Q: What is the expectation for hours worked per week? A new employee is from outside the US where the work rules are much more strict, and she wonders whether the work week is 35 hours with a paid lunch and break, or 40 hours with lunch and breaks on your own time.
A: This has become a mystery because the official work week for nonacademic employees has dropped from 40 to 37.5 hours (7.5 hours per day for 5 days). For a vacation day, do we put down 8.0 hours, for example, or 7.5 hours? Nobody that I know has been able to get a clear, straight, authoritative answer to this question. Whether this includes lunch and breaks is also unclear and seems to depend on the whims of the supervisor. Some are reasonable, some are not. Through it all, everyone must keep in mind that, as professionals, we are not paid hourly; we are employed on a long-term contract to do whatever is called for in the position. See the next question.
Q: What is a reasonable expectation for overtime? If a supervisor announces that overtime (not just an hour or two, but regular 50-60-hour weeks) is expected of everyone for the indefinite future, is that legitimate? This involves a younger employee who is afraid she'll be marked down on her performance evaluation for not being a "team player" if she doesn't comply.
A: There is and can be no rigid formula for overtime. If it is required, it should be balanced by compensatory time off when the load is not so heavy. If uncompensated overtime occurs too often, the position is overloaded and must be changed. A professional may, in an emergency or as need arises, occasionally be requested to put in extraordinary time, and must respond to the needs of the situation--not the whims of the boss--even with 80 hours or more per week. But if this occurs two or three weeks in a row, something is drastically wrong, and it must be reported upward as requiring immediate correction.
New employees may find that the more they do, the more they will be expected to do, and that some supervisors will mercilessly exploit their wish to be seen as good, cooperative employees.
--This month's answers provided by Ron Szoke.