question

[tsukikage]

If you had complete control over your number of hours worked per week, how many hours a week would you choose to work? If you're currently salaried, assume that you're paid an hourly wage equal to your current weekly income divided by 40 hours a week.

Now, what about if you were told you'd receive a 20% raise? Would you choose to work more, fewer, or the same number of hours that you chose before?

Comments

[jadeejf.livejournal.com]

Ideally, I'd work 35 in either situation. Or maybe 30. It would be great to work from 9-4 every day, with an hour lunch break. I could even do 9-5, if it weren't for having to get home to the nanny.

[jo-fitz.livejournal.com]

I get about 30 hours every week. If I got paid more it would certainly be inciting to work more, but in the end I would just run myself down.

[eurohybrid62.livejournal.com]

I'd work about 32-35 hours a week, maybe a little more during the summer, since I'd like to still take a class or two on the side and work towards the masters degree. If I had got a 20% raise, I'd still work the same, and just say "Hey, extra money, yay." I'm willing to work more than 40 hours after I'm out of school, but no more than 55 or 60 preferably.

[ellie-desu.livejournal.com]

35 would be great. As for the 'working more', it would depend on the circumstances of the raise. If I was given a raise for a promotion giving me more duties or responsibilities I would work more as needed.

[tsukikage85.livejournal.com]

If the raise did not come with an increase in duties or responsibilities, though? Would you still work 35/wk?

[ellie-desu.livejournal.com]

Well, I'd prefer to have to work 35 hours a week, but I know that I'm being paid for 40. Therefore I expect to be paid less for less work.

[akaneko.livejournal.com]

Hmm, when I've been salaried, it's been for jobs where I'm on duty for 10-22 hours a day, 6 days a week, so it works out a bit differently there... as a tutor, I've earned a much higher hourly rate than when I've been salaried, but get far few hours at a time... as a housekeeper, I get paid mainly in free groceries and hugs and cheap rent...

For me, the decision of whether to work the same hours or increase or decrease hours with a pay raise would mainly be decided by how much I enjoy the job, and what else I have going on on the backburners. For most jobs I'd be willing to take, I'd do just as many hours after a pay raise as before. If I didn't have any particular fondness for the job I might cut back on hours worked after a raise to free up more time for other domestic and professional pursuits to save and/or earn more money without taking a hit on that source of income. If I really liked the job a lot, I might take it as a cue to spend even more time on it, since it'd be financially and professionally rewarding to allocate more of my effort towards it.