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My boss has me working 80-100 hours a week. Is this excessive?

Reltubsirch0412

By Reltubsirch0412,
in Self-Improvement and Personal Well-Being

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Reltubsirch0412

Reltubsirch0412

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I do work from home, fortunately. I start at 9 a.m. and I have so much work I don't finish until midnight. I have deadlines to meet. I do take lunch and dinner breaks, but that's about it.

 

I have so much work that I decided to spread it around and do some of it on the weekends, just so I could go to bed at a decent hour Monday through Friday. But my boss didn't like that, and he told me I would have to get it ALL done between Monday through Friday, and then I would have the weekends to myself. He's happy with the quality of my work. I think this guy has a ridiculous amount of stamina and expects that everyone else is just like him. Talking to him is not an option.

 

Well, I did as he asked and I had about three weekends all to myself....and then he started assigning me even more work for the weekends, out of the blue, with no regard for my private life. This is in on top of all the other work he has me doing Monday through Friday.

 

I'm exhausted most of the time, and I worry this is bad for my physical and mental health. But I don't want to come across as whiney or complain too much when discussing this with friends and relatives.

 

Am I justified in being unhappy about this situation?

 

Is this workload excessive?

 

I am going to try to find another job, but I am working under contract for several more months.

 

But is 80 to 100 hours a week excessive?

 

I need other people's opinions.

Edited by Reltubsirch0412
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Reltubsirch0412

Reltubsirch0412

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Are you getting paid for all those hours?

 

I don't get paid by hour. I get paid for putting out a certain quantity of product per week. But he's adding to the quantity.

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Orokotikki

Orokotikki

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But is 80 to 100 hours a week excessive?

Way excessive.

I would ask for double the money or walk.

 

Or give him the original output for the time period and demand more pay for more output.

 

People will bleed you dry and discard you, IF YOU LET THEM.

Edited by Orokotikki
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d0nnivain

d0nnivain

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Are you in the US? There are laws regulating how much a person is allowed to work & the proper compensation for that.

 

You may want to see other employment.

 

It doesn't matter what we think is oppressive. You feel abused & under appreciated so it's time for a change

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preraph

preraph

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But is 80 to 100 hours a week excessive?

 

YES! We don't live to work; we work to live! There are places who will do that if the government oversight and laws don't stop them. Try to find another job. That's crazy.

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Art_Critic

Art_Critic

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I don't think 80-100 hrs is too much.. I have worked more than that and even today work 50-60...

 

BUT.....

 

You have turned you house into a PRISON, 80-100 hours of work in your home is horribly unhealthy...

 

You need to pull back from that and get yourself some balance..

 

By balance I mean you need some separation from work and home...

I get to work about 6:30 am every day and work 9-11 hours each day but when I leave I go home where my family is and eat a nice meal, go to baseball games or do homework and I get the balance I need to go to work each day...

 

In your situation you have lost that...

 

Your boss wants you M-F.. but you need to pull back on the hours and what doesn't get done rolls to the next day and if they have an issue with that you shouldn't care...

 

Hopefully inside your home you can close the door to your work office and go home as it were...

 

If talking to your boss is out( I don't think it should be) then just cut back and work on making a home again without work and let your boss figure it all out...

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Mr. Lucky

Mr. Lucky

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But is 80 to 100 hours a week excessive?

 

I need other people's opinions.

 

Why do you need the opinions of others?

 

I have a few career-driven (mostly ex) friends who regularly work that much and seem to get satisfaction from that level of commitment.

 

But, doing the math, 100 hours a week is over 14 hours a day, seven days a week. Add in sleep, meals and bathroom breaks and those activities are the sum total of your life.

 

So the question really is, is this excessive for you?

 

Mr. Lucky

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Els

Els

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Of course it's excessive. That said, if you're working from home, and you're being paid based on end results rather than hours worked, you might not really have a leg to stand on, especially if your work is contract-based. You could decline the weekend work, but work-from-home gigs are relatively rare, so if it's very important to you to keep this one, it might not be in your best interests to do so.

 

 

There are upsides and downsides to every career choice - this is a downside of work-from-home contract work.

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CantGetEnuff

CantGetEnuff

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IMO, that is insane.

 

Your time is worth something, and unless you are making at least $300K or something in that ballpark ($58/hour), you are not getting compensated for what your time is worth.

