Working hours | How many are too many?

[Wexnident]

I think 8-9 hrs and 5 days per week is the standard in most cases? I honestly would take those kinds of work only if the workplace is near where I stay as much as possible since commuting to work takes way too much time which basically eliminates any possibility of doing anything other than resting after work. Even having it for 4 days doesn't seem that appealing, but it is a better situation than the 5 day's work. If finding one isn't possible then I'd try to look for options where I'm my own boss, aka freelancing, which I'm mostly favorable of rather than working an 8-5 schedule but it is also hard in its own way.

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[Fortify]

Especially after the pandemic, flexible working schedules keep popping up, either through working from distance, or less hours. Only a few countries have embraced working 4 days a week, instead of 5 or 6, and case studies have shown positive results. Some of them include, the UK, which has recently begun one of the largest trials of the 4-day working week, Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Japan, Spain and the UAE. The 5-day a week is one of the most common ones, however, with the evolution of technology, longer hours don't necessarily guarantee a higher productivity, most likely the opposite.

Some of the benefits 4-day work week include:

Reduced costs on both ends, employees will have one less day to commute to work, while avoiding paying extra money for lunch, coffees etc. The employers on the other hand, will have the office closed for one more day, reducing running costs.

Happier employees and better mental health. Having more free time increase overall happiness and improves work-life balance, which can result into lower levels of stress and a generally better mental health, something which is suffering in our day and age.

And most importantly, increase in productivity levels. Overworked and stressed employees are actually less productive than those working a normal or reduced working week.

My case - Example to avoid

By law, in Greece (and most of Europe to be honest) the typical working week comprises of 40 working hours. However, this rarely happens in the private sector, where in most cases you're working up to 48 hours/week, with one day off in a week. In the tourism sector, it's actually a lot worse. Employees are working 7 days/week, up to 8-10 hours per day and not usually not being paid good enough.

Personally, in May, I started working at a known supermarket chain for 20 hours/week (part-time). I wanted to take a little time off, after working for 4 years full-time with only one day off per week. My plan backfired though, the money wasn't enough to keep up with the increasing living costs and started working at a hotel's restaurant, another 24 hours/week. Recently, I was proposed to work the night shift at the hotel's reception, because the former employee had some family business to attend to and had to leave. Me, wanting to make some extra money due to having upcoming expenses, accepted. Now, I'm working 16 hours per day, except Sunday and Monday which are my days off from the supermarket, which equal to 100 hours/week (a week is comprised of 168 hours). Of course, I will only be doing that for September, and here I am, writing this post during the graveyard shift.

How many hours/week is the typical in your country? How many hours are you actually working and how does a 4 day work week sound?

It feels like 40 hours is enough quite frankly, although being able to work overtime when you feel like it is a very nice perk - especially if it pays a higher rate. Unfortunately jobs at the lowest end of the spectrum can require zero skill and only a bit of training, which makes these workers particularly replaceable. The only way to get paid a better rate per hour is if you have harder skills to acquire - whether that is an electrician, doctor or even a programmer. You do seem to be stuck in an extreme situation though, I don't know how you can tolerate working 16 hour days and get the feeling it is a bit of an exaggeration, it certainly is not healthy to be doing that for more than a few weeks. Nor should the supermarket accept it, because you a presumably a good worker and it just means you'll burn out.

[Oasisman]

How many hours/week is the typical in your country? How many hours are you actually working and how does a 4 day work week sound?

In a 3rd world country for a minimum wage earner, that sounds hell for us. 4 day work per week means less money to be earned in a weekly basis and the minimum wage could barely get you enough supply till the next payroll.
Majority of the minimum wage earner in my country works 8hrs a day and 6 days a week. Pay structure is per day. That's why I said, working 4 day a week in here is hell. Though working 6 days a week is worst, but people have no choice.

[CryptoHeadlineNews]

How many hours/week is the typical in your country? How many hours are you actually working and how does a 4 day work week sound?

In my country "Nigeria", the average working hours per week is 35hrs to 40hrs, which could be divided into 7 to 8hrs daily 5days a week, most especially for people working in the government sectors (i.e schools, govt offices, ministries e.t.c) but it varies when it comes to different private sectors most especially hotels, supermarkets and gas stations who normally run shifts for workers, but I'm definitely sure it should be around 30hrs weekly with a day off duty

[chaser15]

Here in the country, the standard working regular hours are 8 hours (usually for day jobs, 8am-5pm or 8:30am-5:30pm). That was stressful as heavy traffic always occurs at that time (which is called the rush hour period). And what's worst, the minimum wage here in the capital is not enough to sustain the daily cost of living as price increases are everywhere, especially oil, sugar, salt, and other basic needs.

