Five 8 hour days, four 10 hour days, it's all bullshit.

[MasterYoshi]

I am a 32 year old father of 3. I've been a department manager at a major retail grocery store for the last 12 years of my life. I don't know how much more of the 6-2, 9-5, 11-7, 2-10 bullshit I can take. Aside from having covid and losing both of my grandfathers in the span of a month last year, I've been working 6+ days a week for the past couple of years. The demand is through the fucking roof in grocery stores, and the pandemic has made life inside a living hell for workers.

The point of this thread is just to simply discuss how fucking draining a 40+ hour work week is. I'm usually spent after about 5-6 hours, I lose most of my steam and end up drifting through the remainder of my day. Not having a steady schedule is also exhausting. There's days I work until 10 or 11 at night just to turn around and open the following day. Being a dept manager also means being expected to work most weekends, holidays.

We need a complete overhaul of the standard work week. Can you imagine making the same pay, or something fairly comparable, while working four 6 hour days?

 

[Uncle at Nintendo]

Retail schedules fucking blow and suck the life out of you. I got out of that shit during the fist big COVID wave in 2020. I work 9-5 now and my soul hasn't been crushed…yet.

 

[Lightning Count]

I would quite happily accept a shift from 5 day work weeks to 4 but it's ingrained in work culture that 40 hours is standard.

 

[EntelechyFuff]

Just want to say say I deeply empathize MasterYoshi.

When my son was born, I had the sudden realization that on a 40 hour schedule, I'd literally be spending more of my waking hours at work than with my newborn son and his mother, and it really affected me in a way that I have a hard time articulating. Like, parents have just been dealt this shitty bargain (and worse) for hundreds of years.

Imagine dying having spent more time at work than with the literally most important human beings in your life. It's twisted.

 

[Josh5890]

Not a parent but I did my fair share of the grocery life. I don't necessary mind working 40 hours, but having your schedule run all over the place and changing week to week sucked. Close shifts followed with an open shift 8 hours later was never fun. Top that off with retail work already sucking and you have a hell of a combination.

Now I have an 8-4:30 shift Monday-Friday in a completely different setting, and I love it so much more. Stability when it comes to a work schedule makes a big difference.

 

[Frank Lemon]

The first 20 years of my career I had a 35 hour work week. Got changed last year to 40 hours to make policy "homogenous across all divisions". Motherfuckers couldn't homogenize 35 hours?

 

[Lord Fanny]

I work retail, but I have a unique situation since I actually have a set schedule and work a week on, week off, so while one week can be a grind having the next week completely off helps a lot. I feel sorry for folks on the other shifts, because their schedules are much like yours, just all over the place.

 

[Ottaro]

I would quite happily accept a shift from 5 day work weeks to 4 but it's ingrained in work culture that 40 hours is standard.

Click to shrink...

The less time off we have the less time and energy we have to question the systems that hold us down.

 

[Izzard]

Retail manager here. 11 hour days, 5 days a week. And of course my contract is 39hrs so I'm working the extra 16 for free.
We've been treated like shit by our bosses and our customers all through the pandemic, and yet remained open. There's been no real respect for what retailers did from anyone tbh.

 

[Tavernade]

My schedule is pretty regular but 1-2 days a week are so exhausting that I'm not even awake enough to do stuff when I get home on those days. And I'm working 40 hours a week already, so it's like losing and additional day every week.

My hot take is retail stores should be open 10-6 each day and if customers don't have hours that match up, tough shit, buy it online. Especially now when it's incredibly difficult to be staffed (there are three positions our company has wanted filled at all times and we have the staff to fill one of them once a week). The best days of my entire career where right when lockdown ended when we were only open 12-5, and only for curbside. And we'd go in early to still hit 40 hours and actually have time to get stuff done.

I lost my train of thought somewhere.

Customers have been trained by retailers to expect everything handed to them and it's ruined the entire system, and they need to be weened off of it.

