Work Hours

I always wonder what is an acceptable amount of breaks because people have their own views on what is efficient. Some people like regular breaks, whereas others prefer fewer but longer breaks.

Often, managers say:

“I’m not bothered if the work gets done”

but it would be strange if someone did 3 hours of perfect work, then left for the day.

Personally, I rarely leave my desk, but sometimes procrastinate by peeking at other team’s work to learn what else is going on.

Derek takes 20 minute smoke breaks at certain times of the day. He will also have a 20 minute break with his best work-mate, then take an hour lunch even though contractually we get 30 minutes. On a good day, he will have 2.5 hours out of his 7.5 hour day away from his desk, but on bad days he can have up to 4 hours.

Now, the amount of output we get from Derek isn’t actually the lowest in the team, although often you can question the quality of work. My view is that since Derek spends so much time trying to avoid work, he isn’t very good at it. So when he actually tries doing work, he has to try and cut corners and cobble something together.

Meanwhile, Colin comes into work late, takes way fewer breaks, but his breaks are longer. He is known to work obscure hours, remoting in at home. When available, he will also claim as much overtime as possible, so he appears dedicated. His output is much higher than Derek, but the quality is often erratic.

If I was a manager, I think I would much prefer people to be around their desks, so even if they are chilling out; they are free to answer questions from team members that are trying to get something done. Ultimately, I think the person’s overall output should be analysed to have evidence of their approach. Low quality, or low quantity is poor; so I think Derek and Colin’s approach needs to be questioned.