65-70hrs a week?

[curtis rosche]

I might soon be getting a new job at a prefab concrete company, 65-70 hours a week. Everyone I know complains about more than 50 hours a week, but I didnt mind workin 50. How bad will 65-70 hours a week be?

[Paul McGaha]

Curtis,

65 to 70 hours per week for an extended period of time is hard to do. Leaves no time for stuff away from work (like woodworking).

At my work 50 hours per week is about normal. With 65 to 70 hour weeks when we get really busy or are short handed. Usually dosent last more than a few weeks in a row.

PHM

[Stephen Tashiro]

How bad will 65-70 hours a week be?

It could be fatal if you are spending all that time working around dangerous machinery. If you are spending a lot of that time "on call", waiting for something to break so you can go fix it, then it might not be too bad.

[David G Baker]

I have done it and after it is over you can't recall what happened in that time period, everything is in a fog.

[Bruce Page]

I worked 56 hr weeks for 4 years. They had it set up that every 5th week was a mandatory 40 hour week so we could catch our breath. The money was good but I learned that the more you make the more you spend. I worked 70-80 hr weeks a few times when a deliverable project was in crisis mode. There’s no way could I do it for an extended period.

[Mark Patoka]

If it's only for a short or specific time periods, then it's easier to get into the mental mode of working because you'll have no time for anything else, especially if you have to include some commute time on top of that. If you have family, you'll notice more of an impact on them since you may only be home to sleep.

[Matt Radtke]

Doesn't actually work out so well. People just can't handle it, even if we think we can.

While the labor movement pushed for its acceptance sooner, the 40-hour work week was going to happen anyway. Studies have been shown that the quality of work of a work goes down rather sharply when people regularly work more than 40 hours in a week. Past 50 hours, and the quality drops so sharply, the employer loses money when comparing quality of work vs. wages paid. Humans can burst past that by quite a bit, but it has to be a burst.

I've also seen evidence that 'knowledge' workers, engineers, programmers, and other such work, get hit harder. Sure, it isn't very physically demanding, but abstract thinking dulls the brain quicker.

[Rich Engelhardt]

My worst ever schedule was back when I was @ Builders Square during a store setup.
All salaried employees worked 7:00am until 8:00pm 7 days a week for 12 straight weeks.
On top of the 91 hour work week, I had an hour's drive there and an hour's drive home.

I lost well over 60 pounds during the whole time. I was in too much of a hurry to eat breakfast, too busy to eat lunch and too dog tired to eat dinner.
The work itself was also physically demanding - a lot of heavy lifting, carrying 50# stuff up and down ladders, a lot of 10 straight hours of being on my feet on a concrete floor.

Oddly though - at the end, I was in extremely good physical shape- possibly the best of my whole life.
Everything just fell into a routine at some point & it got to the point that I didn't mind it in the least.

Another real bad one was on the house rehab we did just prior to the one we just finished.
I was working a 40 hour week at my regular job and 30 hours evenings, Saturday and half day Sunday doing the rehab stuff.
That was ten times rougher - both because I was 15 years older as well as the mix of sitting on my fat keister all day working on computers, then shifting gears for the rehab stuff and doing a lot of physical work.

The big downside of course is a lack of free time to do anything else except work. No having a good time, no doctor or dentist appointments, no shopping for food, doing laundry,,etc...

It's not so much the hours as it is what you're doing all those hours.
Fairly hard physical work - but - not to the point of exhaustion - is really quite easy to adjust to for long hours at a time as long as there's always something going on/something to do - ^ - there's a light at the end of the tunnel that it's going to end at some point.

Concrete work in Pa. sounds like it's going to be, physical and seasonal and always enough to keep you hopping.
I'd say go for it as long as you understand the hit your social life is going to take - as in you won't have one.

[Shawn Pixley]

I've been working ~60 hrs/week for the last 2-3 months. It is hard. There are two ways of approaching it IMO. You can spread the work out over seven days, maiking any individual day bearably short. Conversely, you can do it over five days (12 hours per day). I prefer the latter as I get to turn-off for two days. In either case, the workload is not sustainable in the long run without doing damage to your health. Your family life can suffer as well.

My worst times were about 90 hours per week. While it got the job done, hourly productivity suffered. You'd find yourself making stupid mistakes because you were so mentally and physically exhausted.

[Belinda Barfield]

At the first of the year our shop started working 4 10s. That was great, except I was still working much longer hours because I had to work Friday as well. I got to work at 6:30 and left at 5:30, and worked quite a few Saturdays. Most of my time is spent at a desk, so it's not so bad. Just don't ask me to do any math after 3 p.m. :D Effective July 9 we went back to 5 8s because our main customer just instituted a mandatory 60 hour work week for their employees, so we need to be here M-F. So far, I'm still working 6-6:30 to 5 or so. I worked Saturday before last, but took this past weekend off.

