I Work Less than 10 Hours Per Week and Get Paid for 40 - Am I Crossing a Line Here?

Ltheengineer on 09/10/2021 - 21:04
Last edited 09/10/2021 - 21:12 by 1 other user

Sooooo. I work as a civil engineer (hydrologist) and due to covid we got working from home since mid 2020 and still occasionally do. Put shit ton of hours in the past two years automating most of my work to the point I only need to touch up the report and do some checks. That means I’m only working about 10-25% of the time and still getting lots done (to a point the boss man questioned if I was burning myself out). And being a member of the r/antiwork, I don’t have much guilt booking in 40 hrs a week (overtime sometimes) while only working a day. I just wanted some validation from strangers to continue on doing what I do.

All good to go??

Poll Options

  • 808
    Yes
  • 317
    Hell No
Education & Work

Comments

    • CaMeMbIrD on 13/10/2021 - 11:38

      i thought the same. so confusing to pretense and finish with opposite questions

    • Smol Cat on 13/10/2021 - 16:29

      Yes FFS this is the most infuriating thing on here. Which question are we answering to god dammit?? Especially coz they're contradictory.

  • knk on 10/10/2021 - 16:25
    +4

    Their fault for having inefficient processes.
    Don't let anyone know you do this few hours or it'll backfire on your.

    I've done the same in the past in IT, boss was not good from a technical stance despite working as a tech. Other employees weren't very good either. Used to do 2-3 actual hours of work a day. I finished a degree online while working full time doing this and putting no time in after work for the most part. Don't feel bad, you owe your workplace nothing and more importantly they are happy with your work output.

    It really is a win-win situation.

  • MintBerryCrunch on 10/10/2021 - 16:51
    +1

    Time to fill up the remaining 30+ hours a week moonlighting on Onlyfans. There is no other way. :)

    • quick-dry on 10/10/2021 - 18:02
      +1

      I've heard of (from a friend of a friend, of course) plenty of channels there that show one performer's role being fulfilled using automation - but I'm not sure of the market for OP's type of automation… "yeah Daddy, pivot that table, validate my input and add 1 to the field" I guess every possible kink has a market on the internet :p

  • adn on 10/10/2021 - 17:09
    +3

    Mate, you haven't even pushed it yet. People out there are employed at two places at the same time.

  • ProlapsedHeinous on 10/10/2021 - 17:14
    +1

    I did about 4 hours last week, and will be paid for 32. I don't feel bad, because the company I work for can afford it, and due to the nature of the work it is more cost effective to keep me on than find a new person every time my job is ready to go again, due to its intermittent nature. Carry on camping mate!

    • anotherbot on 10/10/2021 - 17:37
      +1

      Yeah my situation exactly! And honestly I've been thinking about the same thing as OP for a while now.

      I work 4-5 hours a week but claim 20ish hours for my side casual gig.
      Been consistently claiming that for a couple of years now.
      I guess this all comes down to if the management is happy with the work. As long as they are happy to pay you then it's all good.

    • AlienC on 12/10/2021 - 00:19
      +2

      Frick I'm in the wrong industry.

      • ProlapsedHeinous on 12/10/2021 - 23:30

        It's not a permanent job though, that's the catch. I'm making hay while the sun shines. there is no job security but it's quite a niche role, so it's a bit different to OP

        • AlienC on 13/10/2021 - 11:27

          Ah I feel ya.

          That's great though.

          Good to strike while the iron is hot.

          In my case covid has secured a lot of positions in my industry and increased a lot of overtime.. In fact I'm typing from one now lol haha.

          Haven't had a break during this whole pandemic.

          Cleaner life.

  • deme on 10/10/2021 - 17:48
    +1

    And being a member of the r/antiwork, I don’t have much guilt booking in 40 hrs a week (overtime sometimes) while only working a day. I just wanted some validation from strangers to continue on doing what I do.

    Go to facebook if you want validation.

  • Stopback on 10/10/2021 - 18:03

    What are some easy task I can automate at work

    • AlienC on 12/10/2021 - 00:20

      Sleeping.

