So I work a 40 hour week.
Earn decent money.
The thing is that I have approx. 15 hours of the 40 hours free.
Most of the time I check facebook etc and just bludge.
Should I be looking for more things to do or just carry on doing what I do?
Kids are in privare school.
Mrs is working.
Happy as Larry at the moment.
I have a lot of time on my hands. I earn decently. Should I look for more things to do or just bludge?
grabngo on 09/02/2016 - 14:51
Comments
male prostitute, 15 hours free but the other 25 is painful.
lol 25 times a week, 5 times a day
that's really pain in the arse
Look at things you can do that take advantage of down time.
Study something remotely, write a book/blog, catch up on admin so you don't have to do it in your home time.
Or just enjoy it and recognise it is a good place.write a book/blog
Serious question, why write a blog?
I've written one for a year. But in the end, meh.
Some people just like to write and some might get money out of it (unless that's just youtube vloggers etc.).
Also might depend on the feedback you get once you start trying. If it's good then some might be motivated to continue and try and look for new and interesting things to blog about and the cycle continues. If it's bad or non-existent feedback one might get bored eventually.
What was it that got you started into writing that blog in the first place? I had a couple short lived blogs. Might be the same reason to start but not everyone has a reason to keep it going. Might just turn out to not be your thing. I guess the same can be said about most hobbies is that some people just enjoy certain activities more than others.
Just felt like sharing crap.
Was good I think? With over 1000 views every month, consistently.
Then I stopped writing, cuz meh
Strongly dependent on what you're writing about too.
Dont know about currently. but for about 6 months there back around 2009? I was making about 300-400$ USD a month from Google Adsense payments. Was never able to keep that up though long-term. but if you can get and maintain the traffic, there was some decent bank to be made.
If work are happy with your output then the time is yours. Side projects, hobbies, bludge, whatever tickles your fancy.
Personally I've always got a few side projects on the burn so if I get downtime at work I usually work on them - it's a hobby for me too so it's also stress relief and who knows, one of them may end up becoming more than just a side project eventually.
For me mindless bludging (eg surfing social media) gets boring really quickly, that's why I always pursue hobbies and interests. But your mileage may vary. Do whatever floats your boat.
But if work is happy with your output and you're happy with the situation, don't go looking for more to do at work. If you start doing more it'll become an expectation.
Except that it's long been established that hours at a desk don't equate to increased productivity, and some research shows that it actually decreases productivity.
I manage a department of over 40 people. I do all of my performance analysis based on output, not time at desk. This is proven to be the most effective productivity pay-off method.
I pay my employees to accomplish a set of tasks. I make sure that I am getting a solid return on my investment (they make me more money than they cost me). I don't care what the right time at desk mix is to make them the most productive, I want them to figure it out.
Being a desk slave will not get you ahead in life. Being productive and working smart will. What you do with the rest of your time after the tasks are completed is your business. It may seem counter intuitive, but the research shows it works.
Edit: I should add, I'm in the office now, been here since just before 7 and plan on getting out of here by 3. A few of my guys are here, some won't arrive until 10.30, some will still be working at 6, some are working from home today. Welcome to the productive office of today.
In what universe is that advocating being a desk slave or a time server?
When you said this:
Your employer is paying for that time, you have a duty to provide 40 hours work for 40 hours pay.
That is specifically advocating being a time server.
I also paid for outputs and not hours
Then why the quote above which specifically calls for hours and doesn't mention output?
Also, calling people "losers" and saying they will "always live from one pay check to the next" really shows your attitude towards this.
but finding ways to increase efficiency in order to spend more time not working produces no nett benefit.
Yes it does. It makes for an employee who is more likely to stick around, for one. Who would you prefer, a manager who thinks you're a "loser" if you're not stuck at your desk as a slave for 40 hours a week or one that judges you and pays you based on your output?
But on a larger scale, the more efficient processes that are found by smart employees can then be adopted company-wide to make the organisation more time efficient as a whole. So no, you're not squeezing blood from a stone out of your employees, but you are getting an efficiency gain in organisational productivity which allows you to out-perform your competitors.
Netflix, Virgin, Google as a quick three examples all offer employee set hours and unlimited holidays for particular roles and have all seen bottom line productivity gains from it.
Your attitude is that if an employee finds a way to save time by working smart, you'll then jump on them and "reward" them for their efforts with more work to fill in the time they just saved. Wow…what an incentive. That's definitely going to lead to your employees wanting to work smarter (sarcasm). That's definitely not going to lead to your employees becoming "desk slaves" and just wasting unproductive hours at a desk because they fear if they work harder you'll just reward them with more work and they understand that it's all about sitting there for 40 hours to be seen (more sarcasm).
@the-mal: wel Sed bro, u shud be prezident
Edit: I really feel like I need to add here that I was just trying to be funny, and this guy's responses are really great :)
If you look up the definition of humble brag i think you will find a picture of OP.
I would be interested to find out a few more things about this job (or troll?)
- How long have you been in this job?
- Was it always 40 hours work? ie, when you started, was it 40 (or more), and you have improved some process to save those 15 hours, or have some of the tasks been removed, not required, less services now than when you started, or was it always less?
