Poll: Average work day hours for the main bread winner in your family?

[HeathenMom]

anything less than 12 hours a day is a pleasant surprise. dh is 100% commission. great money, terrible hours.

[Julie in CA]

My dh is a dairy farmer. I put down 10-12 hrs. per day, but wanted to mention that he works 7 days per week. Sundays are lighter, and he usually only works about 6 hours on Sundays, mostly because our boys are old enough to do some of his work now as well as their own.

 

There is no overtime pay, just a set salary that we pull each month.

[dm379]

I guess I'm the main breadwinner since I make more than dh. I work 2 - 3 hours a day, 7 days a week but it varies depending on finals and when my students have term papers and my courseload. During finals it's closer to 5. Luckily it's all online so I work when I want. Plus I've taught the same classes for so long it goes really quick since I almost never have to look up the answers now.

 

DH is a military pilot and isn't allowed to fly more than 8 hrs. a day. So he usually only works 10 - 12 hours a day. However, lately he's been working, comes home for his mandatory rest period and then goes back to work. It's been a couple of weeks since he's been home and awake for more than an hour.

[kalanamak]

I work a little over 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I do weekends a few times a year, for "comp time" (saved up time off, in case I ever get very ill). I used to work 12 hour days, but took a very significant cut in pay to be able to be home to school and generally civilize my kiddo. Also, let's face it, I'm getting older....

[Momma2Many66]

My husband works 12 hour days, 5 days a week.

 

He works 8 hours a day at his job as a Groundskeeper/Landscaper M-F but when he comes home, he puts another 4 hours a day in with farm work here at home Spring, Summer and Fall months.

 

On weekends, he is working the farm all day long, so we go out and work with him or I'd see him very little.

 

Many hands make for light work !

[vettechmomof2]

hubby works on average 10-12 hours but some days longer. He also works weekends but normally only works 6 days a week.

 

I work on average 16-18 hours a week.

 

both out of the house

[battlemaiden]

This has been very helpful, everyone. Thanks. I appreciate all those who worked to "average" their workdays when obviously no two weeks or months are the same.

 

We are military, and if my husband comes home under a twelve hour day it is a treat (he goes into work when it is dark, so we still have dinner as a family almost every evening). But I think most military families expect that, and are more accepting because a spouse home is a spouse NOT deployed. :D

 

You guys/gals are great for participating. Thanks again.

 

Jo

[IsabelC]

My man works for his own business, so his hours vary considerably. A long day would be maybe 8 or 9 hours and another 3 or 4 hours at night. But then some days he takes ds on an excursion and might only do 4 or 5 hours work, and occasionally he'll take a day off to do things with us, so it's not bad when you average it all out. :)

[JFSinIL]

Lawyer hubby works 9-5. He also spends an hour on foot/train each way (being tied to a train schedule helps him stick to 9-5)

[nukeswife]

We're another military family and I don't remember a command where the days were less than 10 hours. My dh has always been an officer so usually it was always 'Stay until the work is done' no matter what that may be. The days are longer when he's on a nuclear powered ship because the nukes tend to have longer days in general. When we first got married there were times when he'd go to work on Tues and come home on Fri, and those weren't his "Duty" days either where he was required to stay onboard for 24hrs. Those Duty days could be anywhere from every 3 days to every 6 depending on the command and if it fell on a weekend or holiday, oh well that's how it goes.

 

Now he's the XO (executive officer, or 2nd in command for our non-military friends) so no more duty days but that means he's on call 24/7 and we get routine calls even when he's on leave. It's the job that never ends, but like Jo said we get used to it because a Spouse at home isn't a Spouse deployed and that's always better.

[Lolly]

Well, yesterday dh went in at 5:30 a.m. and came home at 9:00 p.m. A more normal day would be 7a.m. -8 p.m. He works 6 full days a week. The 7th day he usually only works around 7-8 hours. He is on call 24/7. Self-employed so no overtime. His employees work 8 hours. If they want to work overtime, it is available. He also can usually take off if when he wants to though it tends to make him nervous.(He is like a first time mama leaving the baby for the first time.) His phone rings constantly when on vacation with this or that trouble that has to have his immediate attention. He needs internet connection and often works from vacation.

Edited July 2, 2010 by Lolly

[Peela]

Wow.

 

My dh is self employed. He works maybe 20 hours a week. Sometimes extra if he feels like it. However, he works 7 days a week- just not all day. 6 evenings, 4 mornings.

I work about 10 hours a week at most.

We live well. Comfortably.

 

Obviously we are the lucky few.

[lulubelle]

My dh works 10 hours a day 5 days a week. He works for a subcontractor of a major company and he is payed hourly.

[Parrothead]

Dh has to work two hours of AUO every work day. So his work day is 10 hours.

 

AUO=Administratively Unavoidable Overtime

[SailorMom]

My DH is also military. Enlisted days were straight 8 hours usually...

Officer days? Lately - 14 hours when not deployed. It is absolutely "work until it is done", and when you're the guy in charge, you get to make sure it's done right:tongue_smilie:

When he's deployed they work 12 - 14 hour days, 7 days a week, for 2 or 3 months. Occasionally they'll get a day off - but usually only 1 in three months.