 

[Prophet Five]

I still work 40 hours a week, but getting out of retail was the biggest blessing and mental health boost ever. For obvious reasons, sure, but the other part of it is having a set schedule (8-4, 9-5 depending on my mood and timeliness). It just lets you lead a somewhat "normal" life. We should work less and companies should pay more because everyone is overworked, but my GameStop days were filled with 1-9 shifts or, BLEH, 5p-1a "midnight" launches and the older I got, the worse they made me feel. I hope it gets better, OP.

 

[Ramirez]

I did the same for a decade and it was the most miserable existence of my life. Nothing to add except, I can relate.

 

[Deleted member 9241]

Get a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life!

 

[Citizencope]

While I did love my 4x10, a lot of times I was sapped of energy until about Sat afternoon.
I literally just got offered a job at 5 days a week, 6 hours a day. I've yet to find out if they are going to pay me at 40 hour rate. That would be a dream.

 

[Fulminator]

It won't happen unless there's some kind of semi organized effort by workers, if history is anything to go by

I'd gladly be part of that effort

 

[Damien1928]

I agree OP. Similar situation. It's awful.

 

[Fuzzery]

Retail manager here. 11 hour days, 5 days a week. And of course my contract is 39hrs so I'm working the extra 16 for free.
We've been treated like shit by our bosses and our customers all through the pandemic, and yet remained open. There's been no real respect for what retailers did from anyone tbh.

Click to shrink...

Why are you working 16 hours for free?

 

[Anton Sugar]

I have a 32 hour work week (4 days) where I work (a very labor-friendly small business owned by friends--they had considered making it a coop but it's difficult in the video production industry) and it's pretty life changing. The pain that comes with trying to cram everything you actually want to do in just two days is basically gone. I wish it was standard.

Imagine a world where wages were high enough that you didn't have to work 40 hours AND more people were employed as a result of you working a shorter week.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

My schedule is pretty regular but 1-2 days a week are so exhausting that I'm not even awake enough to do stuff when I get home on those days. And I'm working 40 hours a week already, so it's like losing and additional day every week.

My hot take is retail stores should be open 10-6 each day and if customers don't have hours that match up, tough shit, buy it online. Especially now when it's incredibly difficult to be staffed (there are three positions our company has wanted filled at all times and we have the staff to fill one of them once a week). The best days of my entire career where right when lockdown ended when we were only open 12-5, and only for curbside. And we'd go in early to still hit 40 hours and actually have time to get stuff done.

I lost my train of thought somewhere.

Customers have been trained by retailers to expect everything handed to them and it's ruined the entire system, and they need to be weened off of it.

Click to shrink...

I agree, shortening hours is honestly a good thing for both retail and food service. Having worked both before, the wasted hours at low volume times is maddening. The concept of being open all the time is a bit outdated.

I even think being closed a day or two a week would not necessarily bad either as long as the business is consistent.

 

[Richietto]

40 hours a week is killing me at this point. There has got to be a better way.

 

[Izzard]

Why are you working 16 hours for free?

Click to shrink...

There's less staff, due to less hours budget, so I basically have to or the store either has no staff to open or no staff to end the day with.

 

[Keyouta]

I've been doing 4 x 10 for about four years now and let me tell you, I will never do 5 8s. It already takes almost an hour to commute to work and I'm getting half an hour unpaid, I'm not about to be there another day of the week unless I'm getting ot.

4 x 10 allows for a great work life balance, I got Friday off every week.

 

[MasterYoshi]

I agree, shortening hours is honestly a good thing for both retail and food service. Having worked both before, the wasted hours at low volume times is maddening. The concept of being open all the time is a bit outdated.

I even think being closed a day or two a week would not necessarily bad either as long as the business is consistent.

Click to shrink...

Can you imagine the cleaning opportunities that could be accomplished if places were just closed on a random Monday or Tuesday?

