Work/Life Balance

[Mellotron]

There is some good music around but nothing like we had.

Depends when you're talking about

80s - Good
90s - Awful

 

[Gritt23]

Absolutely agree with this point.

Commute up to London Bridge every day so only get to see my 1 year old son 45 mins a day before he goes to bed.

However the extra 1 hour a day i lose commuting home from work earns me much more than i could probably earn in Sussex, thus allowing us holidays, do nice things at the weekend without having to worry about the cost all the time.

Get to work from home a day a week quite often so this also helps i suppose

And that is the balance you have to strike. I've got a pretty good salary in Orpington (25 min drive from home) and previously Folkestone (40 mins drive), which were not the heights I could have earned in central London, but for the 8-9 years that has covered, my kids have been growing up, but crucially, going to bed early! I didn't want to be home after they've gone to bed every night.

It comes down to the salary you can find, but once in at this place, I've worked my butt off to try and get my salary up to something close to what I could earn in London, while, of course, still keeping the drive to work which means I do the morning school run once a week, and just creep in 5 minutes late to work.

Every situation is different, and largely it's down to what job you can find and where.

 

[Dave the OAP]

I have been asked to consider working US hours for a while, ie 1 pm to 9 pm. As our support is in teh uS and have moved to California :-(

That will be a right bugger!

 

[Vegas Seagull]

I have been asked to consider working US hours for a while, ie 1 pm to 9 pm. As our support is in teh uS and have moved to California :-(

That will be a right bugger!

Careful coz after a while they may move you to 4pm to Midnight, what good at you at 5am there 1pm here!?

 

[Hillian1]

I hate my job.
I have to deal with marketing "professionals" who dream up crazy ideas without looking at costs.
My biggest customer is a total fruitloop.
The above customer is right next door to the Crystal palace Academy in East Grinstead.
I have to go there at least twice a week.
No pay rise in 4 years.
Commission structure is totally unachievable.

But it pays the bills.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Careful coz after a while they may move you to 4pm to Midnight, what good at you at 5am there 1pm here!?

Our hq is philli, they get in around 1 o'clock uk time....and the Californian guys around 5 o'clock uk time in the evening....so it's some sort of balance

 

[Chicken Runner61]

I love my job - when its good its the best job in the world, its only crap when I have to deal with idiot customers who shouldn't be running a business or staff who overestimate their abilities and worth.

I think next year is going to be a year of reality and despair for a lot of people.

 

[simpleton]

I have been asked to consider working US hours for a while, ie 1 pm to 9 pm. As our support is in teh uS and have moved to California :-(

That will be a right bugger!

I work for an organisation based in DC and do something similar. We compromised on 12 till 8pm. Actually works pretty well. You get time to take the kids to school in the morning, have a leisurely start, but still finished in time to go out in evening / put kids to bed if you want.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Cheers. You are not joking and each day its quite a struggle to deal with how bitter I feel. And tragically two Albion supporting friends who are still with the company will have to go through the same process within the next 18 months.

And the moral of the story is that if your role gets outsourced to a company that rhymes with CRAPITA, be very afraid!

If it's any consolation, those of us internal to that company are also being dragged through the process - ironically partly because "we" cocked up the NHS contract so badly ( I'm assuming you were based in Eastbourne ? ).

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

If it's any consolation, those of us internal to that company are also being dragged through the process - ironically partly because "we" cocked up the NHS contract so badly ( I'm assuming you were based in Eastbourne ? ).

Is that the one with about five managers for every worker?

 

[METALMICKY]

Is that the one with about five managers for every worker?

It's the one where they thought applying the same principles and processes of chasing congestion charge debtors could be easily applied to those incorrectly claiming free NHS dental treatment...............and we all.know what happened to the congestion contract

 

[Dave the OAP]

I work for an organisation based in DC and do something similar. We compromised on 12 till 8pm. Actually works pretty well. You get time to take the kids to school in the morning, have a leisurely start, but still finished in time to go out in evening / put kids to bed if you want.

That actually sounds pretty good.....I'll use that in negotiations

 

[saafend_seagull]

Anyone else a bit f***ed off with their work/life balance at the moment. I haven't left work on time once in the last six months but despite being stupidly busy they would prefer to work us to the bone rather than employ anyone new.

When I hear people say the twenties should be the best years of your life I can't help but feel a bit like I've been robbed. And whilst the management go home to their comfortable lives me and my twenty something colleague work long hours and eek out livings to be told 'we'll soon reep the benefits'. Like f***.

Another evening on a train with the bored and lifeless faces of middle management on their way back from London. What a crock. Yes, I know, I should be 'grateful' or something.

I am 26 now but since graduating from uni 4.5 years ago, I have worked until 4AM 3 nights in a row from starting at 9AM. Many times until midnight too!

Quite often work until 7.30PM, and then when I get home. What is your job? Are you a fellow auditor

 

[slimes]

good to hear the pros and cons on this topic

Ive always accounted travel to and from work as work ,and the mileage costs,then working out that your probably better off if you had a job down the street from you.

the printing company that i work for have been really busy during april-october and now it will quiten down for 5 months...its really annoying that i think i suffer from sad and like being busy during the winter months to keep my mind not going down that slope ,but would rather have easy days during the lighter months of the year so i can at least enjoy them

 

[Westdene Seagull]

It's the one where they thought applying the same principles and processes of chasing congestion charge debtors could be easily applied to those incorrectly claiming free NHS dental treatment...............and we all.know what happened to the congestion contract

Yep - but at least we can all sleep soundly in our beds knowing that the founder walked away with such a wedge of money that he can now help to try an turn around supposedly failing schools - how kind of him !!!!