And yup - no overtime.

[Caraway]

My husband is a consultant who builds large technology systems. He averages 14+ hr days, 5 days a week, salaried. With phone call and texts often received while home. When things get really "ugly" he leaves before I am up and home after we are all asleep. Good stretches he is home for dinner at 6:30, but still leaves very early.

 

We live in a university town, and all of our friends have husbands that work in academia. They are off super early, go in late, and have summers off. They have no clue what "long hours" means. Last night my husband came home really early (5:30 pm) to take our kids to the farmer's market with their friends. One of the other dads asked if this was the time that DH normally got home, or if he had left early. I thought DH was going to die laughing. Of course that man is also headed off for a three week vacation with his family. :glare:

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I voted 10-12, but there are many days it is over that. Plus weekends. Salaried employee with a consulting business on the side.

[Jugglin'5]

Mine works 28 days on, 28 off. When he is on, he works a 12 hour shift that can easily bleed into more time. It seems like we see more of him now, even though he is gone for a month offshore at a time, than we did when he was a real estate agent and the phone grew into his ear.:tongue_smilie:

[TX Bluebonnet]

Dh usually works 9 hours per day with no overtime. That is for his full time job. He is also in the Air Force Reserves which is one weekend a month two weeks a year. Those days are usually 10 hours.

 

When he was active duty 12 hours days were the norm plus he got called in on weekends a lot. They always had to work late on Valentine's Day too. I think they did that on purpose.:glare:

[golfcartmama]

DH works from 5:30-6 daily and commutes an hour each way, so he's gone from 4:30A-7:00P daily M-F. He is salary so no OT.

[smrtmama]

Daddyman's days are usually around 9-10 hours long, but he has at least one day a week when he works a second shift that puts him at around 12 hours for that day.

[missmoe]

I put 10-12. You needed a choice for other!;) When my husband is not traveling, he works from 7:30-5:30. He often takes a long lunch to ride his bike and other's at work often go to the beach or to golf or for a run. Every other Friday is a half day. That's just the work culture in the office. But my husband often travels, and when traveling he works from early in the morning until very late at night. Sometimes he is even up working until 2 or 3 in the morning. So, I think it averages out to about 12 hour days. He is salaried--and is doing more than one person's job.

[Truscifi]

Dh is scheduled 10 hour shifts, but usually works longer. 12+ is not that unusual, but it is usually in the 10-12 range. The rough part is that as a manager he has to work all shifts, so sometimes it is an opening shift (7am), sometimes mid (starts either 10am or noon), sometimes closing (starts 5pm). He has no real schedule and just sleeps when he can. His off days are occasionally 2 days in a row, but are often split up, and sometimes he only gets one anyway. Oddly, he seems to really like his job. :001_huh:

 

BTW, he is a restaurant manager with a local franchise of a large chain.

 

ETA: also on salary, so no OT.

Edited July 2, 2010 by Truscifi

[natalie]

I voted 8 - 10. That is what dh works from mid-April through mid-December.

 

However, during his busy season, from mid-December through mid-April, he works about 15 hours a day Monday through Friday plus another 12 hours on the weekend.

[yellowperch]

I voted 12-plus. DH travels a lot for work and is often not here for weeks and sometimes months on end. When he is home he works from his studio in the garage. That's better, but he still works too much. He loves his work and is great at it but we are both looking forward to the day he can kick back a bit. None of it is considered overtime but some of it is a bit of moonlighting.

[SailorMom]

I am getting the impression we are working our husbands to death:tongue_smilie:

Perhaps I need to be nicer.....

Nah!:D

[yellowperch]

I know what you mean sailormom. I'm stunned by how much everyone is working. Crazy, really. I didn't realize how many other families are dealing with such long work hours.

[Niffercoo]

My dh works 6:30-4:30 Monday thru Friday. His commute has him gone from 6-5:15.

 

He also has a part-time job at our church: Wednesday evenings he works from 6:00-8:00 and Sunday mornings from 8:30-11:30.

 

It's really a LOT of hours. It makes me feel very guilty. :(

[SailorMom]

I am just so glad we have job security and a paycheck. I have so many non-military friends and family who are really struggling. My closest friend in CA - her DH just took a 20% pay cut this week, and all year thier hours have been getting cut back... They aren't sure how they are going to make it...

[sassenach]

Dh is a pastor and I seriously have no idea how to quantify how much time he spends working. He's always on, and yet he's almost always available. Ministry never, ever turns off. He works from home, he works in his office, he is constantly meeting with people in coffee shops... Yeah, I have no idea.

[Mommyfaithe]

My dh owns his own business and is on call 24/7. He physically works from 7am- at least 5 and then several hours in the evening at the desk writing proposals, quotes, making phone calls and ordering materials.

 

I also work about 8 hours a day in additon to homeschooling. i often work at night, but I am available all day to field phone calls and dispatch our emloyees.

 

Faithe

[Mommyfaithe]

We're self-employed, so a 12 hour day would feel like a mini-vaca for dh.

