alot of this is arguement is based on not liking your work. i enjoy what i do and i put in the hard work to make ends meet. as a third generation owner, my list of people who i am responsible for is also expanded. i want to work hard to make sure the business that my grandparents and parents worked so hard to build continues to grow. it makes me proud and it gives them pride in our family as well.

as a business owner my point of view may be different than most. i work 13-14 hours a day. my fiance knows it and our time together is special. we don't waste time when we're together. we try to live life fully. how many people can say this truthfully? and we know how to appreciate that. look at the flip side. how many families are physically together for many hours a day, but not interacting? you see them all the time. mom is in the house, dad is watching tv. the kids are on the internet. everybody is home, but their time together is not meaningful and that's pitiful to me.

remember, the state of our country is founded on the premise that there are select few that are willing to work harder than most, to innovate, to pioneer. the reason that we have such a pleasant life with all of these great distractions stems from those who are greedy (for lack of a more positive word) and ambitious. it's not a bad thing.

 

EXCELLENT point.

 

I work over holidays, mostly because I live in a tourist based town and working in the hospitality industry holidays tend to be the busiest time of the year. During the summer we have horse racing, and winters we have skiing. For any resident in the area time off comes between the off seasons. Even when I was in management I still did not take the time off, my duties at work were more important. I really dont feel as though I miss out on holidays maybe because I have missed so many that they have just become another business day. I just picked up a job at a Indian Casino and they dont recognize holidays (no time and a half pay) but they do recognize holidays when they jack up prices for you to stay. However my wife did grow up very family oriented during the holidays and being from across the country it will ake it hard as she wants to spend time with me and her family, but again working in hospitality its just not possible.

 

Where do you live that has horse racing in the summer and skiing in the winter? Sounds like my sort of place. Any race tracks for cars nearby too?

 

With exception of workaholics, ppl work overtime for various reasons.
I remember my dad worked overtime like crazy back in Japan. We were originally from China but went to Japan to earn money, and in fact a lot of Chinese families went that route. He basically leaves home at around 7 AM and comes back at 1 AM. Now that I think about it, I'm really amazed how he managed to handle these years. I guess it really mattered with Culture in Japan and value of many Asian families. We tend to save and save money for future unlike I've noticed here that many Caucasians like to spend a lot. I know a lot of Japanese workers are VERY loyal to their company and that's the main reason they work really hard.

It was tough indeed for family because I basically couldn't see my dad at all even though we lived in the same family. I sleep before he comes back and he leaves before I wake up. I remember there was even a product which is a teddy bear holding a whiteboard so the kids can leave dad's message before he comes back and the next morning they can read dad's replies. Anyways, the main reason my dad worked so much was for money and some of the highest earning reached as much as 12k per month. Like someone said above though, even if a family spends a lot of time together, if they are not interacting, then it's useless. Even though my dad didn't have much time, at least he used the limited time effectively and communicated with my mom. My family was fine .

 

Money isn't everything but not having it is. i mostly just work what I have to work to get projects out on or before their dealines. Who is going to want to higher a company to do something for them if said company never meets their due dates and the work is half assed. People want to get what they pay for and if you want to continue to be successful keeping your clients happy has to be a priority. With that said they is no way I'm missing a Christmas, thanksgiving or whatever to be at work.

 

Elistan, I live in Ruidoso NM and Roswell has a drag strip, there is Arroyo Seco Raceway in Deming and Albuquerque also has Sandia Motorsports, and there are SCCA events in El Paso at Cohen Stadium. Its a three hour drive at the most to any event from where I am. Take a look into the NM Forum, one of the members (Coop) has a drive planned from your neck of the woods through NM, CO and AZ next year.

 

THe company has no more loyalty to the employee. Remeber that when you are "going the extra mile" and staying late. I do what is required and expected, but no more. I am not looking to kiss ass to get to the next level when more work will be expected. I have been through two building relocations and none of them were the fault of the workers, it was always some other BS stiry. Logisitics, etc. I learned that there is no security in a job well done anymore, if it will save the company $5, they will shut down even the best unit they have.

 

If you want to know the real reason in simple english here it is: people are compensated, either through over time or in a more complex fashion such as working in a specific field to begin with like consulting etc., extra for time they spend working beyond 40 hours a week. Note I didn't say proportionally-I said extra.

Also, that extra compensation is usually only going to be available for an unspecified amount of time. Even if that means for a couple years.

During one 3 month session, I averaged 84 hours a week. This particular assignment was simply not worth it beyond a resume builder. Almost no amount of money will convince me to do that again. I lost about 25 lbs of muscle, gained 5 lbs of fat, and only slept about 3-4 hours a night for the entire duration. The sad part is I actually got used to it. The absolute best part of my day was my 10 min shower and the 30-45 seconds I laid in the bed about to fall asleep. How much $ I made didn't make that much of a difference.

Otherwise I draw the line around 60 hours a week and that's not "too" often. The extra 20 hours a week I work end up earning me almost exactly the same amount of $ the first 40 did, that's why I do it.
Like many others here, I'm in my early 20's and want to be able to do whatever I want before I get remotely old. Well I take that back, because when I was working 80+ hrs a week [didn't include commuting time of roughly an hour each way] I felt like I was about 75 years old.

I'd rather spend my time developing my "stock market" skills making myself rich than making someone else rich. Not everyone has that option though.

 

you're kidding right?

if it's true your current employer has this attitude, then you better find another job. but try and take a look at yourself and the effort you put in. if your employer knows your attitude they'll treat you exactly as you expect them too.

i have more than a few workers who have forty+ years with our company. many of them started right out of college or high school and they'll retire with us. several have come out of retirement to work a few hours a day, because they enjoyed it so much. 've personally helped employees move residences, repair houses, loaned them money to fix cars or travel to visit relatives. we've helped them pay for funerals, and sponsored some to get their citizenship. that's how i treat my employees and they reward me with hard work and extra hours when i need it.

employment is a two way street. it's a symbiotic relationship that can be win-win, if everyone tries their best.

sheesh, pretty soon we're gonna be french.