Questions tagged [work-life-balance]
Issues about balancing the demands of both work and non-work activities.
316
questions
22
votes
17
answers
21k
views
How can I get my engineers to accept being on call?
I am manager of several software engineers. Recently our CTO mandated that all engineers must be on call at least once a week, including the work day and evening, once a month, including the weekend ...
- 405
17
votes
8
answers
5k
views
How do I properly address and handle work burnout?
Short backstory:
I've been working for my current company for a few years as a developer and IT Support\Specialist which includes a lot of calls, help-desk duties along the developer part of the job. ...
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20
votes
10
answers
10k
views
In my department everyone CC's everyone else with the reason for their absence. How to avoid this?
I recently started a new job. I work in the IT department. There are no shared calendars and no ticket management system. It is very common for people to CC the entire department as opposed to sending ...
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5
votes
4
answers
963
views
How to ask about a work life balance and conflicts in the team?
I'm interviewing for a Software Engineering Team Leader. I already passed all the interviews. The HR scheduled a meeting for me to meet a Group Leader.
Is it okay to ask the group leader the following ...
- 345
20
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is it legal to have a single 20 minute break for a 9 hour shift in the UK?
I work 5 days a week 9-6 and get a single 20 minute break for lunch. I am mentally drained and completely worn out. How can this be legal? By the time you’ve gobbled your food it’s time to go back - ...
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52
votes
10
answers
13k
views
Excessive Demands Prior to Start Date
I recently accepted a job offer from a startup but declined their request to start immediately after leaving my previous job because I needed some downtime. Currently, I am on a break. However, ...
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28
votes
9
answers
15k
views
How should I deal with "online" status competition at work?
Some of my coworkers seem to keep their online status as available until late at night, even when they are not working. I suspect they use some tricks to prevent their computer from going to sleep ...
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-3
votes
1
answer
272
views
Workplace relationships [closed]
My fiancé and I have worked together directly in the company we are with for a while now, and we disclosed our relationship to them in the very beginning. Can they after a year of knowing we were ...
-5
votes
1
answer
267
views
What is the work-life balance and pay like as a investment banker?
I'm looking to go into investment banking (IB) or venture capital (VC) after university and have heard many stories about what life is like working in these industries.
My question more so relates to ...
0
votes
1
answer
441
views
Work-from-anywhere or not a good idea? [duplicate]
I started my job couple months ago and I want to go see my family in another country for two weeks.
I also want to focus on my work since I am working at a slow pace and my manager has also showed ...
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121
votes
32
answers
31k
views
My employer is demanding that I change my lifestyle
I work as a researcher in Germany and have recently been approached by the boss's secretary and told what can be summarized as follows:
Hey, we pay you one of the top salaries in our research group, ...
- 1,083
-2
votes
4
answers
855
views
I work remote but CEO is not happy no one is using the shiny new office space, new mandate that everyone has to work 3 days in the office (UK) [closed]
Background: I am employed as a remote Senior/Mid C# developer at a local-ish company. I have worked remotely for over 10 years at various companies with the usual caveat that comes with all remote ...
- 23
16
votes
5
answers
7k
views
How to prevent stress on the job from affecting my well-being
I'm working in the EU at a job where the expectation is that you will work 12+h/ day. When I open my laptop on the weekend I see half of my team is there. (It's a typical Monday though Friday office ...
- 317
36
votes
5
answers
16k
views
Meeting people (a friend) during remote work day
I'm a software developer working remotely at a lab here in the US. I recently finished college, and I've started working here after past internships at this lab (and at another different lab before). ...
10
votes
6
answers
2k
views
What questions should I ask myself before quitting a job?
I feel lost at work lately. It feels like I do not have a clear purpose anymore. Motivation is low, I cannot find challenges anymore. I am asking myself constantly, if it is the time to leave and look ...
- 727
13
votes
7
answers
3k
views
How does one develop the mentality to suck it up and work without developing negativity about their job?
I have been working as a software developer for over 1.5 years now. Over this time I have changed jobs twice and I am currently in my 3rd job. The problem is that, in all of my jobs, I quickly start ...
- 1,279
2
votes
4
answers
644
views
How do you make group discussions work with people in very different timezones?