No choice but to accept that daily burden. Others are forced to do overtime just to have additional pay on that day. This is the problem that most average employees here deal with every day. How about in your country guys?

[Darker45]

It's so sad to hear this. But this has indeed grown common among the working class. As a matter of fact, there are those who are working hard labor 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. Some are even working physically tiring jobs day and night just to make ends meet. So your 100-hour weekly work setup is probably more tolerable if it isn't too demanding and you could even manage to create good posts in the middle of it.

The usual number of working hours per week here in my country is 48. But that's as far as the contract is concerned. In reality, it could easily extend to 60 without getting overtime pay. But that's in the private sector. In the government, it is usually just 40 hours per week. And in reality, it could easily be just 10. The rest of the hours, government employees are just normally sharing gossips, scrolling posts on social media, watching videos, running personal or family errands, attending to their kids, browsing Tupperware or Avon brochures, and so on and so forth.

[NdaMk]

In my country - Nigeria, most public sector works for 7 hours to 9 hours per day, making it 35hrs to 45hrs per week. My country public sector works for 5days in a week. From Mondays to Fridays, the idea of 4 days is not in my country. Then some private sectors work for 6days and some work on Sundays making it 7days.  Some private workers work for 10 to 12 hrs a day. While some works on shift, it depends on what you like.

But someone I worked with believes in working at your own pace. Infact he recommends we work from home and give us task to accomplish within a period of time. I advice we learn to work smart and get good skills so that we could chose or reject jobs that come our ways.

Sometimes when I look at this hours spent on work and the pay. I just wish one could work from home. Some people usually get separated from there families or loved ones for close to six months or more just for work. But just like u said one should have is other means that can sustain him so that he might reject works that they feel is too demanding

[Republikcoin.com]

Sometimes when I look at this hours spent on work and the pay. I just wish one could work from home. Some people usually get separated from there families or loved ones for close to six months or more just for work. But just like u said one should have is other means that can sustain him so that he might reject works that they feel is too demanding

For those who are married or have a family that must be turned on as their responsibilities, it is always better to work in a place that is not too demanding. Because if the work is very demanding and must be far from very family, then the pressure felt by that person will obviously be greater and will not have maximum focus on his work.
But for those who are still living single or do not have any responsibilities now, then working wherever I think will not be a problem because in life that person is still very free to be wherever he wants.

[Jawhead999]

If you're working under someone company, 7-8 hours per day and 5 days work per week are normal. But many countries already start implemented to work for 10-12 hours and 6 days work per week, they're only free for one day each week, I think it's too many and should be reduced.

If you're working in your own company, I think you're working for the whole day since you're need to think the next innovation or your next goal to achieve better result. Even you're not working at your desk, but you're working on wherever you're.

[Gozie51]

most importantly, increase in productivity levels. Overworked and stressed employees are actually less productive than those working a normal or reduced working week.

Op you have posted so much that it made it look tiring to continue reading, you would have made it shorter and straight to the point to ask how many hours that countries work per week. Anyway, like you said the general days that most countries work is 5 days and usually from Monday to Friday just like my own country also and the government work hours is 8-5 and teachers are based on closing hours like 8-2pm. I like the working days of UK as you said as 4 days. Truely this is nice because when workers have rest enough then they will be able to give there best and be energized to work all the time that they will be on duty. This will bring better results and the UK economy is very much better for it with great stability and purposeful direction.

[fiulpro]

Aren't we already too far away from discussing working hours? We should rather discuss them based on your skills.
A surgeon might only work for 4 hours a day because his job is extended extensive, whereas when we talk about labour market, these people will work 24*7 to make some money as well, at the end of the day, I do think that, it is very important to understand what you have to do at your job and at the end ofcourse for normal jobs having a 4 day working week would be amazing, if we are able to alternate holidays+working days, I think it can even be more productive as well.
This would not only enhance people's abilities but it would also give them the much needed rest so that they can start afresh every single day.

[batang_bitcoin]

Take care of your health. I used to work more than 100 hours per week because I was younger and I can handle stress and haven't felt any fatigue in my body. Soon, you'll realize that you need to minimize the working hours you do per week because your health should be prioritize.

How many hours/week is the typical in your country?

Nothing has changed, 8-9 hours per day so around 40-48+ hours and you're likely not a good employee if you don't allocate a few free overtime. Yeah, these companies sucks and that's why I quit too early.

How many hours are you actually working and how does a 4 day work week sound?

4 day work week sounds good for me. This will really give employees more family time and in return, they'll do better in productivity.