 

[CrankyJay]

I probably really only work an actual 6 to 7 hours a day.

 

[Adventureracing]

I feel for retail workers. Having to work all those hours getting treated like shit and frankly not getting paid nearly enough.

Being a frontline healthcare worker during the pandemic has sucked but I get paid enough that I have been able to reduce my hours to 4 days a week and in the near future I'll be reducing them even more.

 

[Blake the drunk]

I probably really only work an actual 6 to 7 hours a day.

Click to shrink...

shit, mine probably 4-6 Lmao especially on fridays, need 4 10s TBH

 

[Carbon]

I probably really only work an actual 6 to 7 hours a day.

Click to shrink...

That much? Look at you, hard worker!

 

[CrankyJay]

shit, mine probably 4-6 Lmao especially on fridays, need 4 10s TBH

Click to shrink...

That much? Look at you, hard worker!

Click to shrink...

Started a few months ago so trying to see what an effort gets me in the way of a raise.

 

[ryan299]

My last job was 36 hours. I was out by 2 on Friday's but the fall season required a ton of ot due to increased sales and a ton of operational issues. If they didn't pay me like crap I probably would've stayed for the hours.
I ended up going to another company filled with a ton of operational issues and they don't seem interested in actually solving them since it will cost money.

At least it was a huge raise for me.

 

[crienne]

If anything, working remotely has made me realize just how little "at-work" time I actually need to get my day-to-day work done.

 

[evrythngwastakn]

Sorry for your losses, OP.

but yes, I agree. I'm a teacher so people give me the "muSt bE nIce to WorK frOm 9-3 and GeT 3 MoNtHs OfF loL" allll the time. Even family. Not realizing that I actually am at work from 8-4 each day, usually don't take a lunch and still work most nights, including on weekends and breaks. That's before being guilt tripped by admin, other teachers and parent groups into being on committees or clubs or coaching or Pro D or whatever other shit happens. Having my second kid this past year has really thrown into clarity how gross our work culture is. Like, honestly? Fuck YET ANOTHER lunch time committee to argue about bureaucratic shit, or completely overhauling yet another lesson I've already taken the time to craft because it's "best practice" (that kids don't really care about anyway). Too many people of all professions define their entire life and personality by their work. I know many many teachers that basically never see their families because they're working or coaching or whatever. Yeah, it's great you help out kids but at the expensive of your relationships with your loved ones? I dunno, man.

I l've been trying to do my job, the best I can, in the hours I'm at work. I've cut down how much I do at home and have told kids to do the same. So much burnout and health issues, both physical and mental, and increasing productive time would be easy fixes by reducing working hours and increasing time to just have some free time.

 

[Squid Lord]

I probably really only work an actual 6 to 7 hours a day.

Click to shrink...

I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work.

 

[ScaleboundGOTY]

What department do you manage?

 

[HemoGoblin]

How/where do people even get 9-5 jobs? I'm in the Midwest and I've never even heard of a job that doesn't go from 8-5 with a lunch break by default. Never understood the 9-5 phrasing, unless that's just an inaccurate term?

 

[Byronic Hero]

I'm an inventory specialist at a grocery store and I 100% feel your pain.

 

[Alcoremortis]

I'm exempt so as long as I can produce data fast, I can leave early.

Downside: I also can't leave until the work is done and sometimes have meetings at ungodly times with collaborators in different time zones.

 

[Extra Sauce]

40 hours is unnatural and currently ruining my body and mind.

I sorely miss working from home three days a week, or before that when I worked onsite but only between 30 to 35 hours a week because management didn't care as long as the work got done.

shit is making me fantasize about the death of capitalism.

 

[Puroresu_kid]

In the UK when Corbyn talked about a future with a 4 day working week the response from not only the media but population was "his crazy". People have been so conditioned to believe that working 40hrs a week is the only way. Its ridiculous

 

[Alcoremortis]

How/where do people even get 9-5 jobs? I'm in the Midwest and I've never even heard of a job that doesn't go from 8-5 with a lunch break by default. Never understood the 9-5 phrasing, unless that's just an inaccurate term?

