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Do you (voluntarily) come into work on Saturdays?
Michael H
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Assuming you normally work a Mon-Fri job, that is. I guess I don't mind doing it when there's work that needs to be done. We have a pretty good flex-time policy, so theoretically I would get my hours back if I want to take them later, but I don't keep track all that well.
It's actually kind of nice. I can work in peace. I've gotten so much more done so far today than I have any normal weekday. I'll probably skate out of here at noon.
I kind of feel like the kid in a movie who's locked into a store or mall after hours and can do whatever he wants. (Usually portrayed in montage form.)
It's actually kind of nice. I can work in peace. I've gotten so much more done so far today than I have any normal weekday. I'll probably skate out of here at noon.
I kind of feel like the kid in a movie who's locked into a store or mall after hours and can do whatever he wants. (Usually portrayed in montage form.)
Michael H on
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Although going into work on Saturdays for m consists of listening to music/watching movies/tv for roughly 5-6 hours of my 8 hour shift so I'm pretty ok with it
I do this once in awhile, maybe every couple of months and more frequently around a big deadline or release. It's kind of enjoyable, like you said, at least at my current job. Before that, though, my career was focused on the video game industry, where you are basically "voluntold" to come in every Saturday (and go ahead and come in Sunday, too), which pretty much sucked the will to live right out of me.
Also on Steam and PSN: twobadcats
I'll occasionally VPN at odd hours, because taking care of little problems then makes big problems less big. Plus I'll read and respond to e-mails because there are just so damn many.
I could probably farm the work out on others, but no reason to. If i have plans, I won't. If I don't I'll pick up the issue if someone else does.
Half days mostly and I get paid overtime so it isn't that bad but the stress adds up after awhile.
Robots Will Be Our Superiors (Blog)
http://michaelhermes.com
So I generally work unpaid over the weekends for about 4-6 hours.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Overtime is typically for lower end workers and grunts, that's been my experience.
I do this on occasion and that's exactly how I feel. I am salaried so no overtime or anything, just peace of mind.
I mean, extra money? Sure, why not. As long as it's not a regular thing.
Face Twit Rav Gram
Shit has to get done and it is easier on Saturdays and Sundays when there's nobody else getting in the way. I don't get paid for it though.
California used to have some really strict laws about computer professionals and overtime that basically meant that all system administrators, software developers, tech support, etc. had to be paid overtime, even if they were very senior-level. That wasn't the exact intent of the law, but that's how it worked out in reality.
The laws have since been relaxed significantly, because it was causing an observable brain drain out of California. It happened to my last employer - basically, they made it clear through informal channels that IT people based in California would hit a glass ceiling unless they moved to Chicago or Princeton.
But a lot of Californian employers are still in the old mindset, or still have employees flagged as non-exempt in their payroll systems, and still continue to pay computer professionals overtime even though they don't strictly have to.
I'm at a point in my career where I'd much rather be exempt. I don't mind working on the weekends, but I have to sneak around right now to do it because my employer has to pretend that I don't know I'm working on the weekends or else they have a liability for unpaid overtime.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
I'd say that's probably true _most_ of the time, but I'm sure there are notable exceptions.
I could have the option of being "salaried non-exempt" which means I could get paid a salary and then get paid overtime if I worked in excess of 40 hours a week. In exchange for that I believe I give up vacation days (which I have what I believe to be a generous amount) and I think even some holidays. Not worth it!
Robots Will Be Our Superiors (Blog)
http://michaelhermes.com
I don't get paid for it, but I do get better at what I do - and that's why I do it.
This is a good day.
The flip-side of this is that a lot of tech companies - I'm looking at you, game industry - like to hire people on the pretense of working 40-50 hour weeks, then require them to work 70 hour weeks with unpaid overtime on a regular basis. Then when the folks burn-out, fire them and start fresh.
Me, I don't care much for going in on Saturdays. If I had no family, it wouldn't be so bad, but time with my family is more important than enriching my employer with free overtime.
Fortunately I'm being compensated for the extra workload.
Unfortunately I don't know how long this will last, as finding a qualified worker for the part-time position has proved exceedingly difficult over the past year.
