Rossi

This is just to start a discussion NOT a better than/worse than UK thread

I still see threads from prospective Australians spouting "the laid back lifestyle in Aus attracts me"

We have now been here for almost 7 years and before we came I had the dream of Aus being a more laid back work style. However, I now work longer hours and being "staff" do not get paid overtime, but the workload demands it in order to get the job done on time....... now maybe that's just my "work ethics" kicking in ?

So the question is .......... what are your findings since arriving ? Did any of you actually find Nirvana in the work place ?

P.S. I ain't whinging...... I love my job

tartantopgun

My wife has pretty much found the same as you. She loves the work here, however as a professional, starting at 8am and finishing at 5pm is a long day for her. The whole work-life balance that is so readily mentioned in several different areas, is in our experience.... a myth. However, she has doubled her UK salary so I do not have to work!!!

Keep up the hard work my darling!!

Bermudashorts

8am to 5pm is a long day?

It's virtually part time. I had never expected easier hours in Australia but now I am.

gelato

Yeah to me 8-5 (well actually 8.30-5.30) is a really short day. I'm really happy as most of my friends work much longer hours for less money. I usually take an hour for lunch (maybe 45 mins) so that's 8 hours a day. Not bad!

What hours did your wife work back in the UK? I thought an 8 hour day was pretty standard for office jobs all over the world.

BadgeIsBack

Stress is self-induced, let's face it.

I do a 37-40 hr week. Any extra is me wanting to. For many years I found it hard to work more than about 35 which suited as we were having babies.

Every role I have had where there has been a focus on budgets and accountancy has always ended up as hot air. We've all been told not to worry about budget - yet we were all so diligent.

I find the more tedious the job the harder it is to get and keep. There are people on my train who had to jump through hoops to get a 50k job with covering letters, STAR questions, panels. It's unfair and unjust.

quoll

Must say I have never seen the laid back thing either. When the DH and I were both working in our real jobs we both worked over 45 hours a week as a rule - him far more than me - he usually hovered between 55 and 65. Neither of us had the luxury of flex time or time in lieu and the expectation was that you would work until the job got done and unfortunately the more you did and seemed to be efficient at it, the more they gave you to do. For years the DH would go into the office at least one day on the weekend to do the stuff that he couldnt get done with all the work day interruptions. Now we are both "retired" working part time - both of us did 12 hour days yesterday and whilst of course that is not the norm, neither is it that uncommon.

Add to that when bringing up the kids the need to strictly schedule to get them to whatever sporting commitments they had - training, music, competitions etc. Nope, laid back was not and still is not a feature of our lives.

Mike 3G

I shall take a break from my hectic schedule to post. I work 35 hours a week in a 9 day fortnight which is pretty much as laid back as I have seen in the UK or elsewhere in my industry. There are times though usually shutdown periods when we are expected to work 12-14 hours per day 6 days a week for 2-3 months at a time. The boss calls this putting in, to be fair he also puts in during this period. I except it as part of the job during those critical times however I couldn't be arsed working overtime on a regular basis as it really gets in the way of my life. I have noticed many people who work an extra 10-12 hours per week during normal operations to be the last out the office every night, so rest assured that culture is very much alive and well here.

Work smarter not harder!

Geordie George

Personally I think that work style is not the same thing as a lifestyle. I find work ethics, work hours and conditions here the same as I did in the UK. I'm lucky to have a flexible employer. I work part time and they don't mind which days I work (I normally do Mondays and Fridays). I'm also free to pick and choose my own start and end times (I normally do 8.30-4.30, with up to an hour for lunch). As we've been busy at work with EOFY, I opted to add Wednesdays into my working week for the month of June - I find it's been willing to do things like that, that mean I get time off requests or early finishes agreed to. (Oh, and I did get paid for adding in those hours.) DH's employer is also very good - very family friendly. But work is only one part of an Australian lifestyle and, for us, the lifestyle here is more laid back.

jad n rich

My partners in the building indsutry, you often read on here how tradies knock off at lunchtime to avoid heat etc Partner is currently working 6 - 4 mon to friday, he thinks its part time, usually its been 6 - 6 , 6 days a week, with one break if lucky. I accept its very good money for what he does, however once on a salary or contract here IME 40 hour weeks quickly become 60Hours plus.

.

renth

My job is an absolute piece of piss, unfortunately the wages are too.

dave99

Laid back, I think it refers to how it takes a lot longer to get anything done. People seem to work just as many hours here as in the UK but things seem to get done at a slower pace and this doesnt seem to bother anyone, well except me when I am trying to get stuff done

coolshadows

40 hours weeks, 45mins to commute 30km, 20 days holiday annually, casual Friday, BIG wages ($50k+), lots of unpaid overtime...what more could you want?

bcworld

I see very little difference in the workplace or anywhere else when it comes to 'laidbackness'.

They key as always is comparing similar situations - the demand driven effort expected at work is very similar to any job I had in the UK - sometimes it's too busy, sometimes it's cruisy. I've seen more pathetic office politics and angst here which most certainly doesn't foster a laid back atmosphere - but that will vary from workplace to workplace.

In general though I think the more laid back mantra is a myth.

mark wool

Sorry think its a myth. I am in construction worked all over the uk with great guys who in comparison to the ozzies were horizontal. They still got the job done. Have also never encountered the backstabbing like over here. Even spoke to ozies about it and have said to me that how the rest of the world perceives them is now unfortunatly b******t!

roaringmouse

I hate my job and workplace - it's the kind of job where the people you work with makes it worthwhile. This was all good to begin with, but as time has gone on I've noticed more and more office politics which in some cases has reduced to schoolyard behaviour. Much much more than I have seen in any job I've had (including in Australia)

On the "worker level" where I am is where the schoolyard behaviour exists, and it's quite pathetic (something I try to ignore and keep away from). The immediate "manager/supervisor level" is the source of plenty of office politics with hideous amounts of favouritism (can you guess I'm not one of the "favourites"?) and quite often lack of good people management.

As far as working conditions in general goes, my experience is that it was more favourable in the UK. I first encountered this on a working holiday to Australia in 1999, however at the time put it down to the 2 places I worked at. This time round though, from both working here again and talking to people about it, I've concluded that conditions are better in the UK, and I'm no longer surprised why unionism is a much bigger thing in Australia.