Working 6/7 days a week

[RJ]

Does anyone on here work at least 6 days a week, doing a minimum of 45 hours over those 6 days? Just wondering if it's by choice or necessity and how you cope with it?

By choice, I've sacrificed quite a lot in terms of spare time in the last few years. I've been in constant employment and education contemporaneously since the age of 16. I had a lot on my plate at one point, where I was doing two A Levels and also working full time in a ticket office. I did that for a year and it worked out, but I decided I didn't want to be that busy again.

So I've been a university student. It was a laid back lifestyle, so I was glad to have work on weekends - ticket office on Saturdays and bus driving on Sundays. However, I'm now doing a full time 9ish-5ish office job. With the weekend work, I'm busy 6-7 days a week once again, with the odd day off to comply with GB domestic driver's hours rules. It is hard work.

The reason I do it is because I have a strong vocational interest in buses and railway ticketing. I've been aiming to get into where I am since before I finished my GCSEs. It is the penultimate step in my strive to secure my dream career, which I've actively been working towards since I was 15. I just need to finish my course, which is why I'm holding on to the weekend work. As I'm doing things I want to do, none of it feels like work - I'm always in high spirits. I don't know how well I'd handle doing 55-60 hours a week of jobs I'd hate doing. What's taking its toll is waking up early 13 days in a row. I miss having a lie in here and there. I'd also like to have more quality time with family and friends - I do utilise my evenings for this but it's nice to have days out and weekends away. I just had a week off, spent it in the Rhondda Valleys and I feel very refreshed.

That's my story. I'm interested in seeing how and why others full time, more than 5 days a week.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

I sometimes do around 48 hours over 4 days, but then a few days off afterwards.

 

[Monty]

A seven day rostered week between rest days is the norm at my depot, we even have a few where you will do eight on the bounce. My rostered hours is a 42 a week but that's average over the month, so I regularly do 60+ and that's not including the enforced overtime if you pick up a job on the 36 hour sheet from spare. Compared to when I was in Revenue Protection the shift pattern and hours are not ideal but with a wife and a newborn to care for my spare time has largely become irrelevant. Though I am let out occasionally for good behaviour.

 

[Donny Dave]

Does anyone on here work at least 6 days a week, doing a minimum of 45 hours over those 6 days? Just wondering if it's by choice or necessity and how you cope with it?

That's my rota every 2 weeks. On my week of 6-2 shifts*, we work the Saturday (6am to 4pm) as well, bringing our weekly hours to 47.5 (we lose half an hour every day for breaks). The Saturday could be extended to 6pm, depending on who's in and what needs doing. Sundays are optional (but some people are required for order picking, etc), so I only tend to work 1 a month, which combined with my week of 2-10 shifts, means that once a month, I work 12 days in a row.

My trick to coping with it is if I need to have a kip after work, I go to bed for an hour. I've still got the rest of the afternoon to do what I want, be it visiting friends, going to the pub for an hour, or just relaxing in front of the TV or PC. I don't let myself get worked up by anything, so I'm not stressed and have a restless night before going to work the next day, and if I do decide to go to the pub, it's only for 2 or 3 leisurely pints, so I am in a fit state to go to work.

If I have a problem at work which I know is going to take 2 or 3 days to sort out, I don't let it bother me. I leave all thoughts about work at the clock machine on my way out.

* Half past 5 to 2pm if I'm the team leader for the day/week, as I have to do the pre-op checks and all the associated paperwork.

EDIT :: Oh fudge, I've just seen the time. Tomorrow is my 1 Sunday a month, and I start in 6 hours. Best get to bed ....

 

[Bayum]

I generally work Monday - Friday 7:45 whilst 16:30 in my classroom, then I tutor evenings from 17:30 whilst 20:00. I do three hours tutoring on a Saturday as well. It's busy work, but I'm a teacher - I love it and wouldn't do anything else!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Before I took retirement at the consultancy three years ago, being the senior member of the practice with responsibility for all projects, I was spending an average of 62 hours weekly there over 6 days per week (Monday to Saturday), with Sunday being an on-call day for emergencies.

 

[cuccir]

I personally don't, but I'd say that three quarters of my colleagues - academics at a university - do, or at least report that they do. It's easy to do when you're in an industry when there's no-one telling you when/where to stop, and no upper limit on how much to do: there's always more to read or research. I don't most weeks as I think I get more done by working efficiently and then having a good two days off, but different strokes for different folks!

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I did work somewhere for while where you could have as many hours as you wanted which could be Mon-Sat 0800-2000 and Sundays 0900-1800. It was good in the winter to get extra wages by doing this, then doing shorter hours in the summer. It's ok when it's voluntary, but not good if you are feel forced to do extra long hours.