We'd love to hire more people who believe in 8 hours' work for 8 hours' pay...and not just 8 hours "at the office." :)

 

:iagree:

[Guest rubilynne4]

I voted 10-12 hours, because that is typical, day-to-day. However, 12+ hours is not unusual. eta: I now you know this, Jo, :) but for everyone else, military people are salaried, they don't receive overtime.

 

e(again)ta: He does not generally work weekends and that has only been common in one command.

thank you for serving. if this is you thanks, if it's your dear hubby tell him we appreciate him. :D

[Guest rubilynne4]

my dh has been working 12+ hours off and on for so long, more on than off. i really appreciate how hard he works, so i can stay home, and hs the kids. we both are avid hsers. if he's not working at his job, he's volunteering at church, tutoring other kids in math, or helping our kids out. what a man i have. :D thanks honey.

[Colleen]

I went with 12+ hours/day, but that plays out in so many different ways than it does for people who don't farm. Some seasons, it's much less. Some seasons, more. And the 12 hours aren't necessarily concurrent. It can add up throughout the day. Usually, there's no set "on" and "off". Mrs. Mungo pointed out that in the military, people don't receive overtime pay, and that made me smile. In the world of self-employment, concepts like overtime pay and benefits don't exist.:)

[Guest rubilynne4]

Dh is a pastor and I seriously have no idea how to quantify how much time he spends working. He's always on, and yet he's almost always available. Ministry never, ever turns off. He works from home, he works in his office, he is constantly meeting with people in coffee shops... Yeah, I have no idea.

thank you to your hubby, for giving of his life.

[battlemaiden]

I put 10-12. You needed a choice for other!;)

 

I know my audience. ;)

[battlemaiden]

I went with 12+ hours/day, but that plays out in so many different ways than it does for people who don't farm. Some seasons, it's much less. Some seasons, more. And the 12 hours aren't necessarily concurrent. It can add up throughout the day. Usually, there's no set "on" and "off".

 

So I'll share what prompted my poll. You will love this, Colleen.

 

An older friend from college posted on facebook that she and her husband couldn't go to a big music festival that they have attended for 20+ years consecutively. She then bemoaned that her husband had to work 13+ hour days 3X last week. :001_huh:

 

Then she went on to complain that her state govt had abolished overtime pay and that was seriously going to cut into their paycheck. Which I completely believe. But, still....

 

I immediately thought of my farming cousins whose days just. never. end. Getting away for a vacation every year is not a given. I know you can relate, as can many of the self employed people who responded here.

[Amber in AUS]

My DH does 10 hr work days plus 45mins travel time each way. He has every other Monday off and is home 1 hour early on Fridays.

[Colleen]

 

So I'll share what prompted my poll. You will love this, Colleen. An older friend from college posted on facebook that she and her husband couldn't go to a big music festival that they have attended for 20+ years consecutively. She then bemoaned that her husband had to work 13+ hour days 3X last week. :001_huh:

Yee haw! Who knew?! See, now this is what I miss by not living in the FB world.;):tongue_smilie:

 

[AngieW in Texas]

Before we moved to Austin, my dh worked 10-12 hrs/day on a regular basis and often went in on the weekends as well. Since we moved, my dh has mostly worked 8-10 hrs/day (and mostly closer to 8 hours than 10). He has only worked 2-4 weekends/year since we moved here. I think that's mostly because he is working for a very large company now. He had always worked for relatively small companies before.

[Tutor]

My dh is a grad student with a stipend, so I put 8-10 but it is hard to judge since he works on teaching/ doing prep/ reading/ writing seemingly constantly. I earn only slightly less than he does (sad really) and work anywhere from 2-12 hours per day depending on whether I am writing, babysitting, or working on photography... or all three (those days, especially if I am up against a deadline, are crazy long).

[Angel in FL]

I voted for 10-12 but 12 plus isn't uncommon. He also works 6 days a week and there is no overtime. He runs a finance department at a car dealership so he works on salary/plus commission.

[CAMom]

We own our own business. My dh works constantly. He works all day and then puts in several more hours each night usually staying up until 1-2am.

 

He also works through our vacations.

[Lisa in Jax]

Dh leaves the house around 7:30 a.m. and returns at about 7 p.m. most nights. He also works at home 1-2 nights a week. He is salaried, so there is no overtime pay.

 

The "40 hour week" is not common in our circle of friends. Most work 50 to 60 hours (or more) per week.

Edited July 2, 2010 by Lisa in Jax

[WarriorMama]

I've seen some recent "long day" comments (not here) and I need to define what an average work day is these days.

 

Thanks for participating.

 

Jo

 

He's scheduled for 8 hours days - he's a 9 to 5er - but frequently works at least an hour extra (no overtime for that usually). The worst part is the commute, which because it's during rush hour takes nearly two hours each way. So he's regularly gone 12 hours a day. He also runs a website, which takes another couple hours out of the day.

 

I think when we move we'll look for something closer to work. :tongue_smilie:

[TammyinTN]

Dh is also military and his hours vary a lot. Usually 10-12 hour days, but some weeks much longer.