[Anonylz]

A 4 day work a week is great, I am currently on a 4 day a week work and honestly I like the 1 day off thing, although the mgt in my organisation are thinking of stopping it, it was introduced during the coronavirus period and was kept going even after coronavirus, am so used to it I don't want it to be called off. Currently working 40 hours a week which I believe is enough imo.

[uchegod-21]

In my country - Nigeria, most public sector works for 7 hours to 9 hours per day, making it 35hrs to 45hrs per week. My country public sector works for 5days in a week. From Mondays to Fridays, the idea of 4 days is not in my country. Then some private sectors work for 6days and some work on Sundays making it 7days.  Some private workers work for 10 to 12 hrs a day. While some works on shift, it depends on what you like.

But someone I worked with believes in working at your own pace. Infact he recommends we work from home and give us task to accomplish within a period of time. I advice we learn to work smart and get good skills so that we could chose or reject jobs that come our ways.

Sometimes when I look at this hours spent on work and the pay. I just wish one could work from home. Some people usually get separated from there families or loved ones for close to six months or more just for work. But just like u said one should have is other means that can sustain him so that he might reject works that they feel is too demanding

Many companies are trying very much to reduce the circumstances that will bring people to work physically. The effects of Covid-19 pendamic has thought the world some lessons. There is this comfort that comes when you work from home. The risk of accidents while going to or coming from work will not be there anymore. The transportation allowance and feeding allowance would be cancelled and converted to data bundles allowance. Time will come when the only people to go work are people whonare required to work with their hands physically.

[sana54210]

It's so sad to hear this. But this has indeed grown common among the working class. As a matter of fact, there are those who are working hard labor 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. Some are even working physically tiring jobs day and night just to make ends meet. So your 100-hour weekly work setup is probably more tolerable if it isn't too demanding and you could even manage to create good posts in the middle of it.

The usual number of working hours per week here in my country is 48. But that's as far as the contract is concerned. In reality, it could easily extend to 60 without getting overtime pay. But that's in the private sector. In the government, it is usually just 40 hours per week. And in reality, it could easily be just 10. The rest of the hours, government employees are just normally sharing gossips, scrolling posts on social media, watching videos, running personal or family errands, attending to their kids, browsing Tupperware or Avon brochures, and so on and so forth.

The problem is that if you are working for someone else and you are working unwanted hours then it is a problem for sure, but if you are working for yourself and you are spending way too much, then it should be fine because the more you work the more money you could make from it.

I do not work for myself, I work for someone else as a freelancer and I can easily say that the best thing about my life is my boss and my work, I love working in this job and that is why I can say that even if I ever work 15 hours a day I would be happy, however life is not like that, for the past 1 year I had probably one of the worst years of my life and it doesn't look like it will get any better, and that's why I couldn't work too much unfortunately, I am hoping that I could go back to days when all I did was just working.

[teosanru]

Especially after the pandemic, flexible working schedules keep popping up, either through working from distance, or less hours. Only a few countries have embraced working 4 days a week, instead of 5 or 6, and case studies have shown positive results. Some of them include, the UK, which has recently begun one of the largest trials of the 4-day working week, Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Japan, Spain and the UAE. The 5-day a week is one of the most common ones, however, with the evolution of technology, longer hours don't necessarily guarantee a higher productivity, most likely the opposite.

Some of the benefits 4-day work week include:

Reduced costs on both ends, employees will have one less day to commute to work, while avoiding paying extra money for lunch, coffees etc. The employers on the other hand, will have the office closed for one more day, reducing running costs.

Happier employees and better mental health. Having more free time increase overall happiness and improves work-life balance, which can result into lower levels of stress and a generally better mental health, something which is suffering in our day and age.

And most importantly, increase in productivity levels. Overworked and stressed employees are actually less productive than those working a normal or reduced working week.

My case - Example to avoid

By law, in Greece (and most of Europe to be honest) the typical working week comprises of 40 working hours. However, this rarely happens in the private sector, where in most cases you're working up to 48 hours/week, with one day off in a week. In the tourism sector, it's actually a lot worse. Employees are working 7 days/week, up to 8-10 hours per day and not usually not being paid good enough.

Personally, in May, I started working at a known supermarket chain for 20 hours/week (part-time). I wanted to take a little time off, after working for 4 years full-time with only one day off per week. My plan backfired though, the money wasn't enough to keep up with the increasing living costs and started working at a hotel's restaurant, another 24 hours/week. Recently, I was proposed to work the night shift at the hotel's reception, because the former employee had some family business to attend to and had to leave. Me, wanting to make some extra money due to having upcoming expenses, accepted. Now, I'm working 16 hours per day, except Sunday and Monday which are my days off from the supermarket, which equal to 100 hours/week (a week is comprised of 168 hours). Of course, I will only be doing that for September, and here I am, writing this post during the graveyard shift.

