Latest you are willing to stay at work?

miller811

Although my work load and job description has changed recently, I was a road hound for years, traveling a 7 state region, and doing hardware migrations on a weekly basis. They were many long weeks, and tough installs. Although they all run together, several come to mind.

We did a cut over for a large client in Birmingham and headed into work at 6:00 on a Wednesday and just finished as they walked in for business on Thursday, ended up being there all day on Thursday resolving issues, and not stopping until Midnight on Thursday. so that was about 42 hours staight....

Another memorable week at an even larger group in Little Rock where we did consecutive cut overs and with travel ended up with 96 hours that week.

Two things are very memorable about all of the extra work, the OT I got paid for, and trying to drive home after the job was completed, some times 8 hour trips, when you are mentally and physically spent.....

Wish I had saved some of those OT checks..... the good old days.....

ajs1976

If it is an occasional working late night to resolve a problem perform in upgrade, welcome to IT and consider yourself lucky.

If it happens a lot to the point that it is interfering with your relationships with your family and friends and you health, then you need to do something about it.

Most people in IT will fall somewhere in the middle.

My latest has been to 3:00 am for a server migration, then onsite at 8:00 am the next morning for follow up. I have also worked all weekend with 12+ hour days on Saturday and Sunday with early onsite on Monday. Now that I have other people to help, my schedule is more balanced.

blargoe

I'm in the younger group and I wholeheartedly agree with you about your observations. That type of mentality seems to be more heavily concentrated in the current generation than in the older.

dynamik

Everything's Amazing, Nobody's Happy

cnfuzzd

Plantwiz wrote: »

It's not assumed. It's been proven, time and time again over that last 25+ years in different companies and industries. IF it doesn't apply to you. Good for you and congrats to your parents for teaching you something about responsibilty.

You are correct, there are slackers all around, but the biggest group to take time off for 'sniffles, headaches, or just being tired.. is this lastest upcoming pampered brats fresh from college of a few years out of college. Mommy and Daddy worked their butts off to give junior and jane EVERYTHING except how to survive in the working world.

If the comments don't apply to you personally, then don't worry about it. My comments are from my own experiences...not some made up hypothesis. Right now, I've seen and dealth with too many slackers in the under 30 group...and a fair share 30-40...but with different reasons.


The author of the thread (I believe was NOT yourself) was inquiring how long people work and whether intended or not...it read very clear like "it sucks my employer actually expects I'll finish the job I agreed to do". And then looking for sympathy for others who work 'too' long.

My comments, as many others here too have responded, is that there is no lenght of time too long...if that is your responsibility, period. I'd say the majority young and old, responding here will work to complete the task based on their response. Those who don't respond,....we'll not know their thoughts.

lol crotchety old people

john

itdaddy

If you are in I,T work has my soul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mishra

I'm currently working 48-55 hour weeks.

The most I've worked at one time was 42-46 hours STRAIGHT (never went home) for a complete data center move.

The most I've ever seen was my boss did 56 hours for the same data center move... Insane... He was completely loopy by the time he finally went home to sleep.

vCole

As HP knows, we've worked some nights till 3:30am.
(He fell asleep @ his computer )

(After I had been up at 6am, worked 8-7pm slept for a bit and got up at 10:30-3:30am)

bellhead

Stayed at a cable cut for around 60 hours once. There were 4 of us, and we would take turns napping in the manhole. Couldn't leave due to peer pressure.

jibbajabba

How late has everyone here worked past their scheduled time at work?

Was a few years back ..

Started my shift officially at Thursday 8am .. 3pm - Domain down .. basically I left the company on Sunday 10pm ish .. we were 30 !!! hours with Microsoft on the phone that day .. we run through several reps and two senior engineers ..

Was a bug (don't remember which one) in Server 2000 Server ...

We were sleeping on tables, floor and one guy even managed to sleep on the hard floor in the server room ...

What a day(s)

BUt nowadays I normally work 1-2 hours longer than my contract dictates .. not because my managed wants me / us to, but because I just enjoy my job to bits

Bert McGert

40 days straight, left my desk once to poop.

jibbajabba

Bert McGert wrote: »

40 days straight, left my desk once to poop.