- @Gereshom got negged for commenting against @the-mal: comment "Don't go looking for more work as it will be expected." He's got 3hrs free per day! (assuming 5 day week) - Just wondering what level of work v non work time is acceptable then. @the-mal. What if it's 4hrs free per day = half time (20hrs free out of 40 hour work week), or lets take it to the extreme - he only needs to work 1hr per week to get the tasks done and gets paid 40hrs. Wouldn't that suggest that the level of output required is set a little low and that perhas the manager should review it?
Or maybe i'm just jealous cause i don't seem to have enough time in my day.
You should better your self in done ways. Learn dinner new skillz. Relax. Build something cool.
Dude this is OzBargain, its supposed to be a mini heaven for those who want only the cheapest of things.
If he spends 15hours of his work just looking at his brothers lunch. Whoooo Caarreess!!
Grab a Popsicle, and CHILL OUT DUDE
Do an online course. Why not? Challenge yourself. Get a piece of paper. Open your mind to something different.
yeah go to Khan and learn how to program, how to write HTML and CSS. Good skills to have.
Go to Seek, see what's the requirement for the job you want, and do online courses on that.
What do you reckon the best online course provider, I bought a few at Udemy, just because they appear here often
Accredited courses are best and, honestly, face-to-face if you're a social person because of the people you'll meet. You're there because you have similar interest,ms, after all!
@fm: university units/courses cost the same no matter the delivery method. TAFE depends on institution. Accredited courses usually $$ but you have more accountability and feedback. Community courses are super cheap but of variable quality.
That said, MIT have a lot of their courses online for free - worth checking out.
@fm:
pennae probably means the MIT courses at EdX.
There is also the old MIT open courseware which is mostly just lecture notes and recordings.
I also recommend checking out the free courses at other MOOC sites like Coursera and Udacity.
I've always found Khan useful for Maths based subjects. Is it just as good for HTML and CSS? If so, i might have some hope of learning something on those subjects effectively!
Khan is great. They have everything transcripted and plays back to you in audio, so it offers a very thorough explanation alongside a playback with what is being typed on the screen.
There are more indepth tutorials online. Khan only scratches the surface of what is available, although it's teaching system is very good (I think one of the best) but it's content is lacking
You can try Code Academy. It is free https://www.codecademy.com/
and http://www.freecodecamp.com/signin
FreeCodeCamp teaches you not just HTML and CSS, but also a variety of other languages, e.g Python and React.Js and it promises about 800 hours! of teaching material. I Like how it doesn't lie to you on how long it takes to really learn a language. A lot of online tutorials seem to under-state just how many hours of work you need to put in before you really start to get an understanding of it.
Khan teaches programming now? Definitely worthwhile
I am currently doing this myself :). 17 subjects through a 24 subject Bachelors Degree all done whilst working full time. If nothing else it does keep the mind occupied during down time at work.
hey just wondering in what uni are you studying or how are you doing it online?
I am using OUA - Open Universities Australia. The website is www.open.edu.au, it is worth checking out just to get an idea of what is available. :)
Tell you what, you can do my job for me and I can bludge. On the other hand why not just bludge on you own? Enjoy life.
Buy lego
Hi. My honest answer would be to procure a mistress. Otherwise, why not surmount the western canon starting with a desultory stroll through Prousts in search of lost time.
Mistress costs $$.
Hahaha I love how on Ozbargain instead of saying this is morally wrong and you have a family, the fact that a mistress costs money is the main factor.
Maybe tight arse can get a discount code
But maybe OZB can help make mistresses cheaper?
who works a 40 hour week?
Not the OP - seems to only do 25 hours.
my point was the fair work people say a normal working week should be no more than 38 hours
My standard work week is 40hours :(
@KB2:
lots of companies are like that, and they quietly make the change when they realise they're doing the wrong thing (happened at both my current company and my wife's). Send this link to your HR people:
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employee-entitlements/hours-of-w…
@terminal2k: i think you will find a lot of places work on 8 hours a day, making 40 hours a week with one rostered day off a month which equals an average of 38 hours a week.
@terminal2k: I work for a massive company. I'm sure they are aware of this and have got around it somehow
@KB2:
You'd be surprised. A lot of companies HR departments are staffed by idiots who have no idea how the laws actually work. It will be a while until some more people who have completed their studies under the new rules are in charge of these larger companies.
It is part of the Fair Work Act 2009:
Part 1 (a) in sections 63 & 64
You'd be surprised at the hours investment bank workers slave away. In the office before people are awake and still there after normal people have their supper. (+ regular Saturday call-ins). Other people that work long hours are in restaurants, taxi drivers, transport, agriculture, tourism, mining. 38 hours isn't so normal any more
I literally cannot remember the last time I did <10h a day.
Most days are 11-12h for me.
How does that apply to? Most professionals aren't covered by that sort of thing.
I do 50+hrs per week as a professional engineer and still don't get all my tasks done.
