Why Men (at Least Pretend to) Work Longer Hours

[brahmanknight]

After reading this, I can see some truth in this.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/careers/why-men-least-pretend-work-longer-hours-n369731

Male workers are happier if they think they're working more hours than their friends and colleagues, according to a report from Maastrict University.

The report, called "Conspicuous Work: Peer Working Time, Labour Supply and Happiness for Male Workers" by the Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market, explores how male workers compare their work patterns with their peers. It surveyed 3,042 Dutch male workers and asked about their personal situations, how many hours they worked and how many hours they thought their peers worked on average.

Men who thought they worked fewer hours than their counterparts were found to be less happy than those who thought they worked more, regardless of their working time or income.

 

[UCF w00t]

I'm proud of my work-life balance. Guess that makes me a woman? Or at least not Dutch.

 

[LittleMissKnight]

I can understand that to a degree, I know I always feel a weird sense of accomplishment if I stay later than the other person who usually also leaves at 5pm.

 

[UCFRogerz]

I feel guilty walking in late and leaving early before others. Then I realize that I get my job done in an exceptional manner in the time allotted.

Also I work to live, not live to work.

 

[brahmanknight]

I'm proud of my work-life balance. Guess that makes me a woman? Or at least not Dutch.

My company HR has started using "work life ratio" in place of work life balance, fully admitting that the latter phrase "gives an incorrect perception that you can balance the two."

 

[Game_Day_Sports]

During our busy season, I basically, wake up - work - go to sleep. That last for 6 weeks in Spring and 3 in Fall. But I catch up in summer by taking July off and then taking a week in January and a week in December. My wife and kids have grown accustomed to it by now so it works.

 

[Bob the Citronaut]

I've started coming in late to cut back on hours because I can never seem to leave early.

 

[UCFRogerz]

I've started coming in late to cut back on hours because I can never seem to leave early.

If you and I are anything alike, I hate leaving things partially finished and I always try finish a complete task. I've recently said eff it and just leave when I want and it feels so good. "I'll finish it tomorrow" takes a little bit of practice. You know you've made it work when you can say "I'll finish it Monday" then forget what it was you were going to finish on Monday.

 

[UCFWayne]

I used to care about the hours I worked. I stopped caring about that years ago. Now I put in my time and try to maximize my time not at work.

 

[ReginaeUCF]

No.
I take pride in working fewer hours than many friends.
"Oh, you're at work? I'm fishing/golfing/surfing?"

Don't get me wrong, i work my ass off, but if i want to leave at 3:00 to go fishing and it isn't detrimental to my company and getting things done on time so be it, i'm out. Speaking of which. See you clowns on Monday!
:FORE:

 

[YouSeeEffer]

I think staying at work for a man is easier than coming home and taking care of household dutie. They can stay, make money, and feel like they are making a difference for the family. Meanwhile, the spouse who also may work fulltime has to put dinner together, clean, help the kids after school and take care of errands. They're doing all of this and not getting paid. Then hubby gets to come home, sit on the couch, kick his shoes off and enjoy a beer as he complains to wifey about how he works so hard for the family.

Yeah right, i'm on to you

 

[Game_Day_Sports]

I have a few things that I absolutely will blow off my most important client for. I refuse to miss any of the kids games or shows or contests. For the most part, people know Monday nights that I leave early for hockey and just to deal with it, but they also know that if they send me an email at 10:00 pm on Tuesday night during our busy season that they will usually get a response within 10-15 minutes.

They also for the most part know each other and I send them all a group email when it is vacation time that there won't be anybody in the office but to call my cell phone or email and I may get back to them. The last 2 trips, I haven't gotten a call or an email and the trip before that I got one. It all balances out. Work when you have to and play when you don't.

 

[USFSucks]

If you and I are anything alike, I hate leaving things partially finished and I always try finish a complete task. I've recently said eff it and just leave when I want and it feels so good. "I'll finish it tomorrow" takes a little bit of practice. You know you've made it work when you can say "I'll finish it Monday" then forget what it was you were going to finish on Monday.

I'm very much like this, I honestly would rather not start something if I didn't have time to finish it in a given day.

 

[USFSucks]

I think staying at work for a man is easier than coming home and taking care of household dutie. They can stay, make money, and feel like they are making a difference for the family. Meanwhile, the spouse who also may work fulltime has to put dinner together, clean, help the kids after school and take care of errands. They're doing all of this and not getting paid. Then hubby gets to come home, sit on the couch, kick his shoes off and enjoy a beer as he complains to wifey about how he works so hard for the family.

Yeah right, i'm on to you

That's not my house for sure, I'm the one who does most of the cleaning when I'm not traveling!

 

[Game_Day_Sports]

I think staying at work for a man is easier than coming home and taking care of household dutie. They can stay, make money, and feel like they are making a difference for the family. Meanwhile, the spouse who also may work fulltime has to put dinner together, clean, help the kids after school and take care of errands. They're doing all of this and not getting paid. Then hubby gets to come home, sit on the couch, kick his shoes off and enjoy a beer as he complains to wifey about how he works so hard for the family.

Yeah right, i'm on to you

Froggerz you better grab a dang vaccuum this weekend or Effer is going to cut you off.

 

[Bob the Citronaut]

I think staying at work for a man is easier than coming home and taking care of household dutie. They can stay, make money, and feel like they are making a difference for the family. Meanwhile, the spouse who also may work fulltime has to put dinner together, clean, help the kids after school and take care of errands. They're doing all of this and not getting paid. Then hubby gets to come home, sit on the couch, kick his shoes off and enjoy a beer as he complains to wifey about how he works so hard for the family.

Yeah right, i'm on to you

That's a pretty mean thing to say about someone that made you fancy curtain caps.

