis and more times than I care to remember.

 

[rare]

Yes, do it a lot. Do I mind? No, I have things that I need to get done. If that means I have to spend more time at work so be it! I am being paid to achieve results!

Thats the way I look at it. Though I would understand why someone stacking the shelf at Tesco's (no dissrepect meant!) wouldnt want to.

 

[bledd]

If I'm working on something that crops up last minute and needs to be done, then yes, I'll sort it out. I work from home anyway.

My boss knows I'll do this, it swings both ways, quite often he'll give me the afternoon off etc

 

[M0T]

Like many others here I will leave at 5 if I have no more work to be done, some people will make a point of saying 'look at you leaving at 5 every day' but these same people are the ones coming in at 10:30 every morning and always rushed off their feet because they don't time manage.

I have no problem with staying to finish important work (and have done on many occasions), but I do have a problem with people demanding you stay and finish useless work. Case in point, I used to work with a woman who wanted a friday afternoon off, but she had a deadline of 6pm friday. I had a deadline of 6pm thursday in order to give her enough time (she needed 3 hours at most) to produce something from my figures. On wednesday at around 5:30 when I had around 3hrs work left to do (so finishing at midday thursday - well in advance of my deadline) she demanded I stay and finish it because she was planning to work until 10:30pm on it so she could bank that time and use it on friday afternoon.

 

[Cosimo]

I’ve done it and if it mounts up just taken some time off.

 

[IceBus]

Like you've originally pointed out, some people spend all day playing minesweeper etc. I work as hard as possible while at work, and if I take personal time I make up for it my staying a bit longer.

I normally stay until 5pm and would stay around fifteen minutes later to finish what I'm working on.

However, if I've got something urgent that won't be finished I'd either take it home or stay late depending on what it is. I'd rather do research tasks at home, and more 'office' related stuff at work. I've had tasks that I've done over the weekend and stayed up until 2am on a Sunday night doing (and that was an unpaid internship), and I've had days when I've left at 4.59pm with nary a look back. Overall I let my work dictate how late I stay.

 

[mangobreeder]

i dont normally stay late, but im usally in the office at 7am,

got hauled into HR once becuase a guy who stays late basically surfing the internet, keep giving people greif for leaving early, as he "Stays Late"

i left about 5.10 and he said "Part time today Andrew" with out thinking, i said, quite louldly "Yeah im off to **** your missus"

his face was a treat and the office was dead silent.

next HR i got a call form HR and has we had a "meeting"

 

[dekez]

I'm have flexi time so it's ideal, if I need to stay later I stay later. I can then use that extra time I build up to start work late another day, leave early, or let it build up and take a whole flexi day off.

 

[Kemik]

I have to account for every 6 mins of my 7 hour day. There's a huge amount of pressure to keep time spent on clients to a minimum due to recovery rates. So, as soon as 5pm comes round I'll finish the job I'm doing and leave (usually around 5.10pm). If it's very urgent then I'll stay late but we don't get flexi time. We're just told that's what is expected from us.

 

[Aero]

I work an extra half hour every day mainly because the traffic is better for me + I can get parking. It also means that if I want an hours lunch I can take it and if I need to leave early there is never any questions asked as I already have the time banked.

Don't get me wrong I'd prefer to be paid for it, but in my office is it noticed even though I am the first to leave at 4pm

 

[Sho]

No chance in hell i'll stay behind. Home time is home. Don't give a crap me. Just go home.

 

[DBT85]

I work 7-7 so most of the time no, i leave as soon as the next person arrives. However there have been times in the past where just as i was about to go the excretions have hit the fan and becuase I care about my job i dont just walk out and leave someone else to sort it.

I think it also depends on your work environment, do you honestly not stop working every minute you are at work? For most in an office environment I find that unlikely.

 

[The_Abyss]

I regularly work an extra 2 to 3 hours a day. No overtime at our staff level. I prefer the early starts, and often get to the office between 7 and 7.30 am. I also happen to really enjoy my job.

 

[Tachyon]

My employer hasn't a hope of me staying unpaid. In fact I don't stay after hours for single time either. My overtime rate in the last year was reduced from time and a half to time so I quit doing overtime. After hours it's my time, time to do what I like, spend it with my family etc.. They want me to do the work, they pay me for it.

 

[cymatty]

I try not to, 95% of the time I get off on time.

Some people love to stay just to play the martyr.

 

[[TW]Fox]

I regularly worked 50% or more beyond my contractual hours.

Did it lead to a long and fruitful career?

 

[Spyhop]

I remember reading that this can get ridiculous in Japanese culture, where people are terrified of leaving before their boss and end up staying, sitting around for hours on end doing nothing.

 

[Begbie]

Don't have a choice!