 

Of course, if you ARE getting paid in that range, dial your expenses WAY down, hoard cash, and call it quits (maybe for good) in 2-3 years.

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One2Three

One2Three

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Are you asking for real or rethorical? Obviously is excessive. I'd do it on occasion if I have a busy week, but constantly - no way. If my boss asks? I'd look for another employment... But generally bosses are aware that hours like this don't result in anything like semi-decent productivity....

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vjk

vjk

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But is 80 to 100 hours a week excessive?

.

 

 

The fact you're even asking this explains to me why you're in this bad situation.

 

Stand up for yourself and stop being a doormat. Just stop at decent time and ignore him if he complains. You'll probably get more respect. If you lose the job, so what. Your job sucks if 80+ hours is the norm. But, I doubt that will happen if your work has any value.

 

Also don't work from home.

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healing light

healing light

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Yes, this is WAY, WAY excessive. Sometimes younger people in certain industries get pulled into this kind of trap because they have health to exploit--but at this rate you have no work-life balance, at all, and your body and mentality are going to suffer. It's just a matter of time. It sounds like work IS your life.

 

Your boss can only do this to you if you let them. Honestly, you're better off walking. You shouldn't even have to be asking this question, that is just insane. Two full-time jobs plus some. Unless you're getting paid several 6 figures, it's just not worth it.

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ARAMCOMAN

ARAMCOMAN

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You said you are under contract. Is there no mention of hours? Did you read the contract carefully cause that is the time that you ask...before you sign.

As others have stated there are laws in place to protect workers, however much like a medical intern or a fresh out of law school attorney working long hours daily, weekly & monthly are part of the learning process & expected.

Myself at 60 years old I still do 120+ hrs per week. I get paid a bunch & have done this for so long I don't think I could work a regular job.

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Andy_K

Andy_K

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Myself at 60 years old I still do 120+ hrs per week. I get paid a bunch & have done this for so long I don't think I could work a regular job.

 

How on earth can you live that way without becoming mentally or physically exhausted? I'm not even awake 120 hours a week!

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chillii

chillii

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That's what l was thinking , l'd need a damn ambulance at that.

No idea though what typical working hours are there but that would be one helluva a lot of hours in anyone's language l'd imagine.

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CantGetEnuff

CantGetEnuff

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120 hours per week = 17.14 hours per day of working. Assuming just 6 hours per night of sleep (which seems VERY low given the working hours), you have a grand total of .86 hours a day to eat, poop, pee and shower. Living the dream!

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Art_Critic

Art_Critic

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120 hours per week = 17.14 hours per day of working. Assuming just 6 hours per night of sleep (which seems VERY low given the working hours), you have a grand total of .86 hours a day to eat, poop, pee and shower. Living the dream!

 

I did it for many many years, it helped get me where I am today as a business owner for 40 years...

Not only does it build character but it creates a work ethic in the work place that lasts for years where others try and achieve more than their 34-40 hrs a week.. teach by example...

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Romantic_Antics

Romantic_Antics

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I'm sorry, but I'm not buying these claims from a couple of you about working 120+ hours per week for years. The impact that would have on your mental and physical health would be substantial. You would also have no time for anything, or anyone, but work and sleep. Insufficient sleep, no less.

 

Elon Musk on working 120 hours per week: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/22/what-working-120-hours-a-week-like-teslas-elon-musk-does-to-the-body.html , https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/05/elon-musk-on-working-120-hours-a-week-youll-go-bonkers.html

 

As someone who has struggled with insomnia for going on 26 years I can personally attest to everything cited in that article. There are countless others, backed by scientific research, discussing the dangers of chronic sleep deprivation and being chronically overworked.

Edited by Romantic_Antics
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CantGetEnuff

CantGetEnuff

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Yeah I don't buy an average of 120+ hours for anyone. It's impossible. Anyone would have mental health issues and serious physical issues after doing that for even a few months, much less years. This is the kind of work schedule that drives Japanese workers to freakin' kill themselves.

 

The numbers just don't work, and even more so if the person takes off just ONE day a month. If you took even one day off in the month of Feb, for example, that would bump up your hours working per day to 17.77, leaving only 6 hours for sleep per night for the month and .22 hours (or 13 MINUTES) per day for the month for pooping, peeing, eating, showering, "family time," hobbies, and life.

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