Thank you for posting on r/UKJobs. Help us make this a better community by becoming familiar with the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukjobs/about/rules/).
If you need to report any suspicious users to the moderators or you feel as though your post hasn't been posted to the subreddit, message the Modmail [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/UKJobs) or Reddit site admins [here](https://www.reddit.com/report). Don't create a duplicate post, it won't help.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UKJobs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Well, what I see is low productivity per hour multiplied by fewer hours being worked, whilst at the same time workers demand higher pay.
I joke in my first post, but seriously, over the long term stuff like this is why you and I end up paying sky high taxes for little benefit. The public sector gets part time hours and final salary pensions whilst the private sector doesn't and has to pay for it with elevated taxes.
The graph on this page puts it into perspective, granted only to 2022, but you get the idea:
https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/11/20/jeremy-hunt-wants-to-improve-britains-public-sector-productivity
Many left wing and right wing potential solutions to this problem, so this doesn't have to be a partisan issue. I just hope someone can address it before it gets even more out of hand than it is already.
I'm aware of the Baumol effect, but even still, you'd expect that productivity needle to have at least moved a little bit. Perhaps the latest advances in AI will finally help as I do think politicians are starting to take note.
35 hours - personally I wouldn’t quibble about 37.5 but would expect a higher salary or holiday allowance at 40. It would be 6.5 extra weeks of work a year for me.
Man I thought office jobs had paid lunch lol, I currently do agency work and was looking forward to finally getting to enjoy my lunch instead of taking the bare minimum I need to get the pay up.
I mean office jobs are salaried so you’re going to be getting paid the same no matter how long your lunch is. You could do 1 hour or 12 hours of work in a day and you’ll get paid the same amount. So no need to take a short lunch unless you’re super busy etc
depending on your manager that gets frowned upon, I was busy until like 14:00, and asked my manager if I could work through and leave at 15:00 but that got shut down so I had to go to lunch. It's dumb as the hours are done and it won't impact others so the timings shouldn't matter.
I think it’s because employers have to give you breaks in between your shift if it’s over a certain length. If they don’t, even if they ‘move’ your lunch break to the end of your shift, they haven’t given you the break from an employment law perspective and may be breaking the law
I'm on 36.2
Some madlad decided staff should work 7 hrs 24 minutes a day because it was 24/7. That's the only reason, to make the working day fit a management buzzword ... Apparently it *encourages a culture of being "mentally present" 24/7/365.*
Yes, confused the decimal point of course - 7 hours 24 minutes equates to 37 hours of which is 7.4.
I wonder if someone has jokingly told them the 24/7 reason and they've ran with it.
37.5hrs now with 0.5hrs Unpaid lunch break
Used to work 36hrs with paid 0.5hrs lunch break 2x15min paid break except on Friday where we had early finish só no lunch break and only 1 15 min break.
Essentialy worked out as 31.75hrs work per week.
Definitely miss that.
Never worked a job less than 42.5, unfortunately. Most jobs were 48 hours per week minimum and often much longer. Where are these magical 35 hours per week jobs?!
It is assumed that anything at 35h and up is 'full time'. Very rarely, if ever, you see full time positions with less hours, and if you do, its specific sectors.
Most security is like this, doormen work usually 2 separate places on fridays/Saturdays from 6-6, sometimes 12 midday-6pm dependant on football etc. That's already 24 hours in 2 days, then clubs throughout the week for usually 6 hours or so dependant on opening time in your area.
Other security jobs often have 12 hours 5 days a week.
I know a guy who does security across the country and his shifts are absolutely insane. Works 1-4 weeks at a time on festivals, events or job sites and works 12-14 hour days sometimes more or less depending on the event then comes home for however long. Pay is pretty decent though, he worked out he's on around 60k a year and his accommodation etc is paid for about 3-4 months out the year. Amazing job if you can avoid paying full rent (living with parents or a friend who you can pay for when you're staying only)
Unfortunately, I’m currently on a 0 hour contract (how can this be still legal???) but was hired full time. So my hours range from 35 to 41.