  • Zondor on 10/10/2021 - 18:16

    Sick work, live the dream and let no one find out.

  • decadent1 on 10/10/2021 - 19:04
    +2

    Your Salary is based on your output, not the hours. So no issues whatsoever.

  • HiDave on 10/10/2021 - 19:37
    +7

    Legend, can you get another job and duplicate your results?

    • AlienC on 12/10/2021 - 00:21
      +1

      that is what i was thinking

      Even if just a casual or part time role but get a few jobs

      ????

      Profit

  • burns13 on 10/10/2021 - 20:56

    Good for you. Work smart not hard. That's the name of the game.

    • AlienC on 12/10/2021 - 00:21

      No the name of the game is hydrologist

  • LaTerrible on 10/10/2021 - 21:28
    +2

    Amateur hour. Join r/wallstreetbets, spend your spare 30 hours a week showing us your loss porn from poorly thought out bets on stonks and Bitcoin.

  • bmerigan on 10/10/2021 - 21:35

    I'd expect you to do more reports.
    Improving work practices i.e., becoming more efficient, is pretty common in business.
    The goal is not for my employees to work less time, it's for them to get more done. Profit increase is from getting more done.

    • [Deactivated] on 13/10/2021 - 14:20

      Funny how we've become more efficient but work more. The idea of automation should free us up for other things in life, not just more time to do more…..work

      • bmerigan on 13/10/2021 - 14:28

        I'd say a company wouldn't spend a million dollars on some new, more efficient tools/software so that their staff could take more time off. It would be so they could achieve more, thus grow and make more money.

  • spk-chelsea on 10/10/2021 - 21:43
    +1

    I work as a software consultant. I also build a lot of automation to ease the work that I do. But, I am open and honest about the automation as well. I ensure I put in the hours that I bill. Surprised by the poll results. The world view does not align with that of mine. May be I need to rethink.

    When I say i put in the hours, may be not all 52 weeks of the year. May be 80% of the year. There are weeks I put more and charge the standard 40 hours and there are weeks i work slightly less but charge the same 40 hours.

    • abb on 11/10/2021 - 12:50
      +4

      Consultants charge by the hour though. This guy is likely on a fixed salary.

      I was with OP up until he claimed overtime. That's outright fraud.

      Making your work easier through smart tools is one thing, but lying and saying that you spent 50 hours when you only really spent 12 is super scummy.

      • miicah on 12/10/2021 - 12:37

        That's outright fraud.

        Depends. Did he claim overtime because someone called him at 5pm asking for 2 TPS reports ASAP? Then the overtime was valid.

        Did he claim it because a script failed at 4:55pm and he spent an hour fixing it? That would be a bit of a grey area.

        • abb on 12/10/2021 - 13:22
          +1

          Is it still overtime if someone calls at 5pm and he hasn't logged on yet that day?

          I guess if they need it worked on outside normal working hours it may be justified.

  • aboogee on 10/10/2021 - 21:49
    -2

    gov? or private?
    which company lol…

  • DemocracyManifest on 10/10/2021 - 21:59

    Probably don’t post here lol.

  • aussie bargain on 10/10/2021 - 22:09

    Continue what you are doing.
    While you are at it, get a second full time job and enjoy the benefits of doubling your pay.

  • [Deactivated] on 10/10/2021 - 22:25

    This is the reason why employers want employees back at the office. They will see this and steal the efficient ways the employee would come up with without any kind of compensation.

  • tryingtohelp on 10/10/2021 - 22:55
    +4

    I truly wish that I could have been able to automate the work that I do, the unfortunate part is that in my my last decade, I have been working ridiculous hours and still getting paid a monthly salary.

    IMHO, if I was Op and as mentioned by the others, I would just shut up and would not reveal it to any one , not even to the man in the mirror.
    God knows when the business dynamics change turning your automation redundant.
    So be quite, and enjoy your free time :)

    • burns13 on 11/10/2021 - 05:04
      +4

      You're right. There's no conscience when it's the other way round.