 

[UCFRogerz]

I think staying at work for a man is easier than coming home and taking care of household dutie. They can stay, make money, and feel like they are making a difference for the family. Meanwhile, the spouse who also may work fulltime has to put dinner together, clean, help the kids after school and take care of errands. They're doing all of this and not getting paid. Then hubby gets to come home, sit on the couch, kick his shoes off and enjoy a beer as he complains to wifey about how he works so hard for the family.

Yeah right, i'm on to you

Yep, that's how it works. Where are you when the weekend is here and the driveway needs to be pressure washed or the lawn needs to be mowed?

Oh and you work <35 hrs a week and have a 15 minute max drive to work. I work 40+ and have an hour drive to work. I'll do more chores the instant we split the work commute and you consistently work 40 hours/week. BOOM.

Froggerz you better grab a dang vaccuum this weekend or Effer is going to cut you off.

I bought a roomba to vacuum. I don't do chores, I hire them out to robots. DEY TERK R JORBS! I'm married with a kid, there is no more cutting off to be done.

 

[UCF w00t]

I have an infinite amount of work. Some of the stuff takes a couple hours and some of it takes weeks or months. It'll all be there when I get back to the office. The most I've ever worked is around 50hrs and that's only been a few times. I do not envy people that work that much every week.

 

[UCF w00t]

I'm married with a kid, there is no more cutting off to be done.

Lorena Bobbitt says "hi!"

 

[YouSeeEffer]

I never said I was referring to you. I'm letting all the other men know that they're busted.

You are a big tired cry baby when you get home from work though.

 

[UCFRogerz]

I never said I was referring to you. I'm letting all the other men know that they're busted.

You are a big tired cry baby when you get home from work though.

I am the big tired cry baby? You were the one that stormed off to bed when you dropped a cup while the kid was screaming the other night. That was some BS level psychotic shit right dere.

 

[YouSeeEffer]

I didn't go to bed. I went to the bathroom and came back out and put dishes away. Your memory is selective.

 

[UCFBS]

I'm proud of my work-life balance. Guess that makes me a woman? Or at least not Dutch.

Statistically, American businesses do have a rather screwed up set of expectations in comparison to many other, western nations. I think most of us have seen how people play games with the numbers.

I had about 5 years at an employer where they really did have an excellent work-life balance. It's why I took the pay-cut going from self-employed to salaried, and I got more of my life back, especially my weekends. But in my final final 2 years of the 7 with them, they merged in an subsidiary, and put them in control of our division, demoting all of the existing managers, including myself. And that's when the contract terms for our services with our clients changed, to things like "24x7 on-site support." Everything always comes down to contracts, and they put the onus on you or you're "not doing your job," the law be damned if this meant working 7 days/week as standard expectation.

At the same time, I just wanted to walk out or hang up the phone whenever they'd start talking about how much they work ... "for us." Far too often they'd forget I had a much lower employee number than them, and other people in fiance, planning and other groups would be looser with their tongues to people like me.

 

[Good Knight Sweetheart]

I wanna read moar from Frogerz & Effer.
.
.
.

 

[Game_Day_Sports]

We learn that Frogerz hasn't learned the first rule of being married. The wife is always right even if what she says is butthole stupid.

 

[FearTheKnight]

I wanna read moar from Frogerz & Effer.
.
.
.

What's the over/under on the percentage of diapers that Frogerz changes?

 

[USFSucks]

What's the over/under on the percentage of diapers that Frogerz changes?

Given their kid is surely potty trained I'm saying he changes 100% of the diapers that need changing

 

[crambone]

I work about 45 "office" hours a week and get calls and emails during the nights. Trucking never stops so there's that. I am pretty used to it and to be honest I like dealing with issues as they arise. My wife is used to it and she sure doesn't mind me working like I do when she sees the bonus check that comes every third paycheck of the month.

 

[YouSeeEffer]

I was finally able to talk Frogerz into hiring a maid service when he was on beer #4 on Saturday night. Maybe that will limit the amount of "psychotic" episodes.

 

[LittleMissKnight]

I am the big tired cry baby? You were the one that stormed off to bed when you dropped a cup while the kid was screaming the other night. That was some BS level psychotic shit right dere.

To be fair, I think a screaming kid pulls that breaking point infinitely closer and a single dropped cup could cause a breakdown. I've seen Dingy, after a particularly stressful day, accidentally drop his fork and lose his will to live.

 

[YouSeeEffer]

Also, I reserve the right to be as psychotic as I want right now

 

[Good Knight Sweetheart]

I was finally able to talk Frogerz into hiring a maid service when he was on beer #4 on Saturday night. Maybe that will limit the amount of "psychotic" episodes.

You hired an ugly maid, yes?

 

[USFSucks]

You hired an ugly maid, yes?

We did a while ago. Damn she's ugly

 

[USFSucks]

Also, I reserve the right to be as psychotic as I want right now

"Right now"? Something you are trying to tell us?

 

[Bob the Citronaut]

WTF? Maids? Lateedaa.

 

[YouSeeEffer]

Maybe I'll hire a hot guy named Ricardo

 

[crambone]

el oh el

 

[Good Knight Sweetheart]

Maybe I'll hire a hot guy named Ricardo

 

[UCFRogerz]

"Right now"? Something you are trying to tell us?

no.

 

[UCFKnight85]

If you're in a professional white collar business, there's really no need anymore to log more than 6 hours at the office per day. And that's mostly to cover down on meetings with other employees.

Technology allows you to get so much done, in such little time, plus you can ALWAYS get to stuff away from the office via phone, laptop, ipad, etc.

I'm free to come and go pretty much as I want. It's great. Yesterday I left around 3, went to the gym, then sat by my pool to finish working between 4-530.