STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

bumblebee · Dooney & Bourke

RE: A work poll

luckylily · Gucci

I generally work about 8:30-5:30 and don't usually take a lunch. Obviously, I do take some breaks during the day to check personal email and stylethread.

Most people who are really successful in my field work a lot more than I do...later hours and often weekends. I've decided that I'm not willing to work 60-70 hours/week to get ahead, and I'm fine with that decision.

While I don't necessarily agree w/ your boss, I do think that the most super successful (in terms of career) people in our society work more than 9-5.

shopgirl82 · Chanel

quote:
Originally posted by: bumblebee
" i hate to agree with your boss because she sounds like she is out of her tree, but everyone i know works longer than 8 hours in a day--it's just the way our economy and culture operate these days. "

it's so funny. after this post, i was walking to the gym thinking about it. how my bf leaves for work at 7am gets home around 8 or 9 and usually works when he gets home. usually a good 6 hours on the weekend. (ok during the busy times. i do actually see him!!)

anyways, i was just thinking about the french (namely an interview from the author of the french diet book) and how she says that they don't work like we do and they don't exercise, etc...we do a 12 hour day and go to the gym after!

and in spain...siestas...forget about it! we would never do that. we do starbucks.

how did we mess up so bad!!! these damn expectations we put on ourselves.

kenzie · Chanel

quote:
Originally posted by: KE
"Nylabelle-look for a different job-can you do that? You do work in hell!"

Hehe. I've been looking for a job for almost two and a half years. I have bad luck when it comes to finding a job that doesn't suck. Anyway, my normal schedule is either 8:30-5 or 1:30-10. But, my boss likes to scream at me to work 8:30am-10pm almost everyday. It's retail, for crying out loud!! I'm not a doctor performing surgeries. She acts like things will all go to hell in a hand basket if I'm not there for 2 seconds. It's ridiculous. I can't wait til I can quit.

ETA: I know some of you have said that everyone who is successful in their career puts in more hours and that's fine. I would probably put in a few more hours if I liked (or cared) about my job. However, my bf is extremely successful- he just landed himself a plum promotion and he's the youngest person in his department by about 20 years--and he barely worked (and still doesn't) 40 hours a week. My viewpoint is this: if you are effective and efficient enough to get all your work finished in 40 hours, then aren't you a better worker than someone who does the same amount of work in 50 or 60 hours? I know that I get everything I need to get done in my 40 hour week, so why hang around longer and do nothing? Just my 2 cents.

-- Edited by NylaBelle at 21:09, 2005-04-12

Andrea Julia · Coach

Too bad you don't live near me. I work in the marketing dept at a publishing company and since I started 1.5 months ago, I have already had several people in my division come up to me and ask me if I knew people who would be interested in various marketing and editorial positions. I just honestly don't know anyone anymore that isn't already in a career or that isn't a housewife/mom. From the descriptions of your education and other jobs you've interviewed for, you might like it here.

honey · Gucci

quote:
Originally posted by: NylaBelle
" Hehe. I've been looking for a job for almost two and a half years. I have bad luck when it comes to finding a job that doesn't suck. Anyway, my normal schedule is either 8:30-5 or 1:30-10. But, my boss likes to scream at me to work 8:30am-10pm almost everyday. It's retail, for crying out loud!! I'm not a doctor performing surgeries. She acts like things will all go to hell in a hand basket if I'm not there for 2 seconds. It's ridiculous. I can't wait til I can quit. ETA: I know some of you have said that everyone who is successful in their career puts in more hours and that's fine. I would probably put in a few more hours if I liked (or cared) about my job. However, my bf is extremely successful- he just landed himself a plum promotion and he's the youngest person in his department by about 20 years--and he barely worked (and still doesn't) 40 hours a week. My viewpoint is this: if you are effective and efficient enough to get all your work finished in 40 hours, then aren't you a better worker than someone who does the same amount of work in 50 or 60 hours? I know that I get everything I need to get done in my 40 hour week, so why hang around longer and do nothing? Just my 2 cents.-- Edited by NylaBelle at 21:09, 2005-04-12"

i'm so sorry things aren't working out for you. you are so talented that it will definitely come together (though i'm sure you're sick of hearing that too). anyway have you considered just going back to school? iirc you mentioned something about that awhile ago.

