Standard 40-hour work week?

I’m all for it. Honestly, we’ve crossed a line. I respect anyone putting in extra hours or grinding through weekends and holidays, but if those overtime shifts are the reason people have zero time for their families, themselves, or friends, then we have a problem. If this culture is why much of today's youth—not everyone, mind you—is turning into a bunch of delinquents, then overtime and weekend work should be banned. We need to send exhausted parents home to actually raise their kids. Of course, in an era where corporate profit outweighs human life and greed knows no bounds, I doubt we'll see any real change. The root cause of our social decay is simple: parents are too terrified of losing their jobs to spend time parenting, and CEOs are so blinded by the bottom line that they can't see past their own bank accounts. It’s all the same cycle. We need a strict five-day, eight-hour work week. Period. No more, no less.

Technically, according to the law, that’s how many hours they should be putting in—a standard 40-hour week.
Anything beyond that counts as overtime. But, well... 😁

Fair enough... you're entitled to your standards. No one is stopping you from seeking out a role that meets those specific requirements. Naturally, that will dictate your compensation, and everyone ends up satisfied. Besides, there will always be plenty of openings for those who aren't looking for such things... and they are out there...

rapidgull3 said:I’m all for it. Honestly, we’ve crossed a line. I respect anyone putting in extra hours or grinding through weekends and holidays, but if those overtime shifts are the reason people have zero time for their families, themselves, or friends, then we have a problem. If this culture is why much of today's youth—not everyone, mind you—is turning into a bunch of delinquents, then overtime and weekend work should be banned. We need to send exhausted parents home to actually raise their kids. Of course, in an era where corporate profit outweighs human life and greed knows no bounds, I doubt we'll see any real change. The root cause of our social decay is simple: parents are too terrified of losing their jobs to spend time parenting, and CEOs are so blinded by the bottom line that they can't see past their own bank accounts. It’s all the same cycle. We need a strict five-day, eight-hour work week. Period. No more, no less.

Doesn't anyone actually work that way😈?

Wait, I was actually just about to ask the exact same thing! Honestly, I feel like I’ve hit my absolute limit there... I really don't think I could handle working even one minute more than that!

I actually work a schedule just like that at my current job 🤷
Monday through Friday, 10 to 6
and yeah, I’m making basically minimum wage
but honestly, it works for me because having that freedom is what matters most... the workload isn't overwhelming enough to stop me from running my own side business on the side—it's a private company, mind you, so I'm not tied down by some rigid government agency

I mean, he probably assumes Saturday and Sunday are just dead days, but the real issue is that the world doesn't just stop spinning just because it's the weekend, you know?

Emily Fox2 said:Doesn't anyone actually work that way😈?

As for me... I pull about 40 hours a week—five days, standard. Weekends are strictly off limits, and overtime? Maybe three or four hours a month on average. Given the local economic climate here, the pay is actually quite decent. Though, I must admit, it took quite a bit of maneuvering—and a complete change of employers—to finally secure something like this.
Of course, we're talking about an American corporation here. One shouldn't expect that kind of setup from just any local firm in the States.

briskdrifter3 said:As for me... I pull about 40 hours a week—five days, standard. Weekends are strictly off limits, and overtime? Maybe three or four hours a month on average. Given the local economic climate here, the pay is actually quite decent. Though, I must admit, it took quite a bit of maneuvering—and a complete change of employers—to finally secure something like this.
Of course, we're talking about an American corporation here. One shouldn't expect that kind of setup from just any local firm in the States.