The company where I work is fully-remote, and to the extent possible we genuinely try to find the best people, irrespective of location. That's great, but it also means that we have people spanning ...
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1
vote
2
answers
1k
views
How do I tactfully tell a problematic colleague that doesn't get the hint that I don't want to interact with him outside work?
I was recently promoted to team leader, and I have several colleagues that I'm close, and some I would consider friends. I have two colleagues that I would like to distance myself from for various ...
- 1,243
0
votes
1
answer
714
views
How to deal with a poor work-life balance?
I'm a 4+ years experienced Software Engineer working in an Indian startup from last 7 months. I chose this startup because in my last organization:
the work was highly repetitive
I wasn't learning ...
- 2,252
-3
votes
2
answers
750
views
Performance review without me invited [closed]
I am working in a small tech company and have done majority of the work by myself. There are times that I worked over the weekend or till 11 pm to make sure the project would be completed on time.
...
6
votes
3
answers
3k
views
As a salaried employee, how do I tell my boss I won't do extra work without being paid more?
I have worked for a few companies now, and I have noticed a trend, where oftentimes my boss (or above) will want to assign me more work compared to other co-workers on our team or department.
This ...
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-3
votes
3
answers
735
views
What is your experience about the productivity drop when the holiday season is coming? [closed]
When the holiday season is coming, for us it is the Chinese New Year next week, what is your experience about the productivity drop during this time frame?
Christmas is bad for workers’ productivity ...
- 3,610
-1
votes
1
answer
482
views
Getting the 9-5pm helpdesk role vs WFH and coding after for a software development job [closed]
I need some advice especially from people in the software development industry. I have been trying to become a developer for a long time and work in a call center in customer service. Because of COVID-...
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4
votes
5
answers
845
views
Is there a practical way for a software developer in the UK to join the reserves?
I am a mid-level software developer not currently a reservist.
This link shows a case study where the reservist serves
Tuesday evenings and weekends as and when required – usually one to two times a ...
- 217
13
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Is it OK to say in a job interview that I didn’t pursue an academic career because the salaries aren’t high enough?
I’m a graduating Ph.D. in a STEM field and I have decided not to continue in academia. The prospect of a life-long low wage doesn’t appeal to me after four years living on a meager stipend.
I had two ...
- 139
0
votes
1
answer
255
views
Prospect of pursuing online degree in my off-shift hours with new job which has flexible work hours, how to approach to discuss this with management?
I am trying to pursue an online degree which may help me plan future prospects of my career but I have to do a tech job alongside to afford the course. The problem is the company work hours are ...
- 117
-4
votes
4
answers
629
views
Dealing with out of hours emails?
I am a eCommerce development manager for a successful business. We are a small team but work very much as such with everyone fully committed to the cause. When I first started I was told that I ...
- 15
5
votes
2
answers
770
views
Great work life balance, boring work [closed]
For the past 7 years I've been part of a company that provides great work life balance & pretty good compensation.
When I joined there was a lot of interesting work to do & it was perfect.
Now,...
- 195
-4
votes
1
answer
215
views
How to tackle uncertainty about job requirements? [closed]
I am working as an Associate Business Analyst at a fintech firm and I am facing following issues:
Since this is a BA role it requires me to frequently check the product functionality through manual ...
- 7,466
3
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Would it look bad if I asked to be removed from a project?
So, I started a new job about 4 months ago. I could start an entire thread about the challenges that go with a complete lack of organization (which is part of the issue here), but I'll stick to the ...
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1
vote
4
answers
1k
views
How to gain trust and set boundaries at work?
Context
I'm looking for a new job and I've recognized a pattern at some of my previous places that I'd like to correct. I usually don't gain enough trust to influence process in a positive and lasting ...
-1
votes
1
answer
345
views
Should I look for job change or continue? [closed]
It's been about 16 months in to the job but for 14 months I was working in Customer Success team, about two months ago I was moved into Delivery team.
I have a feeling that I am not able to meet the ...
- 7,466
38
votes
8
answers
11k
views
As a manager, should I support employees who work during the weekend?
An employee I manage has started working on weekends. They have a temporary position, and probably want to make a good impression to have a chance of getting hired permanently. Higher-ups have asked ...