I find the whole idea distasteful.
It seems mostly like a pretense to curtail worker rights and extend the work week on the sly.
Pretty sure they're liable anyway, even if you weren't instructed. You're working the time, regardless of whether the company knows, because of the mindset that "they should have known."
So when they fire you later, sue for the unpaid overtime. ;-)
I'll come in Saturdays if the alternative is missing a deadline.
If they didn't pay overtime, though? Fuck no. Not unless missing that deadline was egregiously and unequivocally my fault.
Sort of depressing all around.
If my company actually paid decent overtime rates then I might be interested, but since they don't, I opt to enjoy the weekends instead.
I worked in IT before I went back to school. Two jobs ago, I was on a team that was on-call 24/7 for emergencies, but we also had a Super Emergency Pager that we rotated through the group on a weekly basis for users who needed help after hours. We didn't get paid overtime but our CIO was really awesome about making sure our comp time worked out fairly. We would schedule maintenance and server room upgrades for the weekends, but that was maybe like 4 times a year, so it wasn't that big of a deal.
We didn't get called in for meltdowns very often because we worked hard during the week to make sure nothing would happen when we weren't there, but every now and then we'd come in at random times of the night to fix servers and shit. My most memorable emergency was when I got called in on Thanksgiving eve one year at 9 PM because the telco cut our phone lines. I wound up staying at work until 4 AM on Thanksgiving day trying to get everything sorted out. You better believe I got some comp days out of that.
LOL that sucks, I'm a senior sysadmin and one of the IT officers. I constantly pull insane hours, it just goes with the turf. I'd say move here to VA/DC area, tons of tech jobs and none of that shit. Though shit like 10 hour days and weekends is considered the norm. And even if you are able to get overtime, you won't. because you weren't asked to do it, but your ass will be looking for another job if you don't pull it.
All the jobs I've had have stated "nights and weekends" and that's being salary.
In my company vacation comes out of another pay pool. I get roughly a month a year, plus half a month sick time. Due to the recession I've been forced to take vacation for funds allocation. Which means I still work the same hours, and just bill it to my vacation pool and lose a day
All the work I've done has been DOD, or funded by State and USAID. In DC it's expected that you are working 50-80. And your ass better not try to claim OT. They don't force you to do it, so they don't have to pay you. But when all your coworkers are pulling those hours, you simply will not get promoted, or will find yourself fired for some random reason quick. It's not just tech folks, though tech people are the most prone to it.
Oddly all the "real" work I do, I can't do during working hours. So my 9-5 is mostly sitting on my ass hoping things don't break. I get shit done once 7pm hits or over the weekend.
Yeah such is life. I get calls constantly. I make sure those who work for me can avoid it. I don't have a wife/kids, and most of my family is 6 feet under. So I take the holidays, and let the others off. I claim three holidays as mine. Halloween, my birthday, new years, and ST. pattys. The rest I don't care.
Plus my office is two subway stops from my house, so it takes me 10-15 mins to get to work. I'm not going to make someone suffer an hour long subway trip or drive when I can just hop in and do the work.
Interestingly enough though, when I force someone to come and do the work, they don't bitch at me.
It's also fun because another co-worker and I realized that since the building's empty on weekends, we can bring in our guitar rigs and play as loud as we want.
Were I on salary, it would depend on the job. If I actually enjoy going into work every day, it wouldn't be that big a deal so long as it didn't erase my life outside of work, and I was paid enough that I wouldn't mind working a little extra.
I don't actually mind working odd hours or weekends, but its quite common here for employers to take advantage of cultural pressures to wring unpaid overtime out of white-collar workers, and I'm not playing that game. I don't work for free, I'm selling my labour on the open market. And there are plenty of buyers, because I'm well-trained, flexible, and not particularly invested in one Big Career.
Yep, one of the many reasons I'm trying to get the hell out of IT.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
If I'm approaching comp time with deadlines looming and working Saturday will get me hours off, I am all over that crap. More often than not though crunches are suspiciously timed to run through the end of one period and the beginning of the next one, leading to that "just missed getting mondo comp time" phenomenon that I sometimes suspect is intentional.
I'd probably volunteer the time.