 

[LowLevel]

I've worked 65-70 hour weeks and the way the roster falls have had up to 12 days on the bounce with one day off before starting again - it does get quite draining if it happens constantly, if only because the job is constantly on your feet (I was a general purpose/rest day relief train dispatcher at the time at a station that still has slam door trains).

I could keep up with it, and I loved the job, but the feeling of fatigue you get at the end of the stretch is very noticeable.

 

[maniacmartin]

I work a desk job Monday - Friday only, usually between 50 and 53 hours per week and that is plenty! I need my weekends to recuperate.

I find if I end up doing long hours for a few days I get brain drain that lasts through to the weekend and affects my ability to think clearly.

 

[Nym]

Thanks to a couple of development projects I have going on at work at the minute I expect to be doing 60 - 70hr weeks shortly to get the detailed design work done. And yes, I will still just be salaried at the same rate.

 

[Starmill]

My goodness! And they say work is a normal good hock:

 

[QJ]

I have a 9-5 desk job Mondays to Fridays (not counting the unpaid extra hours to complete projects) and an outdoor job at weekends. The extra work gets me out of the house and away from the missus and keeps me fit.

Payment for the weekend work allows me to indulge in keeping my missus in the lifestyle to which she demands, and affords me the ability to pay the exorbitant cost of railtours at home and abroad that I manage to fit in with family life, playing futsal and masters rugby league and other commitiments on my time.

I don't know where the week goes.

 

[TEW]

I don't have a job at university so when I'm back home in the summer I tend to work around 50 hours a week for the 3 months or so I'm back. In general I don't find it too bad but last year I was starting a 06:00 4 days a week and I found that I felt like I never had any spare time, as I always had to go to bed early. It didn't help that any day off I had was followed by a 06:00 start.

 

[maniacmartin]

I don't have a job at university so when I'm back home in the summer I tend to work around 50 hours a week for the 3 months or so I'm back. In general I don't find it too bad but last year I was starting a 06:00 4 days a week and I found that I felt like I never had any spare time, as I always had to go to bed early. It didn't help that any day off I had was followed by a 06:00 start.

Early starts make me feel like that too, even if the hours are the same.

 

[Drsatan]

Early starts make me feel like that too, even if the hours are the same.

I'm going to experience that fairly soon.

Next week I will be on 8 till 4 shifts at work, although the day will feel longer since I'll have to leave the house earlier because of the rush hour.

I also get two days off a week, although for most of the weeks I'm at work they're on different days of the week. I prefer two continuous days off since I get more of a break!

 

[wensley]

I'm a full time student but am lucky enough to have a job in the industry at the same time, doing a mixture of 'back office' and 'front line' work fits well with my studies and the role is flexible around holidays and the fact I'm some distance away at uni for a number of days a week. I've still averaged more than the rostered full-timers since the start of November!

It's most definitely out of choice as I enjoy the role and get easily bored if I've got nothing to do, plus the travel benefits mean it's no issue travelling between Loughborough (uni) and the North East (work) on at least a weekly basis.

With regards shifts on a bounce, I'm pretty happy to do long stints - two 13 days with 1 day in the middle being my most intense, and 7+ not being unusual. I enjoy the chance to work in the office during the week and then get out-and-about on a weekend and I seem to have covered plenty of different types of work. I do prefer being able to do shifts though, as an early bird I have no problem with 'silly-o-clock' starts!!!

Having worked outside the industry as well the thought of a 'normal' job really doesn't light my fire; the fact that every day is different (proof the cliche can be true) is certainly the best part for me.

 

[RJ]

I'm a full time student but am lucky enough to have a job in the industry at the same time, doing a mixture of 'back office' and 'front line' work fits well with my studies and the role is flexible around holidays and the fact I'm some distance away at uni for a number of days a week. I've still averaged more than the rostered full-timers since the start of November!

It's most definitely out of choice as I enjoy the role and get easily bored if I've got nothing to do, plus the travel benefits mean it's no issue travelling between Loughborough (uni) and the North East (work) on at least a weekly basis.

With regards shifts on a bounce, I'm pretty happy to do long stints - two 13 days with 1 day in the middle being my most intense, and 7+ not being unusual. I enjoy the chance to work in the office during the week and then get out-and-about on a weekend and I seem to have covered plenty of different types of work. I do prefer being able to do shifts though, as an early bird I have no problem with 'silly-o-clock' starts!!!

Having worked outside the industry as well the thought of a 'normal' job really doesn't light my fire; the fact that every day is different (proof the cliche can be true) is certainly the best part for me.

Sounds like we have a similar situation, only I commute the other way, to London for work. On a placement this year but keeping hold of my other jobs for when I return to fully time study. You're onto a winner if you can get part time work on the railways - the availability of overtime every day means you can work full time hours if you like. Even better if you're paid RDW rates for working outside of your contracted hours.