You should get fired for wasting your companies time pooping .. shouldn't have eaten anything .. really

networker050184

Bert McGert wrote: »

40 days straight, left my desk once to poop.

That must have been one hellacious poop!

Plantwiz

Paperclip wrote: »

Junior and Jane are in the wrong field if it's IT, lol. Maybe they could try marketing or something.

....

tiersten

Gomjaba wrote: »

You should get fired for wasting your companies time pooping .. shouldn't have eaten anything .. really

Nah. He can't have eaten much if he only pooped once in 40 days

Plantwiz

eMeS wrote: »

Please, share this proof.

I've already stated it is from experience. If it were possible to show you the video from the places that have been under surveillance, the personnel files of those I've and other supervisors have written up, right until they were terminated or arrested (for those who were stealing)...I would, but you can take my word for what it is or not. That is up to you. It wasn't the older crowd coming in late, or stealing, or installing the wrong parts into client PCs so'd they'd fry leaving the store to deal with the lawsuits, it was the 18-25ish year olds. For every 15-20 bad, we might see 1 decent one. These 'kids' would have all the fancy paperwork and lingo down, but when it came time to 'work' they'd be late or out the door before the work was finished leaving it for someone else...or rushing through it to get it done and leave the machine or clients network in poor shape.

.....

Here's what I know, those that are younger than us are our future.

God help us.

networker050184

I have to agree with Plantwiz here. I'm 24 (25 tomorrow!) and most of the people I know my age fit into this category. I think it is that most people around my age do not have their priorities in line. They are more worried about partying then building a good career and their reputation in the industry.

eMeS

Plantwiz wrote: »

I've already stated it is from experience. If it were possible to show you the video from the places that have been under surveillance, the personnel files of those I've and other supervisors have written up, right until they were terminated or arrested (for those who were stealing)...I would, but you can take my word for what it is or not. That is up to you.

I do believe you, in fact I have no reason to doubt your experience. I believe we've all had experiences where some group or another fits a common stereotype. What I have a problem with is generalizing from anecdotes to an entire group of people. That is not proof, it's an assumption that something that you observed in one, or a few cases is true for the whole population. You clearly said "It's not assumed. It's been proven, time and time again over that last 25+ years in different companies and industries."

If someone said "All Jews are greedy" or "All blacks are bad tippers", could anecdotes be provided where these statements are true? Absolutely, but such a generalization wouldn't be accurate for the total population of those groups. We could easily find where members of other groups would exhibit the same behaviors.

All of these things being discussed are human behaviors, and are not unique to any one cohort, race, etc...

Here's one for you. Age is a protected class, but only for age 40 and above. Meaning that employment decisions cannot legally be made on the basis of age alone. Why? One reason might be because it would be very easy to generalize that people over 40 are stuck in their ways and don't want to learn new things. This is another generalization that's simply not true.

Plantwiz wrote: »

It wasn't the older crowd coming in late, or stealing, or installing the wrong parts into client PCs so'd they'd fry leaving the store to deal with the lawsuits, it was the 18-25ish year olds. For every 15-20 bad, we might see 1 decent one. These 'kids' would have all the fancy paperwork and lingo down, but when it came time to 'work' they'd be late or out the door before the work was finished leaving it for someone else...or rushing through it to get it done and leave the machine or clients network in poor shape.

All I can say is that you and I likely work at different ends of the economic food chain. What might be true in one environment is not true in all.

.....

Plantwiz wrote: »

God help us.

Actually, may God help you....

My original response to you showed a quote that is often attributed to Socrates, indicating that people have been saying similar things about younger people for about as long as written history has existed.

Do you think anyone ever thought this about your generation when you were younger? Was it true?

My business doesn't grow without bringing in highly motivated people that can achieve results. Age is an irrelevant factor. Nor do I care if they paid for college themselves or if their parents did.

You and I will continue to disagree and that's fine, but this one goes down in what I will call Plantwiz's greatest hits, which include:

-The thread one where you said something along the lines of saving for a college education is bad.

-The thread where you indicated that organizations don't regularly lease (the other option being purchase) expensive equipment that has to be replaced often.

-The thread where you intimated that people that are unexpectedly unemployed should not use unemployment insurance.

-The thread where some new member asked for help, and your response was along the lines of "let me Google that for you".