kenzie · Chanel

quote:
Originally posted by: Andrea Julia
"Too bad you don't live near me. I work in the marketing dept at a publishing company and since I started 1.5 months ago, I have already had several people in my division come up to me and ask me if I knew people who would be interested in various marketing and editorial positions. I just honestly don't know anyone anymore that isn't already in a career or that isn't a housewife/mom. From the descriptions of your education and other jobs you've interviewed for, you might like it here. "

AJ, I am moving to the Central/Northern Jersey area in the fall with the bf. I was planning on looking for a job there in marketing. If anything is still available then, let me know!!!!

Andrea Julia · Coach

quote:
Originally posted by: NylaBelle
" . My viewpoint is this: if you are effective and efficient enough to get all your work finished in 40 hours, then aren't you a better worker than someone who does the same amount of work in 50 or 60 hours? I know that I get everything I need to get done in my 40 hour week, so why hang around longer and do nothing? Just my 2 cents.-- Edited by NylaBelle at 21:09, 2005-04-12"

Hehe...you would think so, right? I agree with you, but a lot of those people who work 50-60 hours a week make sure EVERYONE knows they worked that much and that they are sooo dedicated to the company.

You just reminded me of one of my old jobs. I would come in on time, do my work all day, and go home exactly at 5pm. I would even sometimes have to kill time waiting until 5 because I was done but didn't want to leave early. There was this lady who wasn't my boss, but she worked for my boss and kind of supervised me. She would come in late, spend the WHOLE MORNING taking cigarette breaks, loudly having personal conversations with co-workers, and fighting with her mom on the phone. Then she would stay until 8pm at night. She would even make nasty comments about me when I left on time. Her desk was always absolutely piled with work. This woman, I kid you not, was the most valued employee in the eyes of my boss. He constantly used her as a basis of comparison. I was like are you kidding? Do you ever watch her and see what she DOES all day that makes her have to stay until 8pm? I hated her. I hope she is living a lonely, miserable life.

That being said, not all people that work overtime are like this. You just reminded me of that because you made the exact same argument I used to always make when I worked there.

kenzie · Chanel

quote:
Originally posted by: honey
"i'm so sorry things aren't working out for you. you are so talented that it will definitely come together (though i'm sure you're sick of hearing that too). anyway have you considered just going back to school? iirc you mentioned something about that awhile ago."

honey, I am not allowed to go back to graduate school at this company b/c my boss says that I have to be available to work every shift and if I'm not available for every shift, I can't work there. She is actually firing some assistants who are in college and don't have open availability. It's awful. Almost every assistant I know is in college and, heaven forbid if someone at a higher level wants to better themselves by going to grad school. My boss is an idiot!!

miss t · Dooney & Bourke

Right now I work in hell, too, since my store is so understaffed and it takes many associates to work on the salesfloor and the backroom. 3 out of 5 days, I work 8-5, 9-6, or 10-7(most of the time I end up working an hour to one hour 30 minutes over to get other things done like HR, operations, and visual merchandising) the other two days i work 1:30 to close, which is ends up being around 12am on a good night. I take my hour break as an escape from hell, I leave the store or hide in the office.

bumblebee · Dooney & Bourke

i tend to agree that the whole "working more hours = being more successful" thing is a load of crap, too. i think it's a lie that people sometimes tell themselves, but i don't think there's a direct correlation between them. it completely depends on the industry you are in and what the culture is like in your business, etc. i have definitely known some completely ineffective people who were always "working late" because they were too scatterbrained to get their work done during the normal course of the day. it's only maddening when they hold themselves out as martyrs because they are working so many hours--i prefer to work smarter rather than longer, but as long as i am working for someone else and having to do things on their schedule, i don't have much of a choice right now. sigh...

