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Looking for some practical advice here about hours re new role.

A rigid 09:00 to 17:30 really wouldn't be ideal if it could be helped. Especially as a programmer / tech. I suspect most of my colleagues either do that or an 08:30 to 17:00 day pattern. I'm a bit irritated this subject has never come up in interview as it's just assumed I'll be cool with a 9:00-5:30 pattern no questions asked.

I feel it's almost a taboo to raise this as it potentially shows a lack of enthusiasm or commitment. But it's a big one as a lot of businesses close at 5 on the dot whereas an 8-4 would give me an hour to deal with personal matters at the end of the day. Plus, the time adds up. That extra half an hour equates to an additional 2:30hrs of extra labor a week, or 9 hours and 20 minutes more per month. The locale where the contract will be based has literally no amenities nearby so it's not like there'd be anything to do to break up the day at least.

Any practical approaches I could take here?

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    So what is you current schedule? Do you want to change that approaching your boss? – DarkCygnus Jan 5 '18 at 18:16
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    As this is salaried role you technically have no fixed hours of work you are supposed to work on average an 8 hour day. A fixed start and end times and a fixed period for lunch does not sound like any salaried role I am familiar with. – Neuromancer Jan 5 '18 at 18:47
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    You can certainly try to negotiate reduced working hours, but I wouldn't expect you to be successful if you're the only person an exception would need to be made for, unless you're the star employee. Do you have personal matters to attend to every day? If not, you can just ask for an exception when a matter you need to deal with comes up. What about starting at 7:30 if you want to leave at 4? If it's just about reducing the duration of your break to go home earlier, that you can just ask about (but you can't expect to shorten it by 15 min and go home 30 min earlier). – Dukeling Jan 5 '18 at 19:45
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    @SarahWong is it normal in the UK for a standard work week to be 37.5 hours? Because that's what you're asking for. – Chris E Jan 5 '18 at 20:24
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    You also have to consider that labor law might require the break you don't want to take. Don;t expect companies to adjust for you if there are legal requirements. – HLGEM Jan 5 '18 at 22:38
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Any practical approaches I could take here?

If it's very important to you, bring it up with your supervisor in your new locale. Ask if the work hours are flexible and express your preferred hours.

You seem to be assuming that you won't be allowed to work hours that you prefer. But other than what you "suspect" and what you think is "almost taboo", it doesn't seem that you know how your proposal will be received. There's only one way to find out.

And in future job negotiations, make sure you ask about things that are important to you, rather than be irritated if the employer doesn't mention them. Employers ask about things that matter to them. You need to ask about things that matter to you.

If you want a job that never requires you to work more than 37.5 hours, then ask about hours. If you want a job where you can leave by 4:00 PM to handle your personal matters, then ask about quitting time. And reject all jobs that don't meet your personal needs. You'll certainly narrow the volume of offers you get. But any offers you do receive will meet your requirements.

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I think the term you are looking for is flextime. Search for jobs that advertise flexible hours or flextime.

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