At my previous job I had a 40h contract and did the most hours on nights, 50+ <3
37.5 but I'm salaried and there is a fair amount of crunch time. Company good at giving it back as toil though. I'm on an old contract, everyone new is on 40 or 42.5, super glad I am on 37.t tboughy
37.5 is most common in my industry (software dev). Once you get into senior positions you often work more because of deadlines and regular on-call responsibilities, so in that sense it doesn't really matter what the number is as long as it's a salaried position with the all too common wording "or hours required to complete work as necessary" and the other responsibilities mentioned. I'm not really complaining though, just think people should know that the number can just reflect the ideal, not the reality.
Officially? 37.5
The amount of time I'm actually working on what i was hired to do? Closer to 20 tbqh.
But that's partly cus my manager is giving me other stuff to do for my progression, and partly cus I'm good at what i do and other people keep asking for help.
I work as a Civil engineer , 40 hrs or less would be considered a part time job. We normally work 7am to 6 pm. Most days have a 2 hr commute either side.
37 with a half an hour unpaid lunch which stupidly equates to 7.4 hours of paid work a day and there is an absolute expecting that the .1 is just worked free of charge because who finishes 6 minutes early/takes 36 minutes as a lunch break.
We just do 4 7.5 hour days and a 7 hour on Friday to make it work.
But to be honest, as I do 2 days at home. One usually being Friday, I tend to work longer than that anyway on those days, but have more break time in the day.
Every industry have different standards but I would say majority is somewhere between 37.5 to 42.5.
I am contracted to 50hr but actually on average doing 45hr.
When I started in my current company, full time was 37.5 hrs a week. Then we got brought by a different company and moved to 35 hrs per week as full time, with no cut on pay. Sounds good, doesn’t it? However, the original contract accounted for 15 minute befit and after opening hours to set up and close down. We still had to do that on 35 hrs, we just didn’t get paid for it.
Since covid our opening hours have changed, but not our salary. So I am still on 35hrs and actually work the time I am paid to work.
In hospitality as a General Manager, around 45. Hospitality has a huge problem with paying their staff properly. You can earn a somewhat fair salary, but you have to work 45-50 hours as standard.
Same here. 4 on 4 off, 12 hour shift. One of the breaks (half hour) is unpaid so I get paid for 40.25 hours per week.
I've given up trying to explain to my colleagues that working 12 hour shifts 4 on 4 off doesn't mean they work 48 hours a week, weeks don't have 8 days...
Had the same when I was on this schedule (4 on 4 off) and also got paid weekly. Trying to explain to a new guy that because of pay cut off we were only getting paid 3 days this week, we weren't all being underpaid. It wasn't landing
I work 4 on 4 off 12 hour shifts, but do days and nights. We get 80 minutes of paid break time.
I'm told it works out at an average of 42 hours a week but it feels like more lol.
I work between 50ish and 72 hours a week generally. With 9 days of once a month or so. The joys of rota work. Just as an affront I signed out of the working time directive to be able to work thos hours.
I don’t have an upper limit contractually but the client billing works on 37.5 hrs.
From working alongside many clients, I think the norm for office roles is 40 outside London and 37.5 inside London (less to allow for extra commuting time).
36.5h currently. My last job was 40h so I requested a pay rise because of this when I moved there, but when I moved back to less hours I used that higher salary to justify my new salary, without mentioning the drop in hours...
There seem to be different ways to interpret a working day....!
9 - 5 is an 8 hour day = 40hr week but then its how lunch is handled or represented.
For me, I have a 1hr lunch which is unpaid so as such, my 9-5 is a 35 working week, however, I'm at the office 40hrs. So 35hrs sounds better, but really, im still out at the office 40hrs!
I have seen some jobs advertise 9-530 as 40hrs with half hour unpaid lunch BUT then you are out at work 42.5hrs a week!
So really the only way to clear this up is to ask the questions:
What is my start time
What is my finish time
How long is my lunch
I am contracted for 150 days per year, at 12h per day, usually performed in 30-40 day blocks at a time, not the most conventional, but the time off is good. Works out at 1800h per year, so similar overall to a 9-5 job
I am work for 37 hours a week but maybe actually do five or six hours real work over that period as we got a less than inflation pay rise last year and nothing this year. Sales. I ain't busting my balls anymore!