How many hours/week is the typical in your country? How many hours are you actually working and how does a 4 day work week sound?

I think this is a very personal thing as well. Some people are addicted to their work too much, they like to work for a lot of hours in a day, especially at a young age when they don't have a family to attend to. People just like you like to work multiple shifts because either they like to are maybe they are forced to work this much because they need some extra money for themselves. But yes for a normal person who is earning good and especially doing job anything above 45+ hours is really depressing as per me. 8 hour working with 5 days shift is actually the max a person should work. Obviously, the new designs like 4 days a week are also coming into the picture but I hardly know how good they will be because a gap of 3 days really gives a long break to the work as well, which is also a problem I feel.

[Ultegra134]

~snip!

It feels like 40 hours is enough quite frankly, although being able to work overtime when you feel like it is a very nice perk - especially if it pays a higher rate. Unfortunately jobs at the lowest end of the spectrum can require zero skill and only a bit of training, which makes these workers particularly replaceable. The only way to get paid a better rate per hour is if you have harder skills to acquire - whether that is an electrician, doctor or even a programmer. You do seem to be stuck in an extreme situation though, I don't know how you can tolerate working 16 hour days and get the feeling it is a bit of an exaggeration, it certainly is not healthy to be doing that for more than a few weeks. Nor should the supermarket accept it, because you a presumably a good worker and it just means you'll burn out.

Honestly, even when I was working 48 hours/week, for 6 days, I always felt that I didn't have enough time to rest. I was working from 6 am to 2pm and always felt tired, one day off wasn't enough. As much as I'd like the 16 hours to be an exaggeration, it's not. I'm currently working from 18:00 to 22:00 at the hotel's restaurant, 23:00 to 07:00 at the reception and 08:00 to 12:00 at the supermarket. I only get Sundays and Mondays off from the supermarket and Monday from the restaurant. Thus, the day I have the most available time is Monday, working only from 23:00 - 7:00.

I'm only going to be doing it for a little more than a month, is it worth it? Not really, I'm not going to have any free time for over a month, since commuting to work also consumes a good hour too. Would I do it again? Certainly not, I'm not going to overwork myself for money ever again (at least I'm hoping to). My personal physical and mental health are way more important, it sucks not even having a break to relax and do something.

Take care of your health. I used to work more than 100 hours per week because I was younger and I can handle stress and haven't felt any fatigue in my body. Soon, you'll realize that you need to minimize the working hours you do per week because your health should be prioritize.

How many hours/week is the typical in your country?
Nothing has changed, 8-9 hours per day so around 40-48+ hours and you're likely not a good employee if you don't allocate a few free overtime. Yeah, these companies sucks and that's why I quit too early.

Totally, I'm not taking care of my self nor my relationship, certainly an example to be avoided. I hate it that employers treat you like rubbish for pointing out obvious things, to be paid for any overtime you do and for willing to have a personal life.

[n0ne]

In my country the people in white collared jobs will have an eight hour shift. In particular the IT industry people need to have 8 working hours from the time they sign-in. The Super Market, hotels and all have 12 hours of working and they weren't paid extra. They've made it in such a way. Four days of work is really good, because it gives time to have some rest and spend with our family.

Anything above 8 hours of work needs to be considered as overtime and needs to be paid double the amount for the extra hours worked. But none pay in such a way.

[lixer]

In my country it’s typically 40 hour work week. 9 to 5. Usually after 40 hours you get paid 1.5x because it’s overtime.

Depending on the job you have. If it’s white collar you don’t do 8 hours of work each day. Maybe 2. The rest is spent talking with workers, extended lunches and playing with your phone. Other jobs like blue collar are usually very long hours and no resting.

No, it's not per country but every country has a different set of jobs and we can classify them as white or blue collar jobs as you said. Blue collar jobs are jobs that are paid per hour, that's why they can stay for longer hours in order to get the maximum pay that they want but they do have breaks too (lunch breaks and snack time).

According to my research white collar jobs includes office jobs but I think that office workers can also work 8 hours per day and it's up to them if they will do overtime to get a small increase on their salary. We may think their jobs are easy because they are indoors but actually it's also stressful. The truth is no jobs are easy.

[Raflesia]

If we look at some of those mentioned, it is true that an average of 8 hours of work per day is something that is common nowadays and indeed this is in line because in the country I live in it is also like that but on average 6 working days and on the 6th day (Saturdays), usually this only runs 4-5 hours. Although there are indeed some companies that have enforced 5 working days by increasing their working hours to 9 hours and making 2 days off on holidays, there are still a lot of people who enforce Saturdays as half-day work.