Average start and finish times for office workers?

37 comments

1. My old job was 8-4, my current one is 9-5.30. And yes the extra half a day really does make a big difference.

2. 9:30 – 18:00, 1 hour for lunch.

   Looks like these hours are becoming fairly standard now. I don’t mind it though as I enjoy my work, and have no obligation to work after those hours.

   I also WFH when I want to, but I choose to go in twice a week, as does most of my team.

3. Ok, so you’re getting half an hour’s PAID break plus half an hour unpaid mandatory break. Taking your hours to 5:30.

   The Civil Service used to do this, it’s misleading.

4. 8 to 4 usually thought I can do whatever I want between 8 and 8 as long as I do 35 hours a week.

5. Maybe chat with Acas or a union rep about what they can make you do under this contract. I’m not saying play hardball, but it couldn’t hurt to privately find out what your rights are. Unless they find a way to end your contract and make you sign a new one, you should work 9-5 as contracted imo.

   In terms of general working hours, depending on traffic, I actually don’t often mind staying a little later to avoid being stuck in jams. But if I’m stuck in a jam at least that’s on my own time, it also frustrates me a little to think of all the times I’ve stayed later at work and gotten home at like half 6 or 7 just to avoid traffic. Who does that really benefit, because I’ve lost loads of my evening!

6. 8-4 and 9-5, alternating each week

7. About to start a new job (remote) and will be doing 8:30-4:30 with one hour for lunch.

   Previously was in a hybrid role and worked 8:30-4:30 from home and 8-4 in the office which included an hour lunch.

   Feel quite lucky reading some of the comments. I think I’d struggle to switch to a 9-5:30 role now as I’d feel like I’d lose such a big chuck of my day.

8. I’m the first in at 11 and last to leave at 4.

9. I do slightly compressed hours so I tend to work 8:30-17:30 with an hour lunch, but I get an extra day off every second week and some shifts are shorter than that to ensure I average out to 35 hours per week.

10. I do 4 days a week, 8 – 6, with 1 hour 15 mins paid break. Used to be 8-4 when we did 5 days a week, with 1 hours break.

    If your contract says 9-5 and both parties have signed it, then your shift ends at 5. If they want you to work for an extra 30 minutes, they should correct the mistake they admit they’ve made on your contract.

11. My job is super chill nobody really cares exactly what hours you do as long as you do 35hrs. On our contact is says 37.5 but we only do 35.

    Some people in my company start as early as 7am and be done by 3pm. I tend to stick to 9am – 5pm. With an 1hour lunch

12. 4am-2pm. No breaks

13. 8:30 – 5, with 30mins for lunch – Although this is the contracted hours, it can vary quite a bit depending on workload and urgency. There have been days when I’ve had to stay past 7pm, and other days when there was nothing left to do from about 2pm onwards.

14. It used to be 9-5.30 with 1h break but now it’s just 37.5h a week and we can choose the hours as long as we do ‘core hours’ of 10-4

15. Whatever I want, I’m on flexitime. Normally do 7-3

16. Used to be ‘9 till 6’ hours lunch. Fucking bollocks. Come in at 830 for a morning meeting. ‘You’re all doing shit today’ you are ALL staying until 8pm FOR FREE! Needless to say I told them to fuck off after 2 months plus I’m an angry Sagittarius ♐️ 😤

17. I’m in at 7am and leave after 4pm. It’s quite flexible since most people are still wfh.

18. 37.5 hours a week.

    As long as I am present for any calls I’m required on and I get my shit done then when and where I do my hours is my business.

19. 35 hours a week – nothing at all about timings.

20. 8.30 – 5pm Mon to Thurs with 30min lunch. 8.30 – 12.30 on a Friday.

    I love having Friday afternoons off

21. 8:30-5 Monday-Thursday 8:30-4 Friday and a 1 hour lunch break

22. Check your contract, might be someone pulling a fast one. The contract matters – don’t surrender 120 hours of your life a year without doing your due diligence.

    That’s 5 x 24 hour days.

    Currently it’s “Do what you need to in order to get the job done” trust time is generally a thing among senior staff I find.

    I’ve mostly done 8-4 or 7:30-3:30 in set hours jobs.

    I’ve done 9-5 and hated it, also 8-5 once – I actually liked that job but yeah, shit hours on top of a commute.

23. 8-5 with 1hr unpaid lunch

24. 9-5:30, I could come in an hour early to leave at 4:30 but then I’d get caught up in traffic while finishing later meas the roads are clear

    50min commute each way, remote 2/3 days a week

25. 9-5 M-T, 9-4:30 F with hours lunch break

26. 730am/10am – 4pm/630pm

    Start whenever as long as I do the 8.5 hours a day

27. Technically 9 – 5 with a one hour lunch but I don’t contractually have any set hours. So it flexes a bit, I usually work about 8.30 – 4.30.

28. 9 – 4 usually, maybe leave at 3 on a Friday.

29. 8.30-5.30 with an hours lunch

30. I’m contracted 9-5:30 with an hour’s lunch, but we have flexitime and can shift start times around from 7-10 and end times accordingly to match

31. 37 hours a week, beyond that nobody really cares. I try to do about 730-330ish when I go into the office, normally more like 8-4 on the 90% of days that I wfh.

    ​

    When I’ve had set hours in previous jobs they’ve either been 9-5 (30 mins break) or 830-5 (hour break) but nobody seemed to really pay that much attention. I’ve never done like a factory production line or customer service desk where it’s mattered down to the minute, I just do my work then go home when it’s done.

32. I’ve worked in various businesses over the last 10 years, and I’ve always either worked 9-5, or 8-4 with an hours lunch.

    But in reality, none of the businesses really cared too much about the lunch break if you got your job done, and most don’t really care about start/end times either.

    I would frequently have a slightly longer lunch, or turn up a few mins late or whatnot, and only once in all my career has it been mentioned, and that was by a manager who was frankly an awful person and eventually got fired for her own performance.

    I’m guessing as you stated it’s your first office job that it’s an entry level position – they tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to that sort of thing, as you progress through more senior roles, there is less and less oversight and only your performance is important

33. In set hours jobs its varied, I’ve done 7-3, 8-4, 9-5, 10-6, 11-7 and everything in-between.

    Currently I can work when I want, as long as the work gets done and I meet client commitments then I can start/finish when I want – some days I’ve done literally 2 hours. It doesn’t really matter.

34. 9-5 with an hour for lunch

35. Varies a lot. But generally I work from 10-7 Monday to Thursday then 10-3 on Friday. If I’m teaching that semester I also work on the weekend, and if I’ve a lot on I’ll work in the evenings at home. Academia is fun like that. But as long as I work at least 40hrs a week and show up to my commitments then nobody really cares when I’m in my actual office.

36. Contract is 9-5 with an hour lunch

    I was a bit annoyed as half the team worked 8.30-4.30 but since I was the last to join, I didn’t get to pick that.

    Now I work 8.30-5 with a half hour lunch and have an afternoon off each week which is lovely.

    I’d rather leave early than have a longer lunch break (or reduce lunchtime and use it for whole afternoon off). WFH means I can eat when I want.

    Basically it’s 37 hours a week and as long as the team cover 8.30-5, we can be pretty flexible

37. I am a home worker and I work compressed hours (FTE is 35 hours) so I work 7 til 4 (3.30 on a Friday) with an hour for lunch but don’t work Mondays and get paid 90% salary as I work 90% time. It’s a London firm but they’re a great employer.
    I don’t really notice the 10%less pay but, not working on a Monday is bloody marvelous!!!