- 489
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Can my employer enforce health and safety rules on me outside of work hours
I live in the UK and current COVID restrictions have relaxed so that you can meet people indoors at restaurants/bars etc. The Government rule is that its should be no more than 6 people at a table, or ...
- 307
38
votes
10
answers
13k
views
Declining the company's invitation to volunteer for a round-robin on-call roster that is understaffed
I work as a software developer where we have a voluntary on-call roster, where devs do on-call duties in a round-robin fashion. Recently, my manager told me that the roster is currently too small and ...
- 549
1
vote
1
answer
403
views
How much do nap facilities improve worker productivity?
I was reading this economics paper on sleep efficiency, and came across:
short afternoon naps at the workplace improved an overall index of outcomes by 0.12 standard deviations
Are there any other ...
- 221
12
votes
5
answers
2k
views
What do I do if I can't seem to find interest for any job in my field (software development)? [closed]
I am having some major existential issues in regards to my career. I don't know if there is a true answer to this question, but I'd be grateful to receive any thoughts, experiences, or questions to ...
- 157
3
votes
2
answers
578
views
How do you keep professional software work sustainable?
Summary question: how can I find/create a workplace where there's enough time to do a good job, learn what's needed, and count on regular hours?
Long question/explanation:
I've noticed most workplaces ...
- 69
-2
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Why company policies don't guarantee work-life-balance?
The adoption of the trend called on-call is high among software companies where they expect employees to work beyond office-hours for things like urgent customer issues, pipeline failures, etc. This ...
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-2
votes
3
answers
557
views
How to motivate myself to do my own projects similar to my day job? [closed]
I got a new mobile development role about 6 months ago. I love it, the company and the people are great. I work from home too.
Previously I’d been in web development roles and grew to hate it.
I used ...
- 383
5
votes
6
answers
2k
views
How can I use my home work desk on the weekend?
I’ve been working from home for about a year and have a dedicated (repurposed) work desk.
I would like to use the desk and my own laptop to work on personal projects.
However, I don’t feel able to. It’...
- 383
49
votes
14
answers
16k
views
How to refuse to work when on vacation while keeping relationships as best as possible?
I work for a company as an algorithm developer, recently promoted from software engineer.
I am very valued both by management and by peers, as is evident from management by constant positive feedback, ...
- 901
-6
votes
2
answers
411
views
How loud until you get a mark on your back?
Being relatively skilled and relatively loud in the office at promoting myself has got me in several rollercoasters of raising through the ranks then falling :) But one thing with being loud is ...
- 918
2
votes
4
answers
2k
views
I often get calls to help fix some problems at customer sites in non-working hours - normal?
My employer develops software for small business. The competition is fierce and survival is paramount for us. I often get call at 9 or 10 at night, sometimes at weekend from the customer support team, ...
- 3,610
80
votes
11
answers
10k
views
Tracking software monitoring our activity to the minute. Expected to work 8 hours straight. What can we do?
A few months ago, the management implemented a tracking software on our computers, such that it counts time only when a certain app we are working on is open and we are active on it. This means that ...
- 1,027
41
votes
8
answers
12k
views
Is "workaholic" culture a requirement, or optional?
I've received a job offer from an extremely large company with a reputation of having a "workaholic" culture. I asked some of the interviewers about it in loose terms (ie. what does a work ...
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4
votes
5
answers
2k
views
How to be more strict about working hours in a free working hours environment?
TL;DR:
I work in an academic-like environment with free working hours. Everyone including my boss have a hectic schedule for work hours; and her plans for meeting me often clash with my plans for ...
- 1,525
44
votes
8
answers
8k
views
How to balance quality and speed at work?
I am a software developer.
The team I work on has over 25 people and we have multiple QA's (Quality Assurance), and Code Reviewers.
I mean this in the most humble way - I try my very best to write the ...
- 1,075
1
vote
2
answers
440
views
How to ensure a company respects its employees before accepting an offer?
I'm working on some litmus tests for companies during the interview process, and trying to test if the company/team respects its employees before accepting an offer.
For completeness, what I mean by &...
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4
votes
7
answers
957
views
After ten years of ad-hoc coding, what steps can I take to formally learn computer programming?
I have a slightly different issue I am running up against than it seems most people on this site usually address.
Initially, right after graduating with a Master's in Economics (2010), I joined a ...
- 157