 

[wensley]

Sounds like we have a similar situation, only I commute the other way, to London for work. On a placement this year but keeping hold of my other jobs for when I return to fully time study. You're onto a winner if you can get part time work on the railways - the availability of overtime every day means you can work full time hours if you like. Even better if you're paid RDW rates for working outside of your contracted hours.

I can guess which placement you're on then A couple of my friends have applied for it next year if my train of thought (no pun intended!) is correct.

My current arrangement is ideal, works well towards my course as well, and my placement year is coming up next year as well which I'm looking forward to.

The overtime rate is the only thing I miss out on!

 

[RJ]

I can guess which placement you're on then A couple of my friends have applied for it next year if my train of thought (no pun intended!) is correct.

My current arrangement is ideal, works well towards my course as well, and my placement year is coming up next year as well which I'm looking forward to.

The overtime rate is the only thing I miss out on!

I applied for that placement! I went for the interview I didn't get it - a very talented coursemate did. I was left with some very positive words from the head of the departement though . I think six of us applied.

How do you find commuting? I applied for a part time job at Sheffield station at one point, but a 25 minute walk to the station followed by relying on an hourly mainline service starting well after 7am might have made things a bit tricky!

 

[wensley]

I applied for that placement! I went for the interview I didn't get it - a very talented coursemate did. I was left with some very positive words from the head of the departement though . I think six of us applied.

How do you find commuting? I applied for a part time job at Sheffield station at one point, but a 25 minute walk to the station followed by relying on an hourly mainline service starting well after 7am might have made things a bit tricky!

I see! Still, it's good to come away with something positive

I don't mind the commute, left this morning at 0715 and was at my desk for 0945ish. I've also spent a fair bit of time in Birmingham which also isn't too bad in terms of travel-time. I get a lot of uni and 'proper' work on the trains so it's a good use of time really. The northbound service on a morning is woeful though, first time I've done it in months, I'm normally on the 0550 to Leicester and on to Birmingham on a Friday morning.

 

[LowLevel]

It's interesting as I'm a 3rd alumni of the course you guys are very probably on (you'd know me RJ but I've had a change of username for one reason or another) to read how it goes and people progress through it - I only lasted a year myself and I'm now just plodding through the process of completing my training as a guard after a spell on the platforms. How I'd have coped with the course and doing all these various jobs I have no idea, I probably wouldn't have Sometimes I wish I'd had a better crack at it but I ended up where I wanted anyway, just a slightly different way round

 

[wensley]

It's interesting as I'm a 3rd alumni of the course you guys are very probably on (you'd know me RJ but I've had a change of username for one reason or another) to read how it goes and people progress through it - I only lasted a year myself and I'm now just plodding through the process of completing my training as a guard after a spell on the platforms. How I'd have coped with the course and doing all these various jobs I have no idea, I probably wouldn't have Sometimes I wish I'd had a better crack at it but I ended up where I wanted anyway, just a slightly different way round

Working is probably what makes me stick at the course - I don't particularly enjoy the degree programme and would be bored brainless if I was sat down there with only 12 hours of lectures a week! Also, I think doing the work I am does help put some of the dry academic stuff in context and make it a bit more bearable to listen to I've actually increased by hours going into the second year of the degree, my first year results were good and I reckon with a bit of determination this year should hopefully be the same - best of both worlds.

 

[Starmill]

What a mysterious, if fascinating course this sounds like!?

 

[wensley]

What a mysterious, if fascinating course this sounds like!?

Fascinating is probably not the word I would use It is relevant though which I hope will make it all worthwhile - I'd still rather be at work!!

 

[DarloRich]

do some of these stories, in particular those of people in the industry, not contravene the Hidden Regulations/guidelines?

 

[wensley]

Not that I can see! Having spent a significant chunk of last year getting far too intimately acquainted with it, I know our rostering software flags fatigue risks and any attempts to put someone on a non-compliant string of shifts, and most TOCs have their own policy on controlling working hours which shift patterns must also conform to.

 

[DarloRich]

Not that I can see! Having spent a significant chunk of last year getting far too intimately acquainted with it, I know our rostering software flags fatigue risks and any attempts to put someone on a non-compliant string of shifts, and most TOCs have their own policy on controlling working hours which shift patterns must also conform to.

And how does "extra curricular" employment fit in with this?

 

[wensley]

And how does "extra curricular" employment fit in with this?

That's the one flaw, you can't account for what people do outside of working hours, I guess that's when you've got to rely on each individual to manage their activities....tricky if you work in the industry and get involved volunteering etc in your spare time.

 

[DarloRich]

That's the one flaw, you can't account for what people do outside of working hours, I guess that's when you've got to rely on each individual to manage their activities....tricky if you work in the industry and get involved volunteering etc in your spare time.

correct