With respect to productivity in our shop, 10 hours is about the max for any employee before quality starts slipping - especially as part of our shop is not air conditioned. Safety also becomes an issue as brains start to get foggy.

[Don Orr]

Short term, probably doable for a young guy like yourself. Long term is not realistic for the many reasons already mentioned. Is this a summer job before you go back to school? You might be able to make a ton of money in a short period of time. You'll be tired and won't have the time to spend it, and gain some valuable experience. Is the hourly rate good with time-&-a-half over 40 hrs? If you take it be careful and stay safe!

[curtis rosche]

At 20, im not sure there will be much of a family issue, my girfriend works a full week as well so weekends are all there is anyways. anything over 40hrs is time an a half, somewhere in the area of $1k a week before tax,,, and its monday through friday with some saturdays required. Working from now till the end of january. Also as I understood it, it is inside a large warehouse at least semi climate controlled, about a 45min 28 mile drive away.

[Phil Thien]

Doesn't actually work out so well. People just can't handle it, even if we think we can.

While the labor movement pushed for its acceptance sooner, the 40-hour work week was going to happen anyway. Studies have been shown that the quality of work of a work goes down rather sharply when people regularly work more than 40 hours in a week. Past 50 hours, and the quality drops so sharply, the employer loses money when comparing quality of work vs. wages paid. Humans can burst past that by quite a bit, but it has to be a burst.

I've also seen evidence that 'knowledge' workers, engineers, programmers, and other such work, get hit harder. Sure, it isn't very physically demanding, but abstract thinking dulls the brain quicker.

What he said.

Furthermore, I've found that people tend to dramatically overstate the hours they work. Some people add their commute time. Sometimes professionals will count time "thinking about work" while they're home. Others just can't do math.

Those on salary tend to be the worst, as many don't get a stub showing them hours worked.

[Prashun Patel]

"...the more you make the more you spend..."

So true.

So true.

[curtis rosche]

"...the more you make the more you spend..."

So true.

So true.
In relation to that,,,, I still live at home till Im done college, my only expense is to fuel my car, and save for college, plus a small amounth of spending money.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Depends on a few things.

1. How much do you enjoy the job? if you really like what you do and the people you work with, things will go much better than otherwise.

2. Do you have someone that will handle things like mowing the lawn, paying the bills, etc. That also makes a huge difference in that it reduces your other obligations at the expense of the person handling those tasks.

3. How content are you to drop the things that you currently do for fun? For example, TV, family time, hobbies, etc.

[Myk Rian]

"...the more you make the more you spend..."
The more I made, the faster the house was paid for.

[Larry Edgerton]

When I was your age I worked for a company out of St Louis that did refractory work. Always 7/12's, and I still found time to party. I could buy a new car every three weeks but instead I got married, built a house and gave it to her in a divorce. Although she took the house. ironically her reason was that I worked too much?

Now at 55 I am hoping to get myself down to 70 hours in a week. What others said about being ineffective after you hit "your" wall is true, forget the averages. Everone is different, I am just fortunate to be able to push harder than most. About Saturday afternoon I start losing stuff, forgetting what I am doing and so forth. then on Sunday I work a shorter day and take a few hours to rest.

One more year.........

But..... If it is a good job, and it will get you ahead, and you have the will to make it get you ahead and not blow it, go for it. If you are going to blow the money forget it, it is just time lost. We only really remember the cool things that we do in life, and work is generally not one of them.

Larry

[Brian Elfert]

Working long days does wear you down, and you can start making bad judgement calls as you get tired. I worked at a fairgrounds and my first year there I believe we worked every day in August right up through Labor day. During the fair itself we worked 8 am until around 11 pm. Not enough time to get a decent night's sleep. Certainly no time to do anything at home. One of my paychecks that first year had 168 hours for two weeks. No overtime as seasonal workers don't have to be paid overtime.

My understanding is the fair now has a rule that generally workers cannot work more than 12 hours a day for safety and health reasons.

[Larry Frank]

Unfortunately, there are too many jobs that require that type of time input. In addition, some require a Blackberry or iPhone or similar to stay in contact at all times. It is too much for an extended time period. However, some jobs are difficult to get and you have little choice but to work the hours. With the job market the way it is, one has to be thankful for any job.

[Brian Elfert]

In the IT industry it is not unusual to put in 45 to 50 hours a week at the office in addition to having a phone with email. There are a lot of IT jobs where they tell you up front you are expected to put in a minimum pf 45 hours a week salaried. I might be able to make more money elsewhere, but I like my IT job because the hours are less than a lot of IT jobs. The higher the pay in the IT world usually means more hours worked. That CIO making a few hundred thousand is probably putting in well over 50 hours a week.