The list could go on. I think there is not much value in my pointing out your faults. In fact, I only responded yesterday because I was sitting in Newark airport after my flight was canceled.

What I hope for the most is that this group of young people that you repeatedly denigrate and have requested supernatural protection from will regularly put you in your place every time you make a foolish comment.

MS

eMeS

networker050184 wrote: »

I have to agree with Plantwiz here. I'm 24 (25 tomorrow!) and most of the people I know my age fit into this category. I think it is that most people around my age do not have their priorities in line. They are more worried about partying then building a good career and their reputation in the industry.

Am I the only one who see the humor of your response when coupled with your signature line?

networker050184

eMeS wrote: »

Am I the only one who see the humor of your response when coupled with your signature line?

Its true people learn from their mistakes, but the quote is more aimed at the technical side with this being a technical certifications forum.

msteinhilber

Plantwiz wrote: »

I've already stated it is from experience. If it were possible to show you the video from the places that have been under surveillance, the personnel files of those I've and other supervisors have written up, right until they were terminated or arrested (for those who were stealing)...I would, but you can take my word for what it is or not. That is up to you. It wasn't the older crowd coming in late, or stealing, or installing the wrong parts into client PCs so'd they'd fry leaving the store to deal with the lawsuits, it was the 18-25ish year olds. For every 15-20 bad, we might see 1 decent one. These 'kids' would have all the fancy paperwork and lingo down, but when it came time to 'work' they'd be late or out the door before the work was finished leaving it for someone else...or rushing through it to get it done and leave the machine or clients network in poor shape.

Sounds like a larger retail chain (CompUSA, Frys, Bestbuy, etc) that does PC repair. If that's the case... then I genuinely mean no offense to those here who might be younger and works in one of these types of places... but I think those kinds of places tend to attract the more lazy types that would fit your stereotype (with the exception of course being those that get into a position like that as a stepping stone with intent to move up into IT).

I find it amusing though that a representative of Techexams (you're a moderator) has such a poor view of what like encapsulates a good chunk of the population of the members of these forums. I would probably keep my opinions like these to myself if I was in your position, but it is ultimately your choice on how you represent yourself I suppose. And as eMeS has pointed out... you've sure had your share of far out there posts... in my opinion.

Jordus

I have to agree with msteinhilber.

It has very little to do with age and almost everything to do with the person.

For instance, I am on a team with an individual who is just shy of 50. He is very quick to blab about his 30 years experience, all the projects and technologies hes worked on, how noone else is his equal. Whenever he makes a mistake, he blames it on someone or something else. He can do NO wrong. He constantly brags about how much he makes compared to other people.

He actually tries to put me down for not having as much experience as he does, and im less than half his age.

The funny thing is, hes a total fraud. He screws up anything he touches and lies about everything he pretends to know about. He will read white papers and tech articles and get the buzzwords/key info about how something works and just spit it back out in an effort to sound smart. He can fool people who dont know anything about IT, but everyone in the department knows hes full of crap.

He just got a poor performance review, and will likely soon be heading out the door.

Remember, this guy is nearly 50 but acts like this.

Its not somebodys age, race, ethnicity, religion, creed, nationality or anything but THE PERSON!

For every one of us that actually works hard and busts our rear to do everything we can to make something of ourselves, there are those who act like complete idiots.

Paperclip

Lol, can't all the good techs just get along?

I work with one tech who, I am almost old enough to be his mother. He is an excellent tech with relevant experience. He is still (actively) working at learning the networking/enterprise end of things (aren't we all) but already knows much. On the desktop/laptop/os/applications ends, he can fix anything. He also respects me too and has been very supportive of me, the old lady tech.

Some people are just wonderful people with great work ethics and some aren't. I love my job because of the team I get to be a part of. Which includes younger folks. I'm the oldest one actually on my small immediate team, but we all help each other out and know we can rely on each other.

Mrock4

I have seen turds on both ends of the spectrum. A couple of older guys who were quick to give up on a complicated problem, and a couple of younger guys who were highly unmotivated. Both types are a detriment to productivity.

Every person on this earth is unique..how can we use a one-size fits all mold to encompass those of a certain age group? Seems no better then racial profiling, but at a much geekier level...this thread smells of workplace politics. Yuck!

