sandym Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Hi all,just a quick query over the difference in work / life balance of Oz and the UK. We have heard it many times that the life work balance in oz is a lot more family friendly and that the expected hours of work are more acceptable in Oz. Is this actually the case??? My husband is an Analyst Programmer / Developer. What are the expected working hours per week? This might seem a simple question but we have family members who are used to the uk way of working and think that if you earn a high salary you need to put in the hours and work a lot longer than the normal 37 hours per week. They are currently finding it hard to believe us when we say that the working cultuure is different over there and think we are seeing everything through rose tinted spectacles. Is this the case??? We would really appreciate some of your experiences and knowledge with this. Many thanks Sandy & Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Hi all,just a quick query over the difference in work / life balance of Oz and the UK. We have heard it many times that the life work balance in oz is a lot more family friendly and that the expected hours of work are more acceptable in Oz. Is this actually the case??? My husband is an Analyst Programmer / Developer. What are the expected working hours per week? This might seem a simple question but we have family members who are used to the uk way of working and think that if you earn a high salary you need to put in the hours and work a lot longer than the normal 37 hours per week. They are currently finding it hard to believe us when we say that the working cultuure is different over there and think we are seeing everything through rose tinted spectacles. Is this the case??? We would really appreciate some of your experiences and knowledge with this. Many thanks Sandy & Mike I think you are looking through rose tinted sorry. It is not the case that everyone knocks off early and goes to the beach and certainly for a higher salary it is expected that the hours will be put in. I am not in IT but in an office based professional role and typically work about 50 hours a week (although my official hours are 37.5). I arrive in the city very early and Sydney is up and about earlier than London in my opinion, buzzing at 7am and no people are not going home at 4pm, the busiest time for transport home is around 5.30- 6.30pm. On the other hand, I find I am not expected to be "on call" whilst on holiday. At least I am allowed to enjoy my holidays in peace. At the more junior levels, there is possibly more of a 9 to 5 culture. But no, definitely not at the senior levels. Not that I have seen or heard of anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fashionably Late Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 My husband works in IT and never works less than 40 hours per week and often more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 I'm an IT contractor and only work the hours I'm contracted to do (maybe a touch over). I'm in the office just before 8 am and I'm out of the door at 4.30 on the dot. I don't do lunch. The career-minded, permanent employees probably do more hours than me - but I'm not around to count them :wink:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 I think it depends on a range of variables including the company you work for; your level of seniority; what is going on in the company at any given time, your particular role and how ambitious you are. It is entirely possible to do a 37.5 hour week in a lot of companies - many of my staff do this and that's fine. I encourage people to maintain a healthy work life balance as I believe it aids performance. However, if we have a problem or deadlines looming etc that can't be achieved in a normal working week I expect everyone involved to suck it up and put work ahead of other considerations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwards Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I work in IT in Brisbane, and do no more than 37.5hrs a week. From what I see most people chip off as early as possible and spend a lot of time in coffee shops. It takes me 15-20mins commute on motorbike using the t2 lane. My work life here is much easier than in the UK and I'm home much earlier, although the dark evenings don't really inspire me to much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I think it depends on how good you are as well. I have always believed the outputs are more important than the inputs. If a person is a high performer and producing high quality work efficiently then I wouldn't care if they left at 5pm. We all know people who put in lots of hours at work but are not effective, don't manage their time well or waste a lot of the the time. I would focus on being effective, managing time spent at work, and producing high quality work and that will be valued highly and it won't matter if you don't put in long hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sreejeshonchiyam Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Was autralian IT allow to work for part time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wasifsaleem Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Hi all,just a quick query over the difference in work / life balance of Oz and the UK. We have heard it many times that the life work balance in oz is a lot more family friendly and that the expected hours of work are more acceptable in Oz. Is this actually the case??? My husband is an Analyst Programmer / Developer. What are the expected working hours per week? This might seem a simple question but we have family members who are used to the uk way of working and think that if you earn a high salary you need to put in the hours and work a lot longer than the normal 37 hours per week. They are currently finding it hard to believe us when we say that the working cultuure is different over there and think we are seeing everything through rose tinted spectacles. Is this the case??? We would really appreciate some of your experiences and knowledge with this. Many thanks Sandy & Mike In my opinion as an IT professional, while working in IT profession you are dealing with Machines and codes and development etc etc, that is why u never know when you will going to get free...this what I have also heard form my fellows working in Australia that like all other countries in Australia it is almost like the same. If a company pays you 100K it means you have to earn a million for them to get your 100k... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Can only speak for the building trade, 50 to 60 hours a week is the norm and Saturday working was seen as the norm, I found they worked harder and longer in oz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj&db Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Australia works hard and often put in over and above the standard 40 hour week but the difference is when they stop and have the time off they make the absolute most of it! It's not like the UK where you sit indoors all weekend...or just go to the shopping centre. You are down the beach, out fishing, kayaking, speed boating with the kids on a rubber ring (you don't have to be a millionaire to own a boat in Aus), walking around a national park, having a picnic....and so much more.... My weeks are often long and tough but I have the best weekends ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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