37 in local government. Prior to that worked in private sector where the working week was 40 hours but unpaid overtime was expected as the business needed so regularly worked 80-100 hour weeks
37.5hrs = 0730 to 2100
3x a week of 11.5hrs long day + 1hr break... per week = 12.5hrs/day
The 1hr break is unpaid (15mins tea break, 30mins lunch break and another 15mins evening tea break)
Thank you for posting on r/UKJobs. Help us make this a better community by becoming familiar with the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukjobs/about/rules/). If you need to report any suspicious users to the moderators or you feel as though your post hasn't been posted to the subreddit, message the Modmail [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/UKJobs) or Reddit site admins [here](https://www.reddit.com/report). Don't create a duplicate post, it won't help. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UKJobs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
37.5 in my company
Which is normally 8hrs/day and unpaid 30 min brk
Or 7.5 hour days and 1 hr unpaid lunch
This for me. I enjoy the hour lunch, I watched E2 of the new season of Discovery on my iPad while eating my lunch.
>I watched Discovery I'm sorry that happened to you
You're correct
We're moving to 35 this year with no reduction in pay as part of our pay deal (area of public sector). Currently 37.5.
Local government?
Most likely Scottish Government. Was part of the last pay deal and comes in to effect in October
Not local government, the reduction was rejected as part of the national employers offer
Classic public sector. (Anticipates downvotes to oblivion)
As long as they don't have to do more hours per week than they get days off per year, they are usually OK
Well, what I see is low productivity per hour multiplied by fewer hours being worked, whilst at the same time workers demand higher pay. I joke in my first post, but seriously, over the long term stuff like this is why you and I end up paying sky high taxes for little benefit. The public sector gets part time hours and final salary pensions whilst the private sector doesn't and has to pay for it with elevated taxes. The graph on this page puts it into perspective, granted only to 2022, but you get the idea: https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/11/20/jeremy-hunt-wants-to-improve-britains-public-sector-productivity Many left wing and right wing potential solutions to this problem, so this doesn't have to be a partisan issue. I just hope someone can address it before it gets even more out of hand than it is already. I'm aware of the Baumol effect, but even still, you'd expect that productivity needle to have at least moved a little bit. Perhaps the latest advances in AI will finally help as I do think politicians are starting to take note.
To me the the public sector is a brilliant example of what you can achieve with organised labour. If you can't beat them, join them
I saw a council worker stamp on a snail last week. I asked him why he’d do such a thing and he replied “the bastard’s been following me all morning”
35 hours - personally I wouldn’t quibble about 37.5 but would expect a higher salary or holiday allowance at 40. It would be 6.5 extra weeks of work a year for me.
My employer is 37.5 hours average, but flexible, and super generous with like 39 days of AL including bank holidays
37.5. 9-5:30 5x a week, with 1 hour unpaid lunch which is typical for office jobs
Man I thought office jobs had paid lunch lol, I currently do agency work and was looking forward to finally getting to enjoy my lunch instead of taking the bare minimum I need to get the pay up.
I mean office jobs are salaried so you’re going to be getting paid the same no matter how long your lunch is. You could do 1 hour or 12 hours of work in a day and you’ll get paid the same amount. So no need to take a short lunch unless you’re super busy etc
I’d take a half hour lunch if it means I can go home half hour earlier.
depending on your manager that gets frowned upon, I was busy until like 14:00, and asked my manager if I could work through and leave at 15:00 but that got shut down so I had to go to lunch. It's dumb as the hours are done and it won't impact others so the timings shouldn't matter.
I think it’s because employers have to give you breaks in between your shift if it’s over a certain length. If they don’t, even if they ‘move’ your lunch break to the end of your shift, they haven’t given you the break from an employment law perspective and may be breaking the law
I'm on 36.2 Some madlad decided staff should work 7 hrs 24 minutes a day because it was 24/7. That's the only reason, to make the working day fit a management buzzword ... Apparently it *encourages a culture of being "mentally present" 24/7/365.*
7hours 24 minutes x 5 days = 37 hours though.
That's a standard 5 day working week at 37 hours - how have you got 36.2?
He has done 7.24 x 5 instead of 7.4 x 5
Oh my god. Have I been working too little....
