There is a little mystery I have been trying to solve since I have made the move to Auckland. That mystery is why everyone seems so eager to put in extra hours and do (unpaid) overtime. I understand this concept occasionally but it seems like the people here (generalization, I know) wear overtime as a badge of honor.
On Friday’s there is almost this sense of pride in knowing that you have already completed the weeks’ worth of work and it’s only 9AM and there is still another 7 hours’ work left to go for the day.
Perhaps it’s just the way things are done up here or people are out to impress (although what this ultimately achieves is beyond me, other than the rare few that may make it to partner, and really I don’t see the appeal).
Maybe I just don’t understand because it’s not something I was brought in to when I first started working. It seems as though you start as a Graduate eager to please and your hands are almost tied as you are in a position where you find that you are unable to say No.
This continues until you find yourself in a position where you are a few years down the track, senior and still putting in all these extra hours. Which ultimately appears to be where most people reach breaking point and decide that audit is NOT the job for them long term.
Whilst I don’t agree with this way of working, I can almost understand how it comes about. Although to me this almost feels like you are taking advantage of the good nature of your staff and their willingness to learn and impress.
Ultimately I feel if you are staffed correctly and the workflow is managed well, combined with your staff not stuffing around (there appear to be a lot of time wasters up here also, not always for reasons beyond their control – I’m looking at you, ridiculous city parking requiring people to pop out and move their cars all the time) then there should be no real need to do overtime, except on the rare occasion.
Perhaps I am alone in this thinking or it is simply because I learned early the value of having your money work hard for you rather than working hard for your money, which in itself sounds ridiculous when you don’t fully understand it. I’m sold on the fact that passive income is where it’s at, it’s just a matter of pulling finger and doing (something I have still to do!). But that’s a post for another day.
What are your thoughts on consistently doing overtime (paid or unpaid)?
I’m a bit idealistic. I believe a good workplace culture means that overtime is rewarded (ie you are paid for it or compensated in some way) but not expected. I hate when there’s an unhealthy pressure on all employees to do the same, despite the fact that legally (or even within official company policy) they are not required to. I have a friend who is constantly working 60 hour weeks in what should be a 9-5 job. She gets little to no remuneration for her time yet if she doesn’t do it, she is considered to not be fulfilling her duties – she works hard too.
I think that’s what really get’s me, in situations like that where it’s expected and not remunerated for. Yet if she stopped doing it she wouldn’t be ‘fulfilling her duties’, it’s all a load of bull to me!
I don’t know about enthusiastic overtime. Overtime is a nature of my role and in our contracts we have a clause stating overtime is built into our rem package. Most of the big 4 and law firms will have the same. And then you hope you are rewarded more in the annual “discretionary bonus”!! Haha. Does yours? I can imagine AK is a bit different to wanganui in terms of work hours? How are you finding it?
I’m definitely not getting paid enough for it to be built into my package 😉 Nor is there a bonus of any sort (which I did get at my old job!) which is probably why I don’t do the overtime. It’s been ok so far, I have just gone home at 5 and only done overtime when we have finished at a clients at 5 and get stuck in traffic going home. We are entering the slow period now though so may be a different story in 6 months time!
Wow, I can’t even imagine what it would be like to get home/be finished at 5pm!! (i actually can’t even fathom it a thought or I will be way too jealous). But I guess as long as you are enjoying it and/or getting compensated for it/it’s helping you with long term career aspirations then it’s all good right!? (eg: grad roles – they wear you to the absolute bone for pretty much no $$).
Where are you working up in AK now?
You see I’m the other way around at the moment, can’t imagine working late all the time. I guess since I haven’t had to do that much overtime before (we used to do it when we worked out of town but not when just in the office) that’s why. I guess you get used to what your used to!
I do agree that if you love what you do or it’s moving you towards your career aspirations then definitely go for it! I’m just at the stage that it’s not going to get me any further up the food chain (nor do I want to get any further up actually, they just seem to work EVEN MORE hours than the seniors!) and I don’t wake up raring to go to work each morning (Don’t get me wrong I don’t hate my job, however I am considering my options as long term I don’t think there is the potential for growth in the direction that I would like).
I understand why some people need (or want) to do OT though, what get’s me is the ones that stuff around during the day and then complain about having to do OT – that appears quiet common here – may be something to do with the age of these people though 😉