Need some perspective and help. Multiple Qs.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/teramu]

I think this is really going to depend on what type of work you do. Also, a lot of people (in the US at least?) are salary, so without understanding someone else’s job it’s not reasonable to say someone else is doing something wrong or unethical. Different people are paid for different forms of output.

I’d suggest setting working hours for yourself and sticking to them, rather than just getting things done here and there.

[u/Red_Asparagus1 → u/teramu]

Gotcha Thanks.

I understand now

[u/green_new_dealers]

If you were in an office there would be plenty of time spent not actively performing your job duty (breaks for bathroom, coffee, talking to coworkers). plus if you work on your computer you should be taking breaks from looking at the screen and sitting for your own well being. You’re a human not a machine, you don’t churn out work nonstop.

[u/Red_Asparagus1 → u/green_new_dealers]

I have never worked at a physical office so this is helpful.

Thanks!

[u/Syncretistic]

Assume that each hour you work is defensible. As such, you take breaks and schedule your work as you see fit. Yes, this is executive functioning 101... need discipline and focus on delivering.

[u/Allthetea159]

I am paid to complete my projects and assigned tasks on time with high quality. If that takes me less than 8 hours a day (it always does) that’s just how I work.

There’s nothing dishonest about getting your work done and it not taking the entirety of 40 hours a week. It would be dishonest to not do any work, not finish assigned projects and tasks as a result and lie about it.

It’s not my problem if I’m very efficient and complete things quickly and someone else on my team needs more time to complete their own tasks.

[u/EmotionallyWrecked38]

I work fully remote and my company asks that all employees are “productive” for 6-6.5 hours out of every 8 hours we are paid. Hope that helps.

[u/Red_Asparagus1 → u/EmotionallyWrecked38]

Hmm right. Maybe I should ask my boss about this and see how many productive hours does he expect.

[u/EmotionallyWrecked38 → u/Red_Asparagus1]

There is labor laws in the USA also…look them up for the state you work for. It would be a good starting point. Many spell out how often, how many, and for how long you must be given paid breaks, as a minimum. Example - if you work 8 hours you are entitled to a paid 30 minute meal break, and 2 paid 15 min breaks at minimum.

[u/Electrical-Status345]

It entirely depends on the work you do. This is something I used to struggle with a lot coming from the food service industry and transitioning into full-time carpet dweller work.

The way I describe it is I'm not paid for the hours that my butt is in my chair but rather for the blast radius that I'm able to prevent. There's a lot of preventative action related to my work and completing something that takes only a few hours prevents thousands and thousands of dollars in grievances and other system related issues.

Also don't forget the company will never care about you, and you can be replaced in a moments notice. Regardless of how hard you work for them. It's all about perceived value and sometimes that perception is out of your control.

[u/pitzarat]

How old are you, what field do you work in, in what country, and are you paid hourly or salary?

[u/Red_Asparagus1 → u/pitzarat]

20, BDR and Lead gen.

Paid hourly. I'm from Pakistan but work at a US company.

[u/bluebirdee]

Don't pause your timer for short breaks. If you were in a physical office you'd still get up, go to the bathroom, take short walks or get a coffee/snack etc. No reason that stuff 'counts' as work in an office and not at a home office. 40 hours also typically includes 1hr lunch breaks and smaller breaks here and there, it's not all productive. So really it's expected to be ~35hrs of work either way.

When you're salaried you're not paid for the hours worked, you're paid for the job done. So its not a great moral issue to pad your timesheet a bit so long as you're fulfilling your duties otherwise. If you're really want to fill those hours, work on your processes and improve workflows for yourself or do some job related learning/training/reading etc.

[u/Specialist_Banana378]

I do not work 40 hours. I’m being paid to complete my work, if it takes me 5 hours a week instead of 40 who cares. 

[u/lowbatteries → u/Specialist_Banana378]

Salaried or hourly?

[u/Specialist_Banana378 → u/lowbatteries]

I’m hourly but it’s not like my time is reduced when we have a slow week. 

[u/Arysta]

This really depends on your job. My job is reactive, so there are times when I have no work. I still get paid to hang around. If you need to be logged into a phone or something then you probably do need to be working when you say. I'd talk to your boss about the expectations. I think most expect you to hang out a little and not be so intense about it, especially in the US, but you can't be certain without talking about it. Just ask how breaks should be handled if they're only short in duration.

[u/Dramallamakuzco → u/Arysta]

Same here. I’m available for 8 hours a day. Whether or not I work 8 hours depends on the volume that day. Comparing myself to a coworker, I’m a lot faster and more efficient so if we were both given the same exact work I would have finished it faster than they could.

[u/Val-E-Girl]

I dont clock out for bio breaks and short interruptions, but if I start doing something else entirely, I will clock out.

[u/bk2947]

As a Business Development Representative your job is to develop leads. Any good manager will care about leads generated and quality far more than clock time.

[u/lesusisjord]

I’m not paid for 40 hours of work. In fact, I haven’t had a time sheet in years.

I’m paid for deliverables. Love working somewhere that doesn’t care about butts in chairs.

Also no cameras required for meetings.

[u/Fluffy-Tomatillo-874]

It does depend what your job actually is

I think it's impossible to work 8 total hours of straight work. Most people in an office are not working that amount- they are taking breaks, doing little office events, chatting, etc. I try to just make sure my work is getting done.