Defining the 48 hour work law (opt out)

I wouldn't sign the contract if it had those hours on it, money won't take away the pain of a 10 hour day.
My old school was 10 hours a day and I definitely wouldn't ever do it again.
 
As part of our contracts there was a clause that said we opted out.

In that case you have an illegal contract. And even if it weren't illegal you could opt back in to the WTD.

I believe there is a period of notice if you opt back in to the working time limit.

7 days.

I'm not paid anything after 40 hours.

So I assume you don't spend any longer than 40hrs at work then? If not, mug :p



Isn't everything you know ;)

Work to live not live to work.
 
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Can't believe you guys are happy to work 10 hours a day + commuting times :| Do you not want to, yano, do other stuff?

I still go to the gym, see my friends, cook, clean the house and so on. Just requires a bit of effort and planning!

I try not to do more than 40hrs a week if I can, but sometimes that's just life.

I work fairly efficiently, however a lot of people don't, and sometimes to get the info you need you do just have to wait or take part in meetings with people just to get that information or eureka moment to occur so I can basically "get my job done".

I work a lot less hours now that I used to - but often tip over 48hrs a week. IT's just the way it is!
 
In that case you have an illegal contract. And even if it weren't illegal you could opt back in to the WTD.

Sorry I wasn't clear, there was a section in the contract where we could sign to opt out, it wasn't inclusive of the contract. However it is basically implied that you'll sign it.

[/quote]Work to live not live to work.[/QUOTE]

Couldn't agree more. However there are some people who do big hours as part of a macho culture thing and also because they're not very efficient managers :/

I try not to, as I believe in a good work/life balance, however, there are times when you just have to get on with it because you're busy - irrespective of your contract.
 
Sorry I wasn't clear, there was a section in the contract where we could sign to opt out, it wasn't inclusive of the contract. However it is basically implied that you'll sign it.

Ahh, gotcha, yes that's fine then. You could have course opt back in with 7 days notice at any point though and you shouldn't (I wont say wont as we all know what employers are like) suffer any detriment.


Couldn't agree more. However there are some people who do big hours as part of a macho culture thing and also because they're not very efficient managers :/

Haha, quite. If I can get my work done in 24hrs then it baffles me how some in my organisation feel the need to work 45+hrs a week to get their work done! Usually it's just the incompetent or bum lickers doing it though - their careers are going nowhere fast.

I try not to, as I believe in a good work/life balance, however, there are times when you just have to get on with it because you're busy - irrespective of your contract.

Oh I agree but that's why the "average over 17 weeks" clause is there in the WTD. I've done long days/weeks, but never consistently (or unpaid) and the average over that period always comes back down.

I always make a point to mgmt that is an employee has got too much work to do in the time allocated to them someone isn't doing their job properly and it's usually mgmt through bad planning and/or resourcing.
 
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I try not to do more than 40hrs a week if I can, but sometimes that's just life.

I remember a JP Morgan advert for one of their risk based ISA's.... It went along the lines of 'Invest in days that start and end in the dark', and there was a business woman getting home late at night in the image...

I kind of thought, well great, they're working hard, but think of how many hours they must be working xD

For some careers 50+ hours is normal, and it is indeed unfortunately, just life.

kd
 
I remember a JP Morgan advert for one of their risk based ISA's.... It went along the lines of 'Invest in days that start and end in the dark', and there was a business woman getting home late at night in the image...

I kind of thought, well great, they're working hard, but think of how many hours they must be working xD

For some careers 50+ hours is normal, and it is indeed unfortunately, just life.

kd

To me it just smacks of an inefficient organisation and/or employees.
 
Well i used to reguarly work 60 hours a week, sometimes for the money, but mainly to ensure the job was completed. A lot of time it was easier for me to work the longer hours rather than do shorter hours and spend 2-3 weeks on site. But that was when I was single.

Now i'm much happier doing 37 hours a week, and maybe 15 hours overtime a week at most, at my own choosing. If I can't cover someone else generally will. This last fortnight, i've done 12 days straight, 7am till 8pm, only side affect is feeling slightly tired, but the job is done and I have next week off so am going to enjoy it!!

I wonder how some truckers go on as I bet most of them can work more than 48 hours a week, and probably aren't aware of this.
 
So I assume you don't spend any longer than 40hrs at work then? If not, mug :p

Not everything in life is so fine cut. I enjoy my job, I work 10+ hours minimum free per week, every week. I have a great salary/position considering my experience. This is probably due to those extra hours. I don't aim to be working +10 forever, but I count my blessings.
 
[Darkend]Viper;22033919 said:
I wonder how some truckers go on as I bet most of them can work more than 48 hours a week, and probably aren't aware of this.

It isn't for Drivers over 3.5 tonne Vehicles. I cannot opt out, even if I wanted to. Just as well really, I hate my job & would love to work less than 40 hours a week. (45 hour working week currently)

You are also made aware of this at your CPC training & reminded every 5 years.
 
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I like to see something all the way through. I won't just get up and leave, especially if I'm having a brainwave and getting some good work done.

However, I work in process efficiency/management consultancy/lean six sigma type of role, so it's really important that I'm perceived to be efficient and working in a "lean" manner. However, sometimes, to make OTHER processes lean and efficient, and to problem solve, takes a lot of time. In spite of that, I like to break it down into lots of bite size chunks, and chip away at it, rather than burn the candle at both ends just to get a project complete. It comes down to planning and being good at managing your time effectively... work smarter not harder :rolleyes:

I never buy into this macho must work 100hr week nonsense, but often it's about perception, and unfortunately some businesses it's all about perception and less about tangible results.

I do need to change company though, although it's a big FTSE100 - it's turning to be stagnant and a ball ache, and I feel I may as well talk to myself most of the day.
 
is there a particular reason your doing this, as in theres that much work you have to ?

There's butt loads of work to do always but it's not strictly 'urgent'. When I joined the company, everyone did the hours and more. Now if someone doesn't, they would be the outcast. Seems dumb.

I arrive at 9:30, I usually leave around 19:30->21:00. Usualy just before 20:00.
 
Personally I'd prefer to start earlier and finish earlier. Does seem stupid to stay on just because everyone else does it. It's bad though as it creates that culture of staying on for no reason and not actually working harder. If people concentrated on working better, they'd get more done in less time.
 
Personally I'd prefer to start earlier and finish earlier. Does seem stupid to stay on just because everyone else does it. It's bad though as it creates that culture of staying on for no reason and not actually working harder. If people concentrated on working better, they'd get more done in less time.

+1

They care more about the availability of having a dev here after 7 than the work he is doing. (I am still at work :P)
 
+1

They care more about the availability of having a dev here after 7 than the work he is doing. (I am still at work :P)

Sounds like you need some kind of out of hours arrangement setting up if it's important to have a someone available after 7pm if there might not be any work for them on a constant basis.
 
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