Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Anybody want to work just 32 hours per week?

What was the company policy before?

 

I try to stick as close to 40 hours as possible. We have to keep track of our own time and our pay period ends on Thursdays. So I track my hours during the week and if it looks like I'll hit 40 on Wednesday, I won't come in on Thursday.
Since overtime requires written approval, by policy Thursday is the cut day. If I only need one hour to hit 40, I work one hour on Thursday and I'm done.

 

Having the standard work week be fewer than 40 hours is not that unusual (NYT is about 35, I believe). And as our ship sinks, I still get overtime when I work extra days and/or hours.

 

I cant believe I work 60-70 and get paid for 40. I can't believe I do this. Wait ... it's been ingrained in sports writers for so long. We just do it. And it is sickening.

 

I bet you're a big Paul Simon fan, Fredrick.

 

Anyone claiming to work 60-70 hours a week while getting paid for 40 is either a liar or an idiot. I've been on salary at numerous jobs and regularly put in extra time on most days and/or was in the office 6 days most every week. But even then I didn't work even close to "60-70 hours."

 

I actually did at my first job. I swore I wouldn't let it ever happen again, and I haven't.

 

I've worked an occasional 60- or 70-hour week. But on most of those occasions, I didn't have to work quite that much; I did it because I enjoyed what was going on during those times. It took me a while to learn this, but even in bad situations, you're not chained to your desk. I also had to get over the idea that if I wasn't there, things wouldn't get done. First of all, that's not true. I wish I was so good the building would collapse in my absence. But, alas, I am not. Things will always get done. Maybe not like you hoped, but if you spend every waking hour worried about what is and what isn't getting done, you might as well spend 12 hours at work every day.

 

Who is to blame for that but we ourselves? If the people running the establishment care so little, why should the working stiffs be expected to care any more?

I've done the unpaid overtime thing plenty myself and almost always regretted it. The company isn't being loyal to you, so why should you be loyal to them? Wherever I wind up next --- be it newspapers or some other industry --- I am going to expect to be paid for what I work.

 

Where does Fredrick get the time to post between working 70 hours every week and sleeping?

 

I do it regularly during football season when I'll have maybe four or five days off from late July to Christmas. The trade-off is that my summer schedule is pretty empty.

Most days my job doesn't feel too much like work, so I don't much mind the grind.

 

I call bullshit on you. I work seven days a week in sports nine to 10 hours a day; what is so tough to believe about that? That's the job. That's always been the job as a sports writer. If we took a poll and people were truthful, they would admit to what I just did. Why do we do it? We are fucking stupid, that's why.