See, I actually have those exact same terms at my firm in Austin 🤷
Let's not paint everyone with the same brush here! I can say with total certainty that I never work late. And don't even get me started on vacation time—I make sure to use every single bit of it! 😉

shadowotter91 said:See, I actually have those exact same terms at my firm in Austin 🤷
Let's not paint everyone with the same brush here! I can say with total certainty that I never work late. And don't even get me started on vacation time—I make sure to use every single bit of it! 😉

A government agency? 😉

Oh, actually, we don't even partner up with them. It's a completely private company. Honestly, the terms are fantastic!

briskdrifter3 said:As for me... I pull about 40 hours a week—five days, standard. Weekends are strictly off limits, and overtime? Maybe three or four hours a month on average. Given the local economic climate here, the pay is actually quite decent. Though, I must admit, it took quite a bit of maneuvering—and a complete change of employers—to finally secure something like this.
Of course, we're talking about an American corporation here. One shouldn't expect that kind of setup from just any local firm in the States.

My situation is pretty much the same—working for a private US firm, too...🤷
though I know plenty of people with similar schedules, some even working fewer than 40 hours a week while pulling in even higher salaries...
and honestly, none of them I know work for a government agency or anything municipal...

Richard Lewis16 said:My situation is pretty much the same—working for a private US firm, too...🤷
though I know plenty of people with similar schedules, some even working fewer than 40 hours a week while pulling in even higher salaries...
and honestly, none of them I know work for a government agency or anything municipal...

My experience has been quite different—as has that of my circle of friends...
Perhaps you have a point there—it’s certainly possible that such companies exist within the domestic landscape as well...

Oh, they definitely exist! I’ve already seen two different examples right here, and mind you, we aren't even talking about the same company! There are plenty more out there, too!
Now, what I mentioned above is really just a tiny slice of the perks my firm offers—there is so much more to the story. Honestly, whenever I'm catching up with friends or old acquaintances over coffee, they always end up asking me—do you actually need someone to help out with 😉

I suppose I've just been incredibly lucky!

rapidgull3 said:I’m all for it. Honestly, we’ve crossed a line. I respect anyone putting in extra hours or grinding through weekends and holidays, but if those overtime shifts are the reason people have zero time for their families, themselves, or friends, then we have a problem. If this culture is why much of today's youth—not everyone, mind you—is turning into a bunch of delinquents, then overtime and weekend work should be banned. We need to send exhausted parents home to actually raise their kids. Of course, in an era where corporate profit outweighs human life and greed knows no bounds, I doubt we'll see any real change. The root cause of our social decay is simple: parents are too terrified of losing their jobs to spend time parenting, and CEOs are so blinded by the bottom line that they can't see past their own bank accounts. It’s all the same cycle. We need a strict five-day, eight-hour work week. Period. No more, no less.

I'm definitely on board too, though the culture has shifted so much lately. It's become this weird "norm" where if you aren't pulling ten-hour days or more, people label you as lazy or unmotivated. 🤷 It's honestly awful, and you can really see how it's tearing families apart.
I know so many people in their 30s who don't even have kids because they either don't have the time or simply can't afford them. Just the other day, a friend of mine—she's a researcher over at a place like NASA—was telling me about her mentor's attitude toward her. There's this unspoken expectation that she needs to stay well beyond her shift, and her supervisor actually makes her feel guilty for leaving right at the end of her eight hours... even though most days she stays an extra thirty minutes or an hour anyway.

briskdrifter3 said:As for me... I pull about 40 hours a week—five days, standard. Weekends are strictly off limits, and overtime? Maybe three or four hours a month on average. Given the local economic climate here, the pay is actually quite decent. Though, I must admit, it took quite a bit of maneuvering—and a complete change of employers—to finally secure something like this.
Of course, we're talking about an American corporation here. One shouldn't expect that kind of setup from just any local firm in the States.

