Is it illegal to be on salary unless you have at least two direct reports?

No, Crimson, you're right. Yes, there are going to be times when the job is going to demand more than 40. But you have every right to get paid for every minute.

As a manager, I absolutely hated it when people tried to work OT without getting paid for it. It didn't help me make my case that I needed more people.

Your time has value. Don't give it away.

 

You don't have to get out of the business, but I hope you find, as your career goes along, that not every supervisor takes advantage of his/her situation or is a miserable person wth no life who tries to take his frustrations out on others. Hell, you don't have to be a supervisor to display those less-than-admirable qualities.

I hope you come across some supervisors and peers who work hard and are willing to make sacrifices of time and effort because they take pride in their work, not because they have nothing better to do. There are many people like that out there who also understand how to have fun away from work and also are much more than just the guys/girls who put in extra time at the office.

I assume you're pretty young and you're basing your opinions on your experiences to this point. That's to be expected. But don't get too jaded too soon. You'll have plenty of time for that.

And while this doesn't work for everyone, I found that when I was young and eager to make more money, the quickest path turned out to be working harder than my peers and separating myself in that way. Yes, there is a danger in doing that. Often, if you're willing to do a little extra, people will start expecting that. But you just have to know when to draw the line. It took me a while to figure that out. But I'm proud of where I've gotten, and even prouder of how I got there. I wear it as sort of a badge of honor, ya know.

 

I always end up getting compensated for my time, but I'd be embarrassed to brag about how and when I won't work.

Does that mean if you don't get OT and you have two hours left in the day and a feature to write you'll file it at the two-hour mark even if working another hour would make it a much better read? At that point, what's more important: doing the best job you can or maintaining your dignity by not going over 40 hours?

 

Nearly everyone involved in creating the paper should be exempt under this:

To qualify for the creative professional employee exemption, all of the following tests must be met:

* The employee must be compensated on a salary or fee basis (as defined in the regulations) at a rate not less than $455 per week;
* The employee’s primary duty must be the performance of work requiring invention, imagination, originality or talent in a recognized field of artistic or creative endeavor.


$455 a week is about $22,000.

 

Well, I have a flexible rule of thumb that I don't share with supervisors: if it's less than five hours over 40, I don't sweat it. But if it's 55 hours because the football tab needs to get finished, then I write it down.

Yes, I'm young, and I'm trying hard not to get jaded, but I have worked for a guy who was a workaholic and just mad at the world who took it out on everybody. I'm also currently working alongside another beat writer who is my age and didn't care about the time and busted his ass for two years without compensation. Now he's on the verge of burnout and working 40.

It's hard not get get jaded.

But like Bartles and James said, "Thank you for your support." ;D

 

The way I did it, as a writer. If I worked five days and more than 40 hours, I didn't sweat it. But I may come in late on a slower day or leave early and play golf.

But if I was scheduled to work six days, I put in for OT. Or if I was asked to do something not on my beat -- like fill in for another writer. I put in OT.

Or if it was just a week where I had to bust my hump (like working 14-hour days to finish a tab) I put in for it.