      • aboogee on 11/10/2021 - 12:12

        But your will to be a better person should not be dependent on what the society looks like.
        At least volunteer for some more work, for OP's own benefit and get exposure in areas outside his scope?

  • [Deactivated] on 10/10/2021 - 23:14
    +1

    Yes you are - thats why you have asked the question. Something isnt sitting quite right with you.
    1. Have you deliberately hid the automation from your boss? If yes, you have been dishonest with a goal or achieving your current situation. Ill let you decide if you feel ok with that
    2. Do you avoid taking on work so that people think youre busy whilst your automation does it all?
    3. When you bill overtime, its not true now is it?

    I could go on. But you know the answers to the above.

    All the best,

  • tharlow on 10/10/2021 - 23:19
    +4

    I’d conservatively estimate that 50% of government work can be automated, and the robots would make an order of magnitude less errors. Of course, the question remains as to what people could do with all the extra spare time without stoking inflation (there is finite capacity for overseas flights, as one example).

    UiPath is an embryonic company that has the potential to transform the workforce… into a leisureforce.

    As for me, I’d prefer a 4 million sign-on bonus to a fake job on the beach paying 200k. But that’s just me.

  • fredk1000 on 10/10/2021 - 23:38
    +1

    Op obviously proficient in Python
    https://www.amazon.com.au/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Sweig…

    I work in IT, so I can just do something like this
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSAtLkuuNJE

  • nukacola11970 on 11/10/2021 - 00:03

    I work in government so I'm used to seeing a whole bunch of people doing 10 hours a week solid work but getting paid full time (not that I approve of it, annoys me a lot tbh). An issue I see here is you applying for overtime when it's not required and you don't work it. I mean it's fraud soooo…

  • darkmoss on 11/10/2021 - 00:46

    Fraud. Gaol. Enjoy.

  • yungbae on 11/10/2021 - 00:57
    +3

    Tall poppy syndrome on display in this thread. What does someone stand to gain from "bragging" on an anonymous bargain forum?
    Good on you OP. Merit deserves reward, I doubt every warm body in the same situation would have been able to achieve the same.

    I doubt OP will be getting a pay rise for being more efficient. More likely to get an increased workload for the same pay. So why shouldn't they reap the rewards of their merit by taking their time back?

    • burns13 on 11/10/2021 - 05:01
      +1

      Crab mentality ! I say good on the bloke. Just don't go ruin a good thing by getting caught out. Greed brought many men down

  • Stphen on 11/10/2021 - 01:15
    +3

    I was OK with it, until you mentioned: booking in overtime as well.

    • sarahlump on 11/10/2021 - 08:41
      +2

      the company isnt a person. this person isn't hurting anybody. The system was made a century ago, if you're not exploiting it its exploiting you.

  • redslert on 11/10/2021 - 04:02

    Booking overtime is stepping over the line.
    Unless I'm mistaken Hydrologist is a rare specialty and and gets paid quite well already.

  • CountParadox on 11/10/2021 - 07:18
    +1

    I got fired for automating my job once, they claimed I wasnt being a team player.. lol shitty company anyway

  • sarahlump on 11/10/2021 - 08:40

    Considering this forum i feel like the advice should be to get a 4th job.

  • [Deactivated] on 11/10/2021 - 09:05
    -1

    Sell the software to your company for 10 times your annual salary or a million dollars whichever is more.

  • CharityCase on 11/10/2021 - 10:36
    +1

    you should be proud of being efficient, never feel guilty for being efficient.

    Well done mate

  • Heaps for Cheaps on 11/10/2021 - 10:50

    I guess you could put it this way…

    You had to ask with a ghost account so your real account doesn't get banned for trolling or your job finds out and sacks you.

    OP knows the answer but went to a lot of effort to make a ghost account.

    In any case, they are getting as much out of you as they can and you are getting as much out of them as you can… and you have met in the middle.

  • RocketSwitch on 11/10/2021 - 10:53
    +5

    They're hiring you for your expertise. That has a price. The discussion ends there.