You're the madlad!
Yes, confused the decimal point of course - 7 hours 24 minutes equates to 37 hours of which is 7.4. I wonder if someone has jokingly told them the 24/7 reason and they've ran with it.
Worst part about this is that 24/7/365 makes no sense and is inconsistent. It should be 24/7/52 for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year
Same here, 7.24 day with 36 minute lunch
Oh god the arbitrariness, I couldn't even
48
⚰️
Ouch, I thought I had it bad at 45...
Normal for healthcare unfortunately. I did many years where 48 hours was the absolute minimum.
37
I'm at work for 40 hours but o ly 35 of them are working, rest is breaka. That suits me fine! I used to work 65 is hours a week. Never again.
40hrs excluding overtime
40 for me
My last job as a chef I was contracted for 48 hours, however 48 hours was a dream week. No overtime obviously...
40
38.5, I normally do 55 or 66 tho
37.5hrs now with 0.5hrs Unpaid lunch break Used to work 36hrs with paid 0.5hrs lunch break 2x15min paid break except on Friday where we had early finish só no lunch break and only 1 15 min break. Essentialy worked out as 31.75hrs work per week. Definitely miss that.
20 hrs commute a week. 35 hrs work hours a week.
⚰️
40 officially but in reality it's closer to 35-37.
Never worked a job less than 42.5, unfortunately. Most jobs were 48 hours per week minimum and often much longer. Where are these magical 35 hours per week jobs?!
It is assumed that anything at 35h and up is 'full time'. Very rarely, if ever, you see full time positions with less hours, and if you do, its specific sectors.
60+ hours 🫣
What do you do if I may ask?
Security.
That's some crazy hours
Would you want to trust your security needs who pushes their employees this hard!?
Most security is like this, doormen work usually 2 separate places on fridays/Saturdays from 6-6, sometimes 12 midday-6pm dependant on football etc. That's already 24 hours in 2 days, then clubs throughout the week for usually 6 hours or so dependant on opening time in your area. Other security jobs often have 12 hours 5 days a week. I know a guy who does security across the country and his shifts are absolutely insane. Works 1-4 weeks at a time on festivals, events or job sites and works 12-14 hour days sometimes more or less depending on the event then comes home for however long. Pay is pretty decent though, he worked out he's on around 60k a year and his accommodation etc is paid for about 3-4 months out the year. Amazing job if you can avoid paying full rent (living with parents or a friend who you can pay for when you're staying only)
35 at mine, working in HE administration
35
37.5 when I was in the public sector, now 35 in the charity sector
Unfortunately, I’m currently on a 0 hour contract (how can this be still legal???) but was hired full time. So my hours range from 35 to 41. At my previous job I had a 40h contract and did the most hours on nights, 50+ <3
FYI, The incoming Labour government is going to force all employers to offer proper guaranteed hours contracts to all zero hour workers
Which I really hope works out cause that has backfired for some countries. Some companies just ended the 0 hour contracts all together.
good question about zero hours
35, charity - same as the charity before it, so that's pretty standard.
37.5
I've worked 37 and 40 but my current hours are 37.5.
My work hours per week is 37.5
37.5 but I'm salaried and there is a fair amount of crunch time. Company good at giving it back as toil though. I'm on an old contract, everyone new is on 40 or 42.5, super glad I am on 37.t tboughy
37.5 is most common in my industry (software dev). Once you get into senior positions you often work more because of deadlines and regular on-call responsibilities, so in that sense it doesn't really matter what the number is as long as it's a salaried position with the all too common wording "or hours required to complete work as necessary" and the other responsibilities mentioned. I'm not really complaining though, just think people should know that the number can just reflect the ideal, not the reality.
37.5 but summer Fridays currently so make that like 34
35 hours per week salaried. One hour unpaid break but with heavily subsidised meals on the office days.
Officially? 37.5 The amount of time I'm actually working on what i was hired to do? Closer to 20 tbqh. But that's partly cus my manager is giving me other stuff to do for my progression, and partly cus I'm good at what i do and other people keep asking for help.
35 for us. If I went for a job that was 40 hours a week in the future, I would want to factor in the additonal hours into the pay.
