Work - The pros and the cons... - The Bear and Badger

Diluted Dante

My experience is generally that they need you more when it comes to overtime, but it helps that I'm in a financial position now where overtime isn't worth my time so I wouldn't care if I were blacklisted.

Gamermike

In my last job, you were expected to work extra hours if there were deadlines. People would literally sit there for hours after 5pm, once it was until 1am for many... all unpaid! I often stayed an hour or two, often through guilt and to show willingness. But I was singled out for it, really horrible situation to be in.

My advice to most would be to go home on time and don't let anyone expect you stay on. Also only accept overtime if and when it suits you.

Diluted Dante

Fuck being unpaid.

[Deleted User]

Been in the same situation as Mike there. Not too surprising as we are in similar industries.

It was a big thing that pushed me to go freelance. Now I down tools and am off guilt free. They want me to stay it is double bubble.

Speaking of which. Time to fuck off home.

Dark Soldier

Aye they've asked me to swap days off and do extra hours at my place, I just say no. Helps that the option is always, always there though due to being massively understaffed but we don't get paid any extra so they can suck my dick.

I do stay later sometimes but nature of the beast if you get a dickhead call 10 minutes from the end.

tigersgogrrr

I'm always working through lunch and late and at weekends and I'm not even going take the day off I'm due.

Damn slackers.

RedDave2

I work too much but I genuinely enjoy 90 percent of it but it annoys the hell out of my wife.

I realise not being able to switch off from the business is not a good long term plan, not sure I've had a proper holiday in 5 years now. I've made a promise that our next holiday in 2019 will involve zero contact with work

The Daddy

We’ve had ofsted in the last two days. What a ball ache that’s been, especially with the England match the other night. All done now though so it’s booze o clock once the kids have gone to bed.

[Deleted User]

tigerswiftly wrote:

I'm always working through lunch and late and at weekends and I'm not even going take the day off I'm due.

Damn slackers.

You're educating future generations not lining some twat's pockets.

Diluted Dante

Unless it's an Academy...

Stopharage

Lots of academies aren’t lining people’s pockets in the sense you’re getting at.

ShabbyMcCrabby

Unpaid overtime is ridiculous. You're getting paid to work so if you do more work you should be paid for it.

poprock

I heard of a graphic designer who got paid overtime once. Nobody believed her.

three1ne

Anyone in the design/video industry ever get overtime unless you're freelance? First couple of years I'd do loads to show willingness and also because I love it. Now I'm beginning to see how it's all rather pointless, probably just because I'm seeing a bottleneck in my current company with not much left in terms of career progression.

It's absolutely expected though if we have deadlines.

poprock

Hell, in my experience even freelancers are paid by the day, not the hour. There’s 24 potential working hours in a day …

[Deleted User]

Fuck that. Im off after 8 hours unless you are paying me.
I might have other client work on in the evenings, any freelancer working past 8 hours for free is a mug.

Forget that "day is 24 hours" shite as well. A standard working day is 8 hours, that is what they pay for, that is what they get. Those giving more for free are only fucking over other freelancers and permanent employees. Never work for free.

If people actually started walking out at the end of office hours rather than rolling over and taking it the design industry would be a much better place to work.

Dark Soldier

Just had to come back home, think I've pulled something in my back, couldn't sit at work without the pain knocking me sick, and of course they can't give painkillers due to potential allergies etc

poprock

Liveinadive wrote:

If people actually started walking out at the end of office hours rather than rolling over and taking it the design industry would be a much better place to work.

The root cause is the entrenched notion that working in the creative industries is some sort of privilege. Always has been.

Diluted Dante

Yeah, saw a conversation about unpaid internships on Twatter, and the amount of people arguing that you should have to do certain jobs for free because they're 'cool' is insane.