Andrea Julia · Coach

quote:
Originally posted by: NylaBelle
"AJ, I am moving to the Central/Northern Jersey area in the fall with the bf. I was planning on looking for a job there in marketing. If anything is still available then, let me know!!!!"

Absolutely! There are always things opening up. It is a huge company and for each book list, there is a marketing manager and marketing assistant. Then there are various other people mixed in like Assistant Marketing Manager (my position), Marketing Coordinator, Online Marketing Manager and whatever other marketing positions a dept has a need for.

My new dept is great! I just thought I'd let you know since you've heard me complain so much when I was in my old dept. People seem to move up so much quicker than my old dept where they just left higher positions open and dumped the work on the lower level people instead of hiring someone new.

So, let me know when you move. If anything is open in my dept, I will get your resume to the hiring manager myself. If not, I can still refer you for anything open in the company. People have a better chance when another employee refers them.

-- Edited by Andrea Julia at 21:32, 2005-04-12

blubirde · Chanel

quote:
Originally posted by: Andrea Julia
"
Hehe...you would think so, right? I agree with you, but a lot of those people who work 50-60 hours a week make sure EVERYONE knows they worked that much and that they are sooo dedicated to the company.
You just reminded me of one of my old jobs. I would come in on time, do my work all day, and go home exactly at 5pm. I would even sometimes have to kill time waiting until 5 because I was done but didn't want to leave early. There was this lady who wasn't my boss, but she worked for my boss and kind of supervised me. She would come in late, spend the WHOLE MORNING taking cigarette breaks, loudly having personal conversations with co-workers, and fighting with her mom on the phone. Then she would stay until 8pm at night. She would even make nasty comments about me when I left on time. Her desk was always absolutely piled with work. This woman, I kid you not, was the most valued employee in the eyes of my boss. He constantly used her as a basis of comparison. I was like are you kidding? Do you ever watch her and see what she DOES all day that makes her have to stay until 8pm? I hated her. I hope she is living a lonely, miserable life.
That being said, not all people that work overtime are like this. You just reminded me of that because you made the exact same argument I used to always make when I worked there."

I know EXACTLY what you mean!!! I work 9-6ish (usually later) and I'm salaried but have to keep track of hours for comp time purposes. I used to get in around 9:15 every morning until one day my boss told me I needed to call from then on if I was going to be late. I was so pissed because the people in my department work generally 6 hours a day (at best) and here I am, the last person in the office to leave every single day. As a matter of fact, the security guards are all gone by the time I leave work. But, my boss works 7-4, so he only sees the folks who come in at the crack of dawn. Who cares if they leave at 2? Or take 3 hour lunch breaks? Geez. What a jackass.

So from that point on, I'm a clock-watcher. I lost so much job motivation after that confrontation. It made me realize what I do is not as important as how I look to others. Hence, more time for stylethread during the work day!

kenzie · Chanel

quote:
Originally posted by: Andrea Julia
" Absolutely! There are always things opening up. It is a huge company and for each book list, there is a marketing manager and marketing assistant. Then there are various other people mixed in like Assistant Marketing Manager (my position), Marketing Coordinator, Online Marketing Manager and whatever other marketing positions a dept has a need for. My new dept is great! I just thought I'd let you know since you've heard me complain so much when I was in my old dept. People seem to move up so much quicker than my old dept where they just left higher positions open and dumped the work on the lower level people instead of hiring someone new. So, let me know when you move. If anything is open in my dept, I will get your resume to the hiring manager myself. If not, I can still refer you for anything open in the company. People have a better chance when another employee refers them.-- Edited by Andrea Julia at 21:32, 2005-04-12"

Thanks, AJ!! I'll keep that in mind. I'll probably start looking for a new job in August. We're not completely sure which month we're moving, but we should know more come August.

mikacat · Coach

i work 50 to 56 hours a week and I still have a ton of work to do.

my company doesn't expect that but they do expect results, good margins and numbers.