I work as a Civil engineer , 40 hrs or less would be considered a part time job. We normally work 7am to 6 pm. Most days have a 2 hr commute either side.
37.5
35
35!
36 across 4.5 days
37.5 but on a 6 on/3 off pattern.
40 but it means I get 3 days off a week.
37 with a half an hour unpaid lunch which stupidly equates to 7.4 hours of paid work a day and there is an absolute expecting that the .1 is just worked free of charge because who finishes 6 minutes early/takes 36 minutes as a lunch break.
I would waste this 6m and get revenge by taking a 10m shit everyday
We just do 4 7.5 hour days and a 7 hour on Friday to make it work. But to be honest, as I do 2 days at home. One usually being Friday, I tend to work longer than that anyway on those days, but have more break time in the day.
35 hours in sales
I worked 40 hours and now I work 35 hours with no reduction in pay. Different company. Full time is 35 hours and plus.
37.6
36.25 in legal services. But some staff do more (voluntarily) to hit their bonus targets.
42.5, 9 hr day, 1hr break unpaid
I work 35 across 4 days, my industry (construction) considers this part-time!
🙈
40/ week Made from 4x9hrs and a 4hr Friday
Every industry have different standards but I would say majority is somewhere between 37.5 to 42.5. I am contracted to 50hr but actually on average doing 45hr.
35
The previous role I was on was 42.5. the new one just started is 37.5.
Contracted hours - 37.5hrs.
It's creeping towards 45 these days lol.
Part time still.
52
48
rhythm physical slap towering dime caption silky nose safe crawl *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
45
50
40 but I work about 20
35 (including a 1 hour lunch break each day)
40 hours. Moved to a 4 day week last year, so a long 10 hour day (plus 1 hour unpaid break) but its worth it for a 3 day weekend
35
51.25. Contacted for 5 shifts per week of 10.25 hours.
37.5
37.5
Last tech job was 35 hours, my current one is 37. No, that’s not a typo. 37 hours, not 37 1/2.
50 hours :)........;(
36.45 supermarket
When I started in my current company, full time was 37.5 hrs a week. Then we got brought by a different company and moved to 35 hrs per week as full time, with no cut on pay. Sounds good, doesn’t it? However, the original contract accounted for 15 minute befit and after opening hours to set up and close down. We still had to do that on 35 hrs, we just didn’t get paid for it. Since covid our opening hours have changed, but not our salary. So I am still on 35hrs and actually work the time I am paid to work.
Q. Are your lunch / dinner breaks paid?
40, WFH in sales.
37.5 in big 4 professional services
I'm on 37.5. Most places I've worked have been between 37.5-40 for full time.
37.5, plus an hours travel each way.
In hospitality as a General Manager, around 45. Hospitality has a huge problem with paying their staff properly. You can earn a somewhat fair salary, but you have to work 45-50 hours as standard.
Monday - Friday 35hrs a week, 1 hour unpaid lunch each day. No overtime (paid anyway, Just TOIL)
35
35 hours per week. Work in tech. 9-5, with a one hour unpaid break during the afternoon.
I work 4 on 4 off 12 hour days, get paid on an average of hours done at 40.25, unpaid lunch break.
Same here. 4 on 4 off, 12 hour shift. One of the breaks (half hour) is unpaid so I get paid for 40.25 hours per week. I've given up trying to explain to my colleagues that working 12 hour shifts 4 on 4 off doesn't mean they work 48 hours a week, weeks don't have 8 days...
I know that struggle 😅 I was trying to explain how the pay works to a new starter the other day and he just wasn't getting it haha
Had the same when I was on this schedule (4 on 4 off) and also got paid weekly. Trying to explain to a new guy that because of pay cut off we were only getting paid 3 days this week, we weren't all being underpaid. It wasn't landing
I work 4 on 4 off 12 hour shifts, but do days and nights. We get 80 minutes of paid break time. I'm told it works out at an average of 42 hours a week but it feels like more lol.
35 but that’s without the lunch break, including that it would be 40
37
37
70 as working 2 jobs
I work between 50ish and 72 hours a week generally. With 9 days of once a month or so. The joys of rota work. Just as an affront I signed out of the working time directive to be able to work thos hours.
48 on a lorry.
