Ask the CHO Implied overwork - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Ask the CHO Implied overwork - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Office Lady asks this question: I have a question, can anyone help? On our contracts, we are supposed to work 39 hours a week (excluding lunch hours). So we all come in at 9 am and leave at 6 pm. But since we are supposed to work 39 hours only, we supposedly can leave at 5 pm one day of the week. But of course nobody does and everyone works until at least 6 pm five days a week. According to instructions, ?of course??? we can leave at 5 pm one day of the week?.we just need to inform our supervisors first. I of course also work until at least 6pm everyday, but sometimes, there are things that I wanna do that I want to leave early for. Should I really not ask even though I am entitled to it? :( Im fairly sure that this kind of situation is quite common. The rules say work X hours a day. Practically everyone works more or way more. You can stand up for your rights, but then run the risk of hidden punishment you may be passed over for a promotion or a raise the next time around, because youre obviusly not as committed as the other people who work more than you do. This is of course total bullshit, as I pointed out here, here and here. So what to do? Heres one suggestion: Im a big fan of getting things out in the open where you can deal with them. What would happen if you raised the question at a department meeting? Say it like it is: You know, Ive been wondering about how to handle this situation. According to the rules, we can all leave at 5 one day of the week, and sometimes I want to do this. However, I see the rest of you guys working and that makes me wonder if maybe someone would resent the fact that I left early. Also, I would feel like I took advantage of you guys, if I take that hour off that you never do. How could we handle this situation? Could that work? Is anyone else out there in a similar situation? How do you handle it and what would you suggest? Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related