paddy234

Just wanted to know from other expats how many hours you work here compared to back home. My work hours back home were on average 38-40 hours a week. Since I've been to New Zealand that has increased to 50 hours a week with the odd Saturday on top of that which I hate. While I love the lifestyle here I certainly think it is way behind Europe in terms of work-life balance. What's worse with doing longer hours is we might be expected to do Saturdays on top of it and pestered by employers and foremen till you accept. Don't we work to live and not live to work? I have had some great experiences here and across the world and I aim to keep enjoying it and this hasn't hindered me enjoying my new life here in New Zealand at all, just sometimes I'm too tired or busy to do anything that this country has to offer. Anyway I was just wondering what other expats experiences have been?

escapedtonz

Since I work shifts my hours have always been annualized.
In the UK I averaged 37hrs per week but did more to cover holidays sickness and the odd extra shift but I didn't have to I was never pressured in to working more hours but when I did work I was expected to work the whole shift without any official breaks.
Job here in NZ averages 40hrs per week but there is way more emphasis and input from the company on my wellbeing and fatigue levels etc. I am taken care of way more than in the UK. I am rarely asked to do anything more than my rostered shifts so in my opinon the overall working conditions are better here. Just wish I was paid at least the same as in the UK. Been here 5 years and still equivalent of $30k off my UK salary.

MrsFychan

MrF works longer hours and after 5 years only just coming up to the salary he was on in the UK, also has to work weekends as there are just not enough hours in the day for him to do what they want done during the normal 8-5, even though he hardly ever takes breaks.

Bo-Jangles

Same here; days are ridiculously busy and sometimes my ribs hurt because I haven't had a second to myself to even breathe. I used to have 9 to 5 job in the UK with a whole hour for lunch - I can only dream of getting a similar gig here!

Now I work about 50 hours - and have to be quite firm to resist the pressure to do more. I get paid for 40 hours and rarely get a lunch break but no doubt I am considered a lightweight among my peers as they like to glorify and brag about the time they left or are sending e-mails at midnight and at 5am.

There are a lot of people around me that are putting in the hours and are often in the office before me and still there when I leave but in truth a lot of those people are somewhat 'confused' about the difference between long hours and hard work.

Charismatic

When I started my current position I worked quite long hours but what I've done is manage the core aspects of my role down to 4-6 hours a day using automation, templated e-mail responses, ruthlessly structured meetings towards efficiency, created simple rules to guide others (rather than comming to me) etc. People with desk jobs create a lot of their own problems by clinging to control and traditional business models or just doing very efficiently what should not be done at all (things that don't make money and never will!) Many of the people I work with are bigly more clevererer than I am so why should I get in the way of their brilliance when I could be enjoying a swift drink on the way home? The very laziest people are those of us that do things efficiently right from the start.

wez130

I thought the whole New Zealand thing was for a better work life balance?

I'm a chef, i work split shifts atm, 10am-2.30pm then 5pm-9pm, sometimes a bit more and sometimes 6 days a week.

After reading these replies, i'm dreading it!

MrsFychan

you'll be fine, most places close at 9pm

wez130

sweet

jmh

I'm self employed so work the hours I want. Usually less than I was before. Highly recommend it, especially if you can avoid peak hour traffic.

Munchkjn

Had a cushy number in UK. 8.30 to 4.30 and a good hour for lunch . Here it's 8.30 to 5.30 but don't always take a full hour still only 5 days per week though. I'm paid more here but with reduced benefits and pension contributions.

Clappy

All the jobs that I have had in this country expected me to work 40 hours a week. 35 hours a week was normal for my work in the UK.

It wasn't very long ago that 3 weeks annual leave was normal here. Some people used to get 4 weeks but making that as standard is very recent - in the last decade or so, so believe it or not things are better here now than they used to be.

Bo-Jangles

Oh yeah, I forgot about the leave thing and I've still not come to terms with the significant loss.