Favourite response was the chap who posted (not Elon Musk obvs) that his company designs space rockets which most people would consider one of the coolest possible jobs, and they pay their interns very well.

mannaboy

Dark Soldier wrote:

Just had to come back home, think I've pulled something in my back, couldn't sit at work without the pain knocking me sick, and of course they can't give painkillers due to potential allergies etc

Feel for you dude, my sciatica has flared up too and in turns sitting and lying down are painful. Got a long drive tomorrow for all day mid-year reviews, not looking forward to that, but at least popping the painkillers is fine for me. Stretching is helping too, might be worth finding a chiropractor or looking up some exercises online.

Roujin

Dark Soldier wrote:

Just had to come back home, think I've pulled something in my back, couldn't sit at work without the pain knocking me sick, and of course they can't give painkillers due to potential allergies etc

Did you have a DSE assessment after you started to make sure your desk was setup properly for screens and posture and all that?

Dark Soldier

Roujin wrote:

Dark Soldier wrote:

Just had to come back home, think I've pulled something in my back, couldn't sit at work without the pain knocking me sick, and of course they can't give painkillers due to potential allergies etc

Did you have a DSE assessment after you started to make sure your desk was setup properly for screens and posture and all that?

Yeah man everything is grand. Been sat there a year without any issue, me back was a bastard this morning but I thought I'd see how it went. Gonna take a couple days off, why not.

@mannaboy I had sciatica a while back, one of the worst pains ever. Fistbump to you bro

Roujin

Aight mang take it easy.

When your back is better try doing some planks, sit ups, pressups or other bodyweight exercises that work your core. Most bad backs are because people end up with weak lower back muscles from sitting all day/general sedentary behaviour.

Dark Soldier

Aye guv, it more than likely is that. I was working out doing planks and sit ups for a while then it became hotter than the sun and I stopped. I'll get back into it. Much love

Tempy

I’m dreading what my back will have in store for me in the next ten years. The spine is a curse. Sympathies.

I need to pick a date for my PGDE interview. It can either be Wed/Thurs this week, or in a fortnight. I dunno whether to go early and find out quicker, or give myself more prep time but potentially struggle with a longer wait.

mannaboy

@DS right back at you fella!

Yossarian

Tempy wrote:

I’m dreading what my back will have in store for me in the next ten years. The spine is a curse. Sympathies.

I need to pick a date for my PGDE interview. It can either be Wed/Thurs this week, or in a fortnight. I dunno whether to go early and find out quicker, or give myself more prep time but potentially struggle with a longer wait.

Go later, partially because there’s a small but real chance that you’ll have a hungover Englishman interviewing you on Thursday.

Gamermike

Liveinadive wrote:

If people actually started walking out at the end of office hours rather than rolling over and taking it the design industry would be a much better place to work.

This. I did this a year or so ago, and got unprofessionally singled out for it. It's a disgrace that it's considered a 'thing' to expect people to stay on for free when a deadline is looming. I appreciate people want to be a team player, appear dedicated, want to stay on good terms and progress etc... but theres a way to do that in the allocated working hours. It got to a point where the free overtime would eat into my evening freelance work, that i had to do to keep the family afloat. There's no way i will be put in that position again.

Stopharage

Tempy wrote:

I’m dreading what my back will have in store for me in the next ten years. The spine is a curse. Sympathies. I need to pick a date for my PGDE interview. It can either be Wed/Thurs this week, or in a fortnight. I dunno whether to go early and find out quicker, or give myself more prep time but potentially struggle with a longer wait.

Get it over and done with. I'd bet that any extra prep that you do won't make much of a difference anyway. Yes, you might be a bit more clued up about the curriculum, specifications etc but that isn't what is going to get you a place on the course. They're expecting huge gaps in your knowledge around teaching.

I'll willing to wager a fair amount of money that they're looking for you to show that you're personable, have a love of the subject, are able to communicate effectively and have valid reasons for going into teaching (don't say it's seems like the best option; instead polish turds.)

Yossarian

Please sing The Greatest Love of All in answer to the ‘why do you want to teach’ question.

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