However, I got another assistant this week and they also promoted a new buyer and gave them half of my work. So I should be down to working 30 hours a week now!! Seriously, though---I am going to start working 7:30 to 6:00 and take an hour to hour and fifteen lunch everyday.

jah · Dooney & Bourke

I work 7am-7 or 9pm depending on the day, no lunch unless it is a working lunch with a client. I generally do 3-4 hours of work on the weekend and about 20-25 weekends a year am traveling for at least one of the days.

I don't work this many hours because I am trying to impress people with my devotion, but because it simply takes that much time to get everything done. My dept. has lost 13 people in the past year and thus I currently have 16 clients. The general number of clients is 4-6.

The good news for me with these hours is that I love the job and working for my company. From your posts it doesn't sound like you love or even like your job, so IMO, life is too short and and there are too many places to work that aren't as demanding/stressful to put up working somewhere you don't love or at the very least, like.

On another note, even though I love my job, I wouldn't put up with the hours if I wasn't very well compensated. I know you are salary, but it doesn't sound like your salary stretches to compensate you for all the hours you work...I wouldn't stick around if in the same position.

kenzie · Chanel

quote:
Originally posted by: jah
" The good news for me with these hours is that I love the job and working for my company. From your posts it doesn't sound like you love or even like your job, so IMO, life is too short and and there are too many places to work that aren't as demanding/stressful to put up working somewhere you don't love or at the very least, like. On another note, even though I love my job, I wouldn't put up with the hours if I wasn't very well compensated. I know you are salary, but it doesn't sound like your salary stretches to compensate you for all the hours you work...I wouldn't stick around if in the same position. "

You're right, jah, I hate, hate, hate my job. I don't even kind of like it or find it somewhat tolerable. I really feel like if I'm there for one more day, I may end up in a mental hospital. I cry on my way to work b/c I'm so depressed. And, no, my salary doesn't stretch enough to make it worth my while. And boss's newest kick is telling me that I need to work 80 hours a week. You couldn't pay me enough to work that much at any job, let alone this hellish place. I'm sending out resumes this evening, so hopefully, I'll get some responses.

jah · Dooney & Bourke

quote:
Originally posted by: NylaBelle
" You're right, jah, I hate, hate, hate my job. I don't even kind of like it or find it somewhat tolerable. I really feel like if I'm there for one more day, I may end up in a mental hospital. I cry on my way to work b/c I'm so depressed. And, no, my salary doesn't stretch enough to make it worth my while. And boss's newest kick is telling me that I need to work 80 hours a week. You couldn't pay me enough to work that much at any job, let alone this hellish place. I'm sending out resumes this evening, so hopefully, I'll get some responses. "

Good Luck with your job search NylaBelle. One of my first jobs out of college was working in the Payless Shoe Source corporate office as a merchandiser. It sounds like it could be fun, but I HATED every minute of it. I took a leap of faith, moved into an entirely different career (even took a pay cut which I couldn't afford) and it ended up being the best decision of my life. So, I say get out while you can and take a leap of faith if an opportunity presents itself. 80 hours a week in retail is ridiculous and your boss needs to get a life!

My question, "does she put in 80 hours per week?".

Alegria · Kate Spade

I work 7:30-2:20 M-F , 10 months a year. I am sure I don't make as much $$$ as many of you girls but... I'm happy. Also, I can genuinely say I "work" the majority of my time at work. The reason I say this is because everyone that I know that works in an office setting doesn't technically work the whole time they are at work. They surf the net, take bathroom breaks whenever they want (not a luxury I have), visit with co-workers, do personal stuff (like balance their check book), and talk on the phone on non-business related stuff. Sooo... I guess it's all relative.

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

8:30-5, with an hour lunch, M-F. Anything over that is time and a 1/2, or I can take comptime, but I usually don't because I get enough vacation days.

-gd