    If it was the other way around, they would say, "thank you," and wouldn't bat an eye lid to get rid of you.

  • mdavant on 11/10/2021 - 11:02
    +2

    It doesn't matter how many hours you do but the quality and value of your work. They obviously value your work and therefore you deserve it and are worth it.

    Enjoy!

  • Choc83 on 11/10/2021 - 11:10

    I used to work with a guy who was the only person in the company capable of configuring a mainframe. He was paid upwards of 200k and did about one hour of work each week.

    He was paid to mitigate the impact of him not being there. If they got rid of OP, the automation scripts would be useless (or at least I hope he/she has set it up that way)

    • Hamlet on 11/10/2021 - 11:43

      Wow… is this what dreams are made of?

      • Choc83 on 11/10/2021 - 16:08

        of course, he was in a happy place of knowing the company AND knowing the tech. There are (expensive) resources we could have hired who knew the tech, but he was in a unique position.

        Replacing him wouldn't have been impossible, but it would have been painful, and nobody wanted to be holding the can if things went to hell and there wasn't someone around to fix the problem.

        So…he got paid

        • AlienC on 12/10/2021 - 00:26
          +1

          Lucky sob

          How do you even get into mainframes that's so niche i wonder where he learnt it

          I mean today you could probably Google and YouTube some of it

          But still

          ONE HOUR A WEEK

          THATS NUTS MAN

  • blorx on 11/10/2021 - 11:16

    I would definitely be supplementing the downtime with work-related projects, self-development & training etc

  • AnophthalmiaCervidae on 11/10/2021 - 11:31

    Until your competitors are all using a similar degree of automation and your company no longer wins projects because they are too expensive so you lose your job.

  • Hamlet on 11/10/2021 - 11:42

    You can write a book to compete against Tim Ferriss' "Four Hour Workweek"

  • Antikythera on 11/10/2021 - 11:47

    Sounds like you're ready to move into a consulting role.

    Lazy people make the best engineers.

    https://kevin-wanke.medium.com/the-best-engineer-is-a-lazy-e…

  • OwMeKnees on 11/10/2021 - 11:55

    I'm an IT PM and spend a lot of time waiting for a deadline I've set to be met so I can hassle people that havent done what they're supposed to. Then I have weeks like last week where Im working like crazy.

    Get the job done and be available… thats it

  • baggyred on 11/10/2021 - 12:14
    +2

    As an employer I look at it this way.

    Some roles are results based.

    If you are delivering appropriate results for your role, then you are worth the salary you are being paid.

    The question then becomes, what other outcomes can you deliver that could increase your pay?

    And what other roles can you train for / fill so that into the future if the role you currently have is automated - you still have a job.

  • acersaurus on 11/10/2021 - 12:21

    Well it's a bit of a risk.

    For instance some employers may use monitoring software which is increasingly common, and they could potentially use those statistics towards reasons to fire you later.

    It's probably a small risk, though it is theoretically possible.

    • nephilim on 12/10/2021 - 00:24

      This is my worry with work from home and work laptop, im using MS Teams and Outlook on my personal phone half the time. Wonder what type of report my spyware work laptop is sending.

      Then again other coworkers are addicted to smoking, so they probably have non stop reports from them being AFK every hour for 20mins. because that's there habit when unsupervised at work, spend 1/3 of the day outside.

  • MatrixM on 11/10/2021 - 12:25
    +2

    Don't charge overtime, that's shitty.
    Even if you're trying to justify it by how you underlogged hours in the past two years, you're more than making up for that already by putting 40h.

  • CocaKoala on 11/10/2021 - 13:24

    OP, most of those voting yes are simply jealous of you. All the best to you, mate. You are positively contributing to the company to the point where your manager is afraid you're burning yourself. You're smart enough to make your job easy for you, and you owe nobody any explanation whatsoever.

  • TooManyEbooks on 11/10/2021 - 13:44
    +2

    Is this poll really confusing to anyone else? The question in the title is the opposite of the question in the description. Which question are people answering?