37.5
35 and I love that it’s 35, my last place used to be 40.
37.5 hybrid office role
42hrs on a 2/2/4 shift.
35
37.5
39hrs, Mon-Thu
50… 10 hours a day. I’ve just read the comments surely I can’t be the only one.
35 hours - legal corporate secror
39, finish an hour earlier on a Friday.
40, but it includes lunch.
40 for me, 8-5 with a one hour lunch
75 hours, week on week off shift work
I don’t have an upper limit contractually but the client billing works on 37.5 hrs. From working alongside many clients, I think the norm for office roles is 40 outside London and 37.5 inside London (less to allow for extra commuting time).
35 in my last 3 roles
Paid for 37.5 - work a lot longer !!!
36.5h currently. My last job was 40h so I requested a pay rise because of this when I moved there, but when I moved back to less hours I used that higher salary to justify my new salary, without mentioning the drop in hours...
There seem to be different ways to interpret a working day....! 9 - 5 is an 8 hour day = 40hr week but then its how lunch is handled or represented. For me, I have a 1hr lunch which is unpaid so as such, my 9-5 is a 35 working week, however, I'm at the office 40hrs. So 35hrs sounds better, but really, im still out at the office 40hrs! I have seen some jobs advertise 9-530 as 40hrs with half hour unpaid lunch BUT then you are out at work 42.5hrs a week! So really the only way to clear this up is to ask the questions: What is my start time What is my finish time How long is my lunch
37.5 technically although we get as a 'perk' a half hour early finish on Fridays so in reality 37 hours. Wish it was 35 hours (or less) though.
35
35 as a software developer
35 on paper but we just introduced compressed weeks so every 2 weeks I don't work the Friday but have to make up the 7 hours throughout the 2 weeks.
35, I work an office job at a charity.
35
I am contracted for 150 days per year, at 12h per day, usually performed in 30-40 day blocks at a time, not the most conventional, but the time off is good. Works out at 1800h per year, so similar overall to a 9-5 job
45 hours
37 is full time for us :-)
I am work for 37 hours a week but maybe actually do five or six hours real work over that period as we got a less than inflation pay rise last year and nothing this year. Sales. I ain't busting my balls anymore!
39h working, physically there for 41h
I work 43 hours a week, my colleague works 34.
37 in local government. Prior to that worked in private sector where the working week was 40 hours but unpaid overtime was expected as the business needed so regularly worked 80-100 hour weeks
37.5 don't do anything overtime
35hrs but actually work 36hrs, the extra hr is accumulated and then every 12th week ill get an extra day off
35.
37 hours over 4 days
35 hours, electrical engineering
45…
Mines 40, excluding any breaks
37.5 but I work 5 12hr shifts, so in one week I can work 60hrs. Over the month it averages to 37.5
45-48 as a full time Doctor
Mine is 37.5 hours with a 30 minute lunch break.
37.5
38.5 here. 4 days on 4 days off, 12 hour shifts which have a 1 hour unpaid break.
47.5 per week plus on call weekend once a month requiring attendance…
40
You generally work 40 but get paid for 37.5, half hour for lunch is deducted
37.5 here as well...
35 hours condensed over 4 days Tuesday to Friday. Works for me.
Officially 37.5 Unofficially more like 42.5
40. Just applied elsewhere though which averages at 37.5 but they do a 9 day fortnight
37 here.
70 hours a week. I have a full time job and I campaign.
I usually do between 40-50 a week.
Paid for 35. But we're pretty 'output focussed' so sometimes more, sometimes less depending on what's going on.
40 hours with another hour(unpaid) for lunch. Overtime at weekends.
37.5, which is essentially 40 hours but they don’t pay us for our half hour lunch
37.5h at my last two jobs which are salaried. The couple of jobs I had before were paid hourly and full time was 35h.
55 hours a week
48 but often do longer
37.5hrs = 0730 to 2100 3x a week of 11.5hrs long day + 1hr break... per week = 12.5hrs/day The 1hr break is unpaid (15mins tea break, 30mins lunch break and another 15mins evening tea break)
35 hours for me.
42. Shift worker
~50
37.5 is the contracted hours. I normally do around 40-42/w.