The same everywhere i have worked. My 39 hour week is actually 41.5 hours spent in the building.
There is however usually 2 paid 15 minute brakes per day.
No - the private sector generally don't get paid lunches, so a 39 or 37.5 hr week is actual hours worked, excluding ALL breaks, certainly for me it is.
The point is that someone working up to Christmas Eve in the public sector may get more than 20 days holidays a year and may only have to work a laughably short week (such as 35 hours).
If they are working 4 hours less than the bare minimum in most of the private sector and practically al of the SME sector that adds up to a half day a week or 24 extra days off a year.
The whole picture is required before comparisons can be made.
I guess these calculations should also take into account the amount of time spent posting on Askaboutmoney.com when supposedly 'working'.Also factor that people working longer hours and extra days are often getting paid extra for it, recieve a bonus, get time in lieu, or its their own business anyway and they get a % of the profits and take time off as they want. For example, its often claimed that some IT contractors earn so much, that they can afford to take months off at a time! There are plenty of private sector, workers/companies, SE who do not work beyond office hours. Which is obvious if you ever tried deal with them outside office hours.
For example, its often claimed that some IT contractors earn so much, that they can afford to take months off at a time!
I doubt this true in any kind of general sense, if an IT contractor doesn't work for months at a time it is because there is no work available.
I guess these calculations should also take into account the amount of time spent posting on Askaboutmoney.com when supposedly 'working'.
Exactly, an IT contractor has to set his rates to expect to be out of work for long periods of time. And get hit very quickly by an down-turn in things.
I could earn far more than I do if I was contracting, but choose the (relative) security of a full time job over it.
Have a look at the thread title. Are you suggest that it is OK to have an 8-page thread about some people getting a couple of hours off, but it is NOT OK to highlight the fact that some people are spending considerable amounts of work time day in and day out hanging out on AAM (while boasting with much bravado about how many hours a week they work)?Anyone that claims they work 100% of the time is living in fantasy land. So lets not go with that tired old line.
But thats the issue isn't it. You can choose a safer career in the public sector, or similar, or you can go a riskier route of contracting, starting your own business, becoming self employed.
Exactly, an IT contractor has to set his rates to expect to be out of work for long periods of time. And get hit very quickly by an down-turn in things.
I could earn far more than I do if I was contracting, but choose the (relative) security of a full time job over it.
You can be sure of that!Agreed. Contracting isn't all it's made out to be.
I can honestly say that when I was contracting I definitely was productive 100% of the time. I learned new technologies in my own time. Companies I contracted for wouldn't tolerate less. Often, as soon as I walked in the door on a new contract I was shown my desk with PC all set up, and I started working immediately.Anyone that claims they work 100% of the time is living in fantasy land. So lets not go with that tired old line
Some assumptions (feel free to play with the numbers and check my sums)
We have 275,000 civil & public servants
They are each paid 20% more (on average) than the average industrial wage, say €700 p/w or €20 per hour
They each work 45 weeks of the year
Half of them take their Christmas half-day, one hours banking time per week, and two privelege days per annum.
Christmas Shopping Cost = 137,500 X €20 X 3.5 Hours = €9,625,000
Banking Time Cost = 137,500 X €20 X 1 Hours X 45 weeks = €123,750,000
Privelege Day Cost = 137,500 X €20 X 7 X 2 = €38,500,000
I think that comes to a total of €171,875,000 for little hidden perks - its the sheer scale of the thing that makes it hard to swallow.
Have a look at the thread title. Are you suggest that it is OK to have an 8-page thread about some people getting a couple of hours off, but it is NOT OK to highlight the fact that some people are spending considerable amounts of work time day in and day out hanging out on AAM (while boasting with much bravado about how many hours a week they work)?
That doesn't seem like a very balanced approach to me.
You can be sure of that!
Certainly no looking at internet/AAM, or not getting the job done when I was contracting.
I can honestly say that when I was contracting I definitely was productive 100% of the time. I learned new technologies in my own time. Companies I contracted for wouldn't tolerate less. Often, as soon as I walked in the door on a new contract I was shown my desk with PC all set up, and I started working immediately.
Have a look at the thread title. Are you suggest that it is OK to have an 8-page thread about some people getting a couple of hours off, but it is NOT OK to highlight the fact that some people are spending considerable amounts of work time day in and day out hanging out on AAM (while boasting with much bravado about how many hours a week they work)?
That doesn't seem like a very balanced approach to me.
That's right folks - it costs over €32 million euro for civil and public servants to turn on their computers (they must watch the full log on due to the need to enter details at various points)
Which makes me realise that if we account for the extra minute it takes to enter these details that it adds on another €10million or so.
There can be only one conclusion when you look at the scale of the problem - cut the computers, back to pen and paper, that's how you make sure they are working all the time!
What about the idea of shaking hands at meetings - perhaps Mathepac you could do a costing on that and see if the numbers would justify abolishing it.
Some assumptions (feel free to play with the numbers and check my sums)
We have 275,000 civil & public servants
They are each paid 20% more (on average) than the average industrial wage, say €700 p/w or €20 per hour
They each work 45 weeks of the year
Half of them take their Christmas half-day, one hours banking time per week, and two privelege days per annum.
Christmas Shopping Cost = 137,500 X €20 X 3.5 Hours = €9,625,000
Banking Time Cost = 137,500 X €20 X 1 Hours X 45 weeks = €123,750,000
Privelege Day Cost = 137,500 X €20 X 7 X 2 = €38,500,000
I think that comes to a total of €171,875,000 for little hidden perks - its the sheer scale of the thing that makes it hard to swallow.
Regarding this, as usual everyone is looking at the average rate of pay. However, a lot of civil servants would be below this level of pay (36,400 per year). I would have no problem with a reduction for higher paid civil servants but wages of the lower paid should not be affected.
Abraham Lincoln was a civil servant, wasn't he?Abraham Lincoln: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."
I, too, believe this.I can go on a rant about how difficult it was to afford shopping which, in part, I can squarely blame the public sector for.