There’s a big report due at the end of the month. This week I’ve worked a 6.5 day week (I’m going into work today too!). I know it’s not admirable or healthy to work overtime and not be paid for it but it feels like a much more difficult decision to make when when it’s happening to you.
I have mixed feelings. Firstly, I am proud that as a graduate, some of the most experienced people in our company have given me so much responsibility. They trust in my ability and commitment to produce much of this report. It’s a fascinating project about contaminants leaking to the ocean and I feel like my report will make a real difference in reducing the environmental risk to the ocean.
I’m certainly capable of working overtime. I thought that I’d be tired after 5:30 PM, my normal home time, but I find my brain accelerating. I’m still productive at 8 PM. I think it’s a legacy of doing homework in the evenings.
Yet, I can, at an intellectual level, appreciate that my life would be unbalanced if late working nights and office weekends became a habit. In the “Time is money, the budget can’t take it” consulting industry, it would be easy to become a slave. The people who care about me worry that I will be unhappy.
I have to be very clear about this: No one at work is pressuring me to work overtime. In fact, my job manager, project director and team leader are (would be) horrified (if they knew) that I’m working so much. How can a graduate be in this situation?
Yet, if I don’t do it, the work won’t be done in time. The company (I) would disappoint the client, disappoint the EPA… And it’s my work. I’d rather work overtime than to deliver anything less than a good quality report on time.
I don’t know what to do. It’s my pride in my work and my commitment to my team, versus my work-life balance.
My job manager is trying to get us time in lieu. That is, time off to make up for our overtime (she’s worked long hours alongside me). It will all depend on whether or not the client agrees to pay us the additional costs. If they don’t (as they have a right to because it wasn’t in the original contract), then tough luck for us, I suppose.
it seems a bit dogdy that your company wont pay you for the overtime you’ve been doing. i dont think the client should be responsible, because your company quoted them a certain number of hours. it’s not your’s or the client’s fault that the company unquoted. it seems that the company’s mistake is being passed on to everyone else.
I agree. You are not the company, Joan — you’re only part of the company, and I don’t think you should be bearing the entire responsibilty for the company. The mistake wasn’t yours.
“In fact, my job manager, project director and team leader are (would be) horrified (if they knew) that I’m working so much.”
And I certainly think your supervisors should know about it. If they don’t, they’ll keep on underbudgeting, and you’ll be working overtime for no pay (and possibly not even any credit or gratitude) forever.