@OzzyOzbourne:
I used to be a teacher, 70/Hr weeks were not uncommon. I burnt out, left the profession and even though I miss the kids, I'm happy with a 38hr week and not taking anything home anymore.My salaried week is 43 hours.
My standard week with no overtime is 40 hours. 8.5 hour shift with 30min lunch.
I'm contracted for an average of 160 hours over a 4 week period.
I think the difference is between EBA's etc and individual contracts.
I try not to dwell on how many hours I actually do, however it has always been well in excess.
Wish I had the OPs problem but I've had to fix a lot of issues and still working on some.@terminal2k: yeah but fair work doesn't mean much unless you are on am award right? I mean if you are remunerated higher than award rate it's expected that is to cover you doing more than the standard hours of work (at least that's the line you are fed by hr)
Try 60hrs a week….10hrs a day 6 days a week!!!
Looks like we've found the council/shire worker.
This is just awesome.
People who care.
just love it
I cant give away my secrets but I am a public worker based in an office with free wifi and the std perks like free coffees etc.I heard this quite often that public/government employees have no pressure, nothing to do, lots of super, decently paid, etc.
Is that true?
Also it's said that gov employees are less likely to be accepted in private companies, due to the above assumption.
Some roles can have severe downtime due to the strict ways that "job duties" are interpreted in the public sector. That is, if you are free, you can't necesserily help out someone in a different area, even if you have the skillset to.
In my first government job I did zero work (like absolutely nothing) for the first 3 months. I used this time to apply for jobs elsewhere.
Cut forward a couple of months and I was working 12-14 hour days for a month. And then back to nothing. And then back up again.
Otherwise government employees can shift into private if they have the appropriate skill set.
Depends where you are I guess. The gov sector I know only binds employees to their pay level. So they can freely push you into any role they feel like as long as your keep your pay level (regardless of whether you have the skills, experience or capability of performing the duties of that role).
I have seen role swapping being abused quite a bit. That is, take on a role no one else wants and level up pay in that area a bit and then suddenly change role to something completely different and highly technical but keep the high pay and "senior" tag. After this if anyone gives that person work then they state that it is not of their background and they can't be expected to do it. Someone else will then need to be paid to teach that person or they will need to get sent on training.
Just one example, but it also means that "this was not part of my job description" is not a valid reason to turn down being forced into another role against your will. How it goes depends on your personal work ethic.
@Myrtacaea: Yeah I've seen some situations where people are placed into a role they aren't qualified for.
As it's easier to move them again rather than firing them for underperformance they generally get shifted again to a different role. Pretty funky.
And ofcourse all government employees including police officers, public hospital staff, teachers, Fair Work staff, ACCC investigators, ambassadors, tax officers, customs people just sit on comfy couches drinking beer and watching tv as all the public service gets done by aliens or other imaginary being!
Depends on department, ASIC and RBA for instance is obviously considered better than dhs, border force, local government etc for getting a job in private sector.
Make free coffee and sell them for a dollar to passers by.
Keep those stds to yourself!!
Ahh so you must be working at centrelink then
A fatcat?
Free coffee is a standard perk?
Any next year I'll be paying more tax no doubt
not just coffee…it's std coffee. Free diseases for the whole office!
Read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad".
Get a girlfriend
Hmm im guessing that random women on your desk may be against the professional conduct code
KEY WORD HERE IS MAY*. DON'T KNOW UNTIL YA GIVE IT A CRACK
Even if its against the conduct code, you need warnings, written warnings, training then about 10 other steps before firing is an option. Gov jobs…
OP always starts his posts with "so…"
So? - So Sorry couldn't resist :)
Day trading or forex trading
how many hours a day are people really working?
I work a strict 8 hours a day if I'm rostered, plus 15 minutes of paid coffee or poo break. No time to really bludge.
You get paid to poo?
i'm too old for that sh!t
If you take a toilet break while you're at work, you're getting paid to poop. And the benefits? Using public toilets means you're not having to pay for water usage.
In fact there is a calculator which can help you work out how much you're rorting your employer.
He said paid coffee OR poo break. Maybe they have to make a call at the start of the day - is it going to be an espresso and a long constipation kind of a day, or a long frap and a short crap?
Just want to know, are these 15 hours of bludge being paid by taxpayers?
If he says "yes" what will your follow up question be?
Wouldn't people be worried about all the bludging hours the government pays for, and is causing the job losses in the public service sector(thats happened recently) ?
@shadUber: Let's say OP browses OzBargain regularly during the 15 hours/wk - and then impulsively buys enloop batteries from DS or books a flight through "IWTF", then he has A) employed someone who will pay income tax, B) created company tax C) paid GST directly
It's all a money go 'round.
I'm an engineer so I don't have hours - we just work till the job is finished. 12 hours is pretty std
We're in the wrong job
7.5. Enjoy what I'm being paid to do, so generally putting in my all for at least that long. Take only half an hour of my hour lunch, leave half an hour early before the rush. Suits me down to the ground.
Minimum 9 hours plus an hour for lunch and usually half an hour for a coffee spent in front of a PC doing extra stuff I don't really have time for/ are outside my scope.
What job do you have?? Sounds fun!