After having only three hours of sleep last night, let me tell you how nice it was to come home from work today and sleep from 4:45 pm to about 8:45 pm. The only downside is that I’m still up at this hour, but I think I should be fine.
I’m looking forward to taking back some of my time by the end of this week… a half day for Star Wars on Thursday and I may try for a full day off on Friday providing I can get enough stuff done to clear my calendar. We’ll see how it goes.
I know that generally around the company most people don’t get to flex their time back like they’re supposed to. This has me in somewhat of a grey area as to what the approved practice is on this. If I spend 18 hours on the weekend responding to a support issue, should I not be able to flex back 18 hours of my own time guilt-free? I see a lot of raised eyebrows and uncomfortable looks when I talk to some of my coworkers about this. I think the whole discussion on work/life balance is basically just a management ploy to make us *think* that they want us to take the time back but then when we do they make us feel terrible about it.
My general feeling on this whole matter is that I will give the company up to 4 hours a week of extra time relating to my job. Be it in meetings that run late, responding to support issues or code moves, whatever. I will chalk that amount of time up to being management and engaged in my job (trying to do the right thing, make sure the app is up and running, make sure processes get finished on time, etc). If the time extends beyond that, I’m taking the remainder back and I’m not feeling bad about it.
What’s everyone else think? Is this just a pipe dream that I be allowed to take my time back that I spend?
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3 users responded in this post
I for one think that when you sign on for a full-time job, the general expectation is for you to be working 40 hours a week, give or take a couple. I can understand that every now and again more time spent at work may be necessary. I can also understand that human beings aren’t machines and that they frequently have lives outside the office that demand their time, plus the need to decompress.
It is possible the management won’t like it. It is possible they will consider you less of a “team player” and maybe you won’t get the extra super plus promotion three years down the road. Personally, I’d rather be happy and sane than rich.
I would definitely consider speaking with one’s supervisor about it. Flop ‘em on the table, Josh. It’s what you do best.
dont be their bitch like that. if you are anything but deadweight then you deserve the time. if you think that by taking the time you would apear as dead weight, then it might not be advisable. but on the other hand, if you consider yourself an asset in any way, then you have to show them that your time is worth something. if not how do you ever expect a raise. everyone thinks if you show someone hard work and dedication you will be promoted. sorry i have learned that that isnt the case. if you show them hard work, but show them that they are not the highest priority in your life then they will feel the need to give you more responsibility. i say take every second of your flex time. its there for a reason. plus this is probably like the odie situation. all you have to do is be direct if you want an answer. if you tip toe around a subject then you will make a great ballarina some day. i dont want to be a ballarina, do you?
not really sure what to say about this. I think you may get a half day out of this but any more and you start to look greedy. sorry
That said I can see how this confuses my fellow posters. Trust me that this situation has a lot of factors that dante8 is leaving out for good reason. We all have a price and life sometimes is not so much denying that we have a price but instead just getting on to the negotiating of that price. Nice job but you have to work weekends -or- Crappy job but your weekends are free. Sure if you take last weekend and make decisions based solely on that you will come to one conclusion. But putting this into the larger perspective of the next four decades it is peanuts. Choose your battles and chalk it up to karma on the downswing.
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