    • Benoffie on 11/10/2021 - 14:03

      Agreed - I hit yes thinking 'yay' and realised I 'nayed' :\

  • Benoffie on 11/10/2021 - 14:02
    +1

    I say - well done you!

    It reminds me of my monkey cubicle days when I'd smash out a days worth of work (and then some) in less than an hour. The bosses argued that I had no right to slack off after that point - I should have continued to work at the accelerated rate for no additional reward.

    Why?

    Compare - Boss says - I'll pay you to peel 100 potatoes. You get it done in 1 hour whilst someone next to you takes all day. Both have peeled 100 potatoes. Same output. Should either person be penalised? No. Each should work to their capacity and be paid for work output accordingly.

    We had this figured out pre-Industrial Revolution and they (the bosses) don't like us going back to that concept. The issue with it is bosses see it as an excuse to heap on more work. That I do not agree with. Fair days pay for a fair days work.

  • manbearpig on 11/10/2021 - 15:02

    I think it depends on the circumstances. If the company was to hire someone that needed the 40 hours and paid them the exact same salary, then there's no issue with what you're doing because you're just being efficient and know what you're doing thanks to your experience.

    If the other hire who needs 40 hours to do the same job was getting a proportionally lower salary than you, then you should be doing more work for the company with the remaining time you have. The company would be paying you for your experience and efficiency, so it only makes sense that your work output expectations be higher.

  • Zapwap on 11/10/2021 - 15:59

    Am I Crossing a Line Here?

    I thought we've bureaucrats for that

  • chriskq on 11/10/2021 - 16:30
    +1

    Have you found the American dream?

  • [Deactivated] on 11/10/2021 - 16:45
    +1

    Work smarter, not harder. If your boss is happy and the work is getting done then thats good yeah?

  • bman20 on 11/10/2021 - 16:53

    What do you mean by 'booking in hours'?

    Are you actively completing a time sheet of sorts? If so, this is all fraud.

    If not, there's obviously an ethical issue with what you are doing but probably not a legal one as you are not actively lying to anyone.

    If you have the know how to build the tools to automate 80% of your job, and you are posting these kinds of questions on bargain forums, you are wasting your talents!

  • Zythyx on 11/10/2021 - 16:53

    I had something similar for 5 years before the company I was at downsized. I was paid for 40 hours of work, but I was customer support WFH. I only had to deal with answering calls and resolving customer issues. There were days upon days at times when I wouldn't receive customer calls because no one was having an issue.
    Christmas was great because I could work entirely on my phone and all our customers would usually take their break, meaning I wouldn't have to take time off for myself.

  • MandMs13 on 11/10/2021 - 17:26

    Depends - are you getting bored? If so, have a chat with your boss and say you'd like some extra challenges ontop of your current tasks, and use most of the spare time you have to excel in that new task / area. Think long term about what you'd like on your CV for any future employment opportunities.

    Otherwise, get a second job, do the same, and earn two salaries. Then a third, then a fourth. Make a video about it and put it on YouTube, scoring millions in viewing dollars. Then buy a Ferrari. Then a Lamborghini. Then buy me one. Good plan?

  • baskinghobo on 11/10/2021 - 17:27

    The disparity between the poll and comments is interesting lol.

  • RatBargain on 11/10/2021 - 17:39

    Twist: boss is an avid Ozbargainer and OP just ratted himself out

  • sardines on 11/10/2021 - 18:21

    I dont hold a hose for your water mate

  • 1Kenobi on 11/10/2021 - 18:33

    What do you do with the other 30 hours ?

  • fabilo on 11/10/2021 - 19:28

    If I was your employer I'd be disappointed you didn't bring to light your genius technology. I'd be paying you mega $$ to automated the rest of the company… even if you only wanted to work 1 day a week for the same salary.

  • daft009 on 11/10/2021 - 19:38

    Help me in my small business to find things to automate and work smarter and harder please!

    Or anyone else.. I'm being serious

    • Bid Sniper on 11/10/2021 - 20:09

      What feild?

      • daft009 on 11/10/