FWD: Overtime

["Eric J. Ray" <ejray -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM>]

Name withheld upon request. Please reply on list.

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Here in NYC working overtime is definitely a macho thing, and it seems to
me that more than anything else it's supposed to indicate your level of
commitment to the company and your career.  Everyone seems to exaggerate
the number of hours they work ("Oh, 45 or 50" when it's actually 40 on the
dot) the same way they tend to shave time off their commute. ("Honestly,
it's 30 minutes door to door.  Well, unless something happens.")

>From what I've read (and I will try to dig out these articles again and
send them to Candace), this long-hour mentality is more based on emotion
("it shows he's really committed to the TEAM") than on actual productivity.
The studies I've heard about show that people are the most productive when
they're working about 40 or 50 hours a week.  After that productivity goes
down to the point where overtimers aren't accomplishing much more than the
people who put in a regular 40- or 50-hour work week.  I know people who
regularly work 60 hours a week, but apparently they're not accomplishing
much more than me with my 40 or 45.

I work for a company now where we have casual dress, flexible working
hours, and a reasonable work week--most people put in 40 to 45, more when
release time approaches, if they need to.  This makes a big difference to
all of us, and even though things aren't perfect, I would hesitate to leave
here unless I could go to a place with a similar work environment.  Today
I'm here on a Saturday afternoon, and I am the only person here out of our
75-odd employees.  The others are, presumably, taking their kids to
birthday parties, washing their cars, shopping for groceries, talking to
their mothers on the phone, reading books--you know, attending to the rest
of their lives.