Why can't we all just let our work do the talking, and let others to either succeed or fail on their own merit, rather then the year they were born in?

Plantwiz

Is it me, or does it look like eMeS has a crush on me

...either that, he's a stalker

Just curious, eMeS, did you read the original post? Or do you simply jump on the next comment in line and add your comments those replies?


****

And if you are bothering to quote things I say, get the context correct.


****

As far as if you have a plethra of excellent, motivated, fresh from school kids in your area willing to work...you are very fortunate.

I've lived in 2 mid-sized cities and 2 smaller ones and and to find good younger workers is far and few between. Because in no less then 3 industries, the latest being IT the trend for this young group of kids is a 20 hour or less work week, leave when the want, start when the want, but demand 'big' money. IF their they managed to compose a proper resume, the fail at the interview, particularly the technical side, yet a few slide threw.

****

The original topic was about "How many hours have you worked" and about the topic heading is "Latest you are willing to stay"...based on the wording, it reads to me....someone doesn't think they need to stay to finish a job and is looking for sympathy.

You as are all members are free to add your comments to the original question. Disagreeing with my opinion (which is based on my experience) is fairly pointless. It is nice to know you don't like my opinion, you must like it to some extent our you wouldn't take so much time following me around the board and commenting at great length with so many posts.

BTW:
Attracting*the twentysomething worker - May 28, 2007

They're ambitious, they're demanding and they question everything, so if there isn't a good reason for that long commute or late night, don't expect them to do it. When it comes to loyalty, the companies they work for are last on their list - behind their families, their friends, their communities, their co-workers and, of course, themselves.

dynamik

Can we just agree that each generation has its own unique set of strengths and weakness and remain friends?

Sepiraph

I work for a NOC and we are 24/7 so we do shift work. Sometimes I work overnight shift and for some reason they decide to make it 12 hrs long. But if you are asking how long did I stay after my shift, normally I never have to since there are others to take over.

msteinhilber

I bet Plantwiz was an absolute model example of pure excellence when you were in your 20's. You did nothing wrong, nothing that your elders would certainly look down upon I'm sure. Your article you posted was interesting as well... because for the most part it was just a collection of opinions and no factual data. I did find some interesting parts which you might overlook though, such as the gentleman describing how he thinks they are the highest maintenance workforce in the history of the world but goes on to say:

"The good news is they're also going to be the most high-performing workforce in the history of the world. They walk in with more information in their heads, more information at their fingertips - and, sure, they have high expectations, but they have the highest expectations first and foremost for themselves."

Sure, they think for themselves first... I'll give you that, but what is the highest performing in the world and full of information worth?

There are other portions of the article that go on to say that the upcoming generation is getting more done in less time.

dynamik

Seriously, everyone needs to chill out. While I don't agree with everything Plantwiz said, I certainly know a lot of people that fit the stereotype. I don't think making such sweeping generalizations is the best thing to do, but I don't think it's fair to respond to those generalizations with personal attacks either. We've all had different experiences and have different points of view. I don't see any point in continuing this; I think we all know where everyone stands

Sepiraph

Plantwiz wrote: »

As far as if you have a plethra of excellent, motivated, fresh from school kids in your area willing to work...you are very fortunate.

I've lived in 2 mid-sized cities and 2 smaller ones and and to find good younger workers is far and few between. Because in no less then 3 industries, the latest being IT the trend for this young group of kids is a 20 hour or less work week, leave when the want, start when the want, but demand 'big' money. IF their they managed to compose a proper resume, the fail at the interview, particularly the technical side, yet a few slide threw.

****

BTW:
Attracting*the twentysomething worker - May 28, 2007

They're ambitious, they're demanding and they question everything, so if there isn't a good reason for that long commute or late night, don't expect them to do it. When it comes to loyalty, the companies they work for are last on their list - behind their families, their friends, their communities, their co-workers and, of course, themselves.

Speaking of which, I don't agree with that article. I'm still in my (though late) 20s and in the companies I've worked for, I have really yet to see that older folks are necessarily working harder than younger guys. In general, I find the opposite as sometimes older folks tend to abuse their authority/seniority and slack off in general.