[Brian Kent]

My range is 40-55 hrs and has been most of my working life. I do camps and special weeks that go way over but if I do not take a break (or a consistent 40 hrs for awhile) my quality and quantity of work declines.

Using a special time for saving or for getting out of debt can be a special reward.

[Jason Roehl]

That 45 min drive home towards the end of the week will make you as impaired as a drunk driver.

I've done plenty of long days and weeks (a couple 30+ hour "days" plowing snow and a few 90-100 hour weeks painting apartments right before our university town comes back to life), but there's no way I'd do it for extended periods of time. The money's good and there's no time to spend it when one is working that much, but one becomes a zombie in pretty short order and not pleasant to be around--whether it's family or a girlfriend or the usual buddies.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

[Jerome Stanek]

I worked 60 to 80 hours a week when i was installing drug stores. But it was out of town work and the quicker we got done the quiker we could go home. It does not leave a lot of time for yourself. We would stay as close to the job as we could so we didn't have to spend a lot of time traveling. After 3 or 4 weeks we would try to have a week off to catch our breath.

[Jim Matthews]

Is it straight pay for the hours?

If so, you'll do better subbing out as a contractor.

[phil harold]

You will be,
Caught between the longing for love
And the struggle for the legal tender

Its doable but is it worth it?

[Rich Engelhardt]

I still live at home till Im done college, my only expense is to fuel my car, and save for college,
I tell you one thing that's for damned sure....
You work those long hours & put the money you earn towards your education & it's for certain you'll appreciate what it took to get that education...

When it comes time to decide if you want to party or crack the books you'll have a good idea of what it took to get to that point.

[Prashun Patel]

You know what? WORK NOW. It's easy to focus when yr young. Your body and mind can take it.

Money saved while you are young is so much more valuable (world economic collapse and the end of finance as we know it, notwithstanding) than money saved later in life.

If it were me (and it was me when I was yr age), I'd bank as much as possible now. I look back at the years I lived with my parents as a post-grad, and I really cherish the time. I became friends with my parents and learned to respect them in a different way. As long as yr social life doesn't suffer - and I don't mean staying out all night; I mean building meaningful relationships with a sig-other and friends - then stay at home as long as possible.

Stepping down from soap box.

[Ben Hatcher]

I agree that doing this as a youth is much easier than as an older person. My one warning would be to have a purpose for the money and don't let being suddenly more flush with cash than you've ever been distract you from that goal.

I worked crazy hours over the summers when I was in college so that I could work less/not at all while in school. No only did this help my grades, but it gave me time to build long lasting friendships and do some of the random fun stuff that the college years are known for. Had I instead used that money to buy a better car, a new stereo, or whatever, my current life would have been far less rich.

[Bruce Page]

You will be,
Caught between the longing for love
And the struggle for the legal tender

Its doable but is it worth it?

That sounds like a Jackson Browne song..:cool::)

[Rich Stewart]

I've been working 65 hours a week for 5 years with no end in sight. Should have listened to my parents and paid attention in school. I don't really notice any ill effects from it, though.

[Brian Elfert]

What I don't understand is all these small businesses where working at least a half day on Saturday is expected in addition to Monday through Friday. Doesn't the owner understand that most social activities occur on the weekend? A lot of them are not retail establishments. In retail shops I understand working weekends, but the employee usually gets two days off every week.

[Scott T Smith]

Depends on a few things.

1. How much do you enjoy the job? if you really like what you do and the people you work with, things will go much better than otherwise.

2. Do you have someone that will handle things like mowing the lawn, paying the bills, etc. That also makes a huge difference in that it reduces your other obligations at the expense of the person handling those tasks.

3. How content are you to drop the things that you currently do for fun? For example, TV, family time, hobbies, etc.


+1. If you are very engaged mentally with your job, the long week will not be bad. I once had a job where I was putting in 100 - 110 hours a week for about 16 weeks a year, and 60 - 75 hours for most of the remainder. However I was fully engaged in what I was doing, single, and my hard work paid off handsomly in the long run. I have absolutely no regrets, and learned a lot about my capabilities during that time.

You will be way ahead if you can develop the discipline to bank your entire paycheck ( or the bulk of it). Then, come January when you look back over what you've achieved as well as having a nice sum in the bank, you will be very satisfied and have a good start on either an investment or tool fund.

[David Weaver]

My grandfather on my dad's side raised 9 kids on a court record-keeper's salary. He used to say "all work and no play makes jack".