Click to shrink...

Technically, I have one, though the times are more variable. I think you need to be an exempt employee (no lunch break, no overtime, no minimum wage, etc).

 

[Zelda]

My schedule is pretty regular but 1-2 days a week are so exhausting that I'm not even awake enough to do stuff when I get home on those days. And I'm working 40 hours a week already, so it's like losing and additional day every week.

My hot take is retail stores should be open 10-6 each day and if customers don't have hours that match up, tough shit, buy it online. Especially now when it's incredibly difficult to be staffed (there are three positions our company has wanted filled at all times and we have the staff to fill one of them once a week). The best days of my entire career where right when lockdown ended when we were only open 12-5, and only for curbside. And we'd go in early to still hit 40 hours and actually have time to get stuff done.

I lost my train of thought somewhere.

Customers have been trained by retailers to expect everything handed to them and it's ruined the entire system, and they need to be weened off of it.

Click to shrink...

It would be better if your company simply hired another manager and cut your work in half and gave it to the other. Win win. You work less and the store remains open for everyone no matter what time they have available to shop.
You and the second manager being paid fairly of course. Hence where the problem lies though, corporate greed.

 

[Apollon]

I feel the same way, and I'm becoming increasingly convinced that the only viable path forward is to leave America. Preferably for a place that won't be victimized by our foreign policy.

 

[Much]

I'm on 40 hours a week as well, and yeah, I still think that the number of hours as a standard should be reduced to something like 32 hours or even 30 hours a week. This includes keeping the salary or level of pay the same, the only thing changing is the time spent in work. I like my job at the moment, but I still don't believe in the idea for any place of work that it should be the key focus of your life. The fact that work takes up more than the majority of one's day and leaves only a little room for personal time is a sad thing about society/life right now. It isn't exactly aided by ever rising cost of living, either. If anything, wages should be going up and hours should be going down, honestly.

 

[Hollywood Duo]

Yeah I get you. You are productive for prob half that time.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

I'm at work 40-50 hours a week but frankly do about 2-3 hours of actual work every day, it's not too bad

 

[reKon]

As much stuff should be automated as possible. Then we should tax the shit out of robots.

 

[MasterYoshi]

What department do you manage?

Click to shrink...

Meat and Seafood

 

[NPVinny]

If I could do 4 days at 8 hours even if it meant making 4/5ths of what I do now, I'd take that in a heartbeat.

 

[Carn]

Worked 40 hours the past give or take 15 years and switched to 32 this year. We can afford the dip in income, otherwise I wouldnt have done it.. But glad I did.

 

[Tavernade]

I agree, shortening hours is honestly a good thing for both retail and food service. Having worked both before, the wasted hours at low volume times is maddening. The concept of being open all the time is a bit outdated.

I even think being closed a day or two a week would not necessarily bad either as long as the business is consistent.

Click to shrink...

Mid pandemic they actually made us open LATER than we were open pre-pandemic, and we fought it tooth and nail as "this is dumb and won't make any money" and were ignored, it didn't work and we didn't make any money, and now we're back to our old hours. Honestly we could close two hours earlier and we'd only be out 1-2 grand tops a day, if that, as the only thing that happens before we close is big returns.

It would be better if your company simply hired another manager and cut your work in half and gave it to the other. Win win. You work less and the store remains open for everyone no matter what time they have available to shop.
You and the second manager being paid fairly of course. Hence where the problem lies though, corporate greed.

Click to shrink...

We actually did that, but it's still vastly more work than our tiny team can do. It's greed but more specifically a refusal to adjust expectations to realities.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

I've seen anecdotal evidence that shorter work weeks leads to better production, is there actual data or studies to back this up?