Bluegrass Lass

I'm salaried. I generally work way more than 40hrs a week. Anything over 40 is not compensated. An hour is taken out for my lunch everyday, regardless of whether I take 5minutes or 90 minutes. There is no such thing as a standard work time in the US. Your schedule is determined by your company. If they want you working 8-5, 8-4 or 10-6, you do it.

Bill_S

Lunch? Damn immigrants... they'll be asking for indoor plumbing next!

surly

Not sure if it's by State, but in California there are basically two types of employment. Salaried and hourly, known as exempt and non exempt respectively.
Exempt means exempt from labor laws and applies to higher income salaried employees, and terms of employment vary widely from company to company.
Usually means you get a monthly salary irrespective of how many hours worked, could be 40 or a lot more depending on the need.
Non exempt means a standard 40 hour week, and any time over 40 hours has to be paid overtime.
Companies I've worked for in Silicon Valley are pretty flexible as regard to start time, lunch breaks or time off as long as you get the work done.

surly

I think more and more companies are offering flex time and working from home.
It doesn't matter if you're in the US or the UK your working conditions are determined by your employer. Do you believe you can come and go as you please in the UK?

Bluegrass Lass

I assume you are replying to someone else? My post intimated no such thing.

surly

Nope I was replying to you.
The phrase 'here in the US' intimated such a thing.

If I got it wrong sorry.

N1cky

Thats how it works where I work, but I find it very strange that there is such a mix. I am salaried, but someone else who works in my department is hourly.

We both supposedly work 40 hours a week, we both tend to do 8.30-5.00, I sometimes don't have a lunch, I sometimes have an hour. I get paid when I take an hour out to go to the doctors or to my daughters school events.

My colleague has to clock in and out, she doesn't get paid if she takes longer than 30mins for lunch, on Christmas Eve when we get told we can go at 2.00pm I get paid for the full day, she gets paid until 2.00pm. It all seems very unfair to me, but I won't complain being on the right side of it.

surly

I think in a lot of companies it depends if you have a college degree or not as to whether you're salaried or hourly.
One company I worked for was hiring and people that were doing the same job were hired in at different levels depending on their degree.

Bluegrass Lass

I said the same thing as you.

surly

You got me there :curse:

N1cky

I don't have a college degree. Shocking I know

surly

Most jobs that require a college don't require a college degree.

pejpm1

I'm salaried and dont get overtime. I have a standard week of 50 hours, but its always more than that. I get in at around 6:30am and leave at about 5pm most days. We have lunch provided for us so I very rarely go outside, and if I do it's for no more than 20mins. It's just the nature of the job I suppose. I'm not complaining as it was exactly the same in the London office.

Bob

That's a state thing....but also the bar isn't that high before your considered exempt and also it's not just hours, it's position.

If your in a position to make decisions you can be exempt.

It can be great if your a lowley QA bod as you'll rack up serious OT pay, but if your a QA manager doing just as many hours you'll be exempt and probably make a lot less money in the end...

Redwing

I was salaried until I retired. When I was plant engineer, I got in about 7.30, and left around 5. Then again, I was on call some. One holiday weekend, I got called out 7 times. When I went in to construction management, most people worked 5 tens, because to get the best people it had to be done, particularly if they were travelers. I got 4 weeks vacation. I took luch whenever I wanted, but generally when the trades took theirs. Since I retired, I have been called back 3 times, working 55 - 60 hours per week, paid by the hour, with 15-60 being paid at time and a half.