If that makes no sense, then you have to look up jack in the dictionary. I never heard the word used to mean that before.

[Fred Perreault]

"It's only work if you'd rather be doing something else"

At 65 yrs old, I have spent decades in the heavy equipment construction business. Many a season we'd put in several consecutive 65-75 hr. weeks due to weather conditions, time sensitive contracts or whatever. Safety was important, but with the Caterpillars, Komatsu's, Volvo's, Macks and Autocars, it was still all the fun one could have legally. Now, with occasional dozing as a part timer for some friends, turning quite frequently, tending the veggie garden and the flowers, and being with the LOML, it still does not seem like work.

The pic is me pushing up the beach after winter erosion at Skaket Beach on Cape Cod Bay in Orleans. It's a 1972 D8-H, 46A series. The pic is a few years old, as I don't own any big iron anymore.

[Scott T Smith]

"It's only work if you'd rather be doing something else"

At 65 yrs old, I have spent decades in the heavy equipment construction business. Many a season we'd put in several consecutive 65-75 hr. weeks due to weather conditions, time sensitive contracts or whatever. Safety was important, but with the Caterpillars, Komatsu's, Volvo's, Macks and Autocars, it was still all the fun one could have legally. Now, with occasional dozing as a part timer for some friends, turning quite frequently, tending the veggie garden and the flowers, and being with the LOML, it still does not seem like work.

The pic is me pushing up the beach after winter erosion at Skaket Beach on Cape Cod Bay in Orleans. It's a 1972 D8-H, 46A series. The pic is a few years old, as I don't own any big iron anymore.

Fred, great post and photo above.

I'm struck by a coincidence here though.... I happen to own a 1972 D8-H, 46A series dozer.... It's a real hoss too!

Here is a pic of a friend of mine sitting in the operators seat.

237131

[curtis rosche]

I got the job.Its at High Concrete, part of High Industries. 12hr days, and mandatory saturday three out of four saturdays.

[Brian Elfert]

I got the job.Its at High Concrete, part of High Industries. 12hr days, and mandatory saturday three out of four saturdays.

I don't quite understand why companies don't just hire more workers if they need everyone to work 72 hours a week with only one day off a week. Unless these are seasonal workers who get no overtime they'll be paying each worker for 88 hours each week they work Saturday.

For me personally, I would have to be really desperate to work a physical job for 12 hours a day. I did work 15 to 16 hour days when I was young, but only for 12 days straight.

[Scott T Smith]

I got the job.Its at High Concrete, part of High Industries. 12hr days, and mandatory saturday three out of four saturdays.


Congratulations Curtis. Having a well paying job in today's economy is something to be treasured. Best of success to you as you embark on this new phase of your professional career..

Scott

[Raymond Fries]

Depends on your priorities. Some people devote their lives to careers and enjoy it. Others want a personal life and work less or as required. Follow your heart and do what feels right your your life style and career.

May your heart follow what is in the best interests of you and your family.

[Larry Edgerton]

Very Cool!

Now you should think about setting some very strict monitary goals so it does not go to waste. Myself, I still do this. I post in the Outlook Express every day and make sure I excede my goal every day/week/month. I find that keeping track of how far I am ahead for the month helps motivate me every day to work to my end goal.

There are times when that kind of schedule will drag you down a bit, but if you have a goal and make yourself move toward it, that will get you through the times when you are lacking drive.

Happy for you.

Larry

[Belinda Barfield]

Congrats on the new job Curtis!

[Phil Thien]

So why all the hours? Are they working on some large public works project or something?

[curtis rosche]

So why all the hours? Are they working on some large public works project or something?
My first thought is that maybe part of the time is watching concrete dry? they have 8 shifts a day staggered by 3 hours. Alot of what I have seen from them is the precast bridge sectiond that go on the bridges that High Steel makes

[Phil Thien]

My first thought is that maybe part of the time is watching concrete dry? they have 8 shifts a day staggered by 3 hours. Alot of what I have seen from them is the precast bridge sectiond that go on the bridges that High Steel makes

That makes sense. Maybe after 1-2 weeks, you could post back (if you have time) and let us know what the typical day is like, and how things go.

Good luck with it. I hope you bank a ton of cash!

[Mike Cozad]

Hi Curtis,

I am curious how your new job is working out for you? I know I have been excited every time I have taken a new position. In fact, I am only 8 months into my position and love it! I do work 60 hours a week minimum and with an hour commute each way, my weeks are long.

I hope everything is going well for you. Are you working as many hours as you thought?
Take care,
Mike

[John Fabre]

I remember working 16 hrs a day, 6 days a week for a year, yes 96 hrs. Problem was I didn't remember how I got home most times. Anything over 50 hrs a week is a killer, work safe.