Same here. My salary is about 2 or 3 times the national average. It’s not government-run, and it barely feels like a domestic company anymore. Around here, workers usually fight for overtime, but management tends to push back against it.

rapidgull3 said:I’m all for it. Honestly, we’ve crossed a line. I respect anyone putting in extra hours or grinding through weekends and holidays, but if those overtime shifts are the reason people have zero time for their families, themselves, or friends, then we have a problem. If this culture is why much of today's youth—not everyone, mind you—is turning into a bunch of delinquents, then overtime and weekend work should be banned. We need to send exhausted parents home to actually raise their kids. Of course, in an era where corporate profit outweighs human life and greed knows no bounds, I doubt we'll see any real change. The root cause of our social decay is simple: parents are too terrified of losing their jobs to spend time parenting, and CEOs are so blinded by the bottom line that they can't see past their own bank accounts. It’s all the same cycle. We need a strict five-day, eight-hour work week. Period. No more, no less.

Overtime should be outlawed.
As long as there are people looking for work through the Department of Labor, overtime shouldn't even be an option.
Just as we have a right to life, we must have a right to work.
It isn't right for some to pull massive paychecks while others are struggling to find anything at all.
In my opinion, we should cap the workday at six hours, or maybe thirty hours a week total. This would shrink the ranks of the unemployed and allow us to introduce a fourth shift where we currently only have three.
I realize this might lead to lower wages, and some people might even get bored with all that extra free time.
Regardless, change is necessary: less labor, higher employment.

James Rogers53 said:Technically, according to the law, that’s how many hours they should be putting in—a standard 40-hour week.
Anything beyond that counts as overtime. But, well... 😁

Full-time employment

Section 30.

(1) A full-time schedule shall not exceed 40 hours per week.

(2) Unless otherwise specified by federal law, a collective bargaining agreement, a contract between the labor union and the employer, or an individual employment contract, full-time employment is assumed to be 42 hours per week.

Overtime Work

Section 33.

(1) In cases of force majeure, sudden surges in workload, or other similar urgent circumstances, an employee must work beyond their regular full-time schedule (overtime) at the employer's request, up to a maximum of 10 hours per week.

(2) If an individual employee's overtime exceeds four consecutive weeks or more than twelve weeks within a single calendar year, or if the total overtime for all employees at a specific employer exceeds 10 percent of the total working hours in a given month, the Department of Labor must be notified.

- so, people are forced to work overtime whether they like it or not because that's just how the law stands, so let's change the law so overtime isn't mandatory, making it about mutual agreement between both parties instead of coercion.

Taylor Sanchez10, look, if you’re so unhappy with how things are run here, you’re more than welcome to pack your bags and head over there...

But honestly, if they ever brought that kind of absolute nonsense over here—you know, those ridiculous bans on working extra hours or forcing everyone into this rigid, one-size-fits-all labor structure—then yeah, I’d probably be right there with you, moving out...
It’s just plain idiotic to tell someone who actually wants to put in the hours and earn a living that they aren't allowed to...

Hey, Senator Schumer, was that your bright idea?
I mean, that absurd notion that a doctor shouldn't be allowed to run a private practice on the side?
As if they actually want to spend their entire life stuck in a hospital ward, and instead of heading home to see their family, they’re choosing to go straight to a private clinic to pick up more shifts...😳

In any real job, you’re bound to occasionally find yourself pulling crazy overtime and just grinding way too hard. It’s impossible to account for every little variable ahead of time and perfectly balance your workload across months, weeks, days, or even hours... But I guess that also means there are times when things slow down and we work less. Honestly, the people who are always stuck working excessive overtime are usually just making that choice themselves because they don't really know how to set boundaries. I get that the economy is rough right now and switching jobs is a massive headache, but it’s not like it's impossible. Plus, I feel like you've gotta keep investing in yourself constantly just to stay relevant—you know, picking up new skills, technical stuff, better ways to communicate and all that...

On another note, kids today aren't acting like spoiled brats just because their parents are busy working, but more because whenever they actually have free time, they aren't really spending it *with* them in a meaningful way. They just take them to the local mall, let them rot in front of a PC or a PlayStation all day, or keep them glued to the TV, basically treating wants like needs without ever setting any ground rules. There’s just no real communication, no talking through problems, and definitely no discipline or actual parenting happening. Kids have never raised themselves, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.