About how many hours a week do you spend working?

28 comments

1. 40 hours is pretty standard

2. Around 50 hours.

3. Im only required to work 37.5 hours a week but sometimes up to 45 if it’s during a busier period.

4. I’m salaried for 40 hours a week.

   My job is in a medical office and I have 45 minute appointments with people, and every 2-3 people I have a 15 minute window to write notes and such. Typically at least 2 people either reschedule, cancel, or no-show a day, and when that happens I just get a free 45 minute block to do whatever. If it happens at the end of the day I can leave up to 30 minutes early.

   I don’t really think that’s typical. A lot of people work hourly, and if you aren’t busy you just get cut early and don’t get paid. A lot of people in salaried positions are pressured to work overtime without extra pay. My mom was just talking about this in her office, she actually feels like a promotion would mean a pay-cut if we’re talking per-hour, because you’re expected to stay late and work on weekends.

5. Typically a little less than 40

6. 50 hours. I don’t think many people have multiple full time jobs. Maybe 2 or 3 part time jobs that add up to 40/50 hours a week.

7. I try to keep it to 40, but it usually ends up being 42-43

8. Probably between 50-60 a week. But I’m a teacher, so only about 40 of those are on the clock.

   The compensation is that then I’ll get paid for 2.5 months I don’t work during, during Thanksgiving/Christmas/Mardi Gras break and summer vacation.

9. About 35-40. But I also sometimes get freelance work that would add 10-12 hours to my week.

10. 35-40

11. Salaried for 40, but I’m remote, and the actual total varies a ton—25 on the low end, up to 60, and most weeks are probably around 30.

12. I go in for about 40 hours a week…. I work about 30 of those

13. 0. I retired four years ago.

14. 40 hours, with a 15 minute commute. I never have to work overtime.

15. 35 hours a week. If I work extra one week I take off time the next week. Salary.

16. 40 hours on the dot for me.

    People are allowed to have a second or third job. There’s no law against it.

    I think it’d be interesting to see what is considered a “job”. Does someone who do both Uber and Lyft have two jobs or one? What if they pick up some Instacart orders every now and then, do they now have 3?

17. 40-50.

    > I read some people have a second or even a third job in the US…is that really a common thing,or very unusual?

    It’s certainly not unheard of but it’s not something that everyone is doing either.

    Depends on your life situation. A friend of mine raising three kids with his wife – it’s expensive. He works his full time salaried job, but has done side work on nights and weekends here and there for some extra cash.

    Another friend and former coworker of mine does quite well for himself in his primary job, doesn’t struggle to make ends meet. But he has had a passion for videography and has started his own business for that. It’s just what he likes doing.

18. I only need to work 37.5 hours and I get paid for 40. I actually work around 39.5 hours.

19. Engineer in the Pharmaceutical industry.

    Definitely depends on the week for me. Slow weeks (lines are running well, leading up to a major shutdown where any work will get done then, etc) are your typical 40-45 hour weeks. If you’re on call you MIGHT get called in after hours or on a weekend if there is a major issue, just depends on how everything is running.

    Shutdowns are major. We actually just got out of a 2 week one, which I had 2 random, non consecutive days off. Every other day I was doing 12 hours at least. We do get comped for all the extra time worked though. During shutdown as well as any other time we are called in extensively. Honestly, I enjoy what I do and am compensated very fairly for it I believe, so I don’t mind the bust ass weeks when it’s called for.

    I have done a lot more physically demanding work, also for 12 hours, for much less. I am very thankful for where I am in my career now.

20. I work 40 hours a week. A typical full time job.

21. Before I retired I was paid for 40 hours per week, but probably actually worked 20 or so.

22. When I got out of college and got tired of 9 to 5 at a bank after 3 years I left that job and picked a new one that was 42 hours a week. It was a rural mail carrier job that was 6 days, 7 hours pay a week. It was a government contract job, so if I finished in 5 hours I was still paid for 7. So, I picked up a 2nd job that went 3pm to 10pm or 11pm five days a week. I banked everything from the 2nd job for 6 years and then quit both. My wife, myself and 2 kids traveled around/explored America and helped take care of an aging grandma until the money ran out(a little over 2 years). Then I started a new career until eventually retiring in 2015 to take care of my parents ( I was 59). I would say my life has been rather unusual compared to most I’ve met

    Edit – I was probably averaging 70 hours to 75 a week for the combined hours and making 42,000/year combined in 1984. This translates to 124,000/year and 33/hour.*

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

24. 40-80 except on weeks like RN when I’m sick

25. I used to do 60-70 because we were so shorthanded and I took the job knowing I would be working that

26. Usually about 56 hours, I like working overtime for some of them dead presidents

27. I actually only work an average of 25 hours a week, but my pay is high and untaxed, and my rent is low (living together in a studio loft outside of the city), bills are few and shared. However, my boyfriend works 50 hours a week, makes a couple dollars less, is taxed, and has bigger financial responsibilities than me (new motorcycle payments, credit card, medical debt). Most folks I know work an average of 35-50.

    If I were single, I’d likely be homeless or still with my toxic ex or working two jobs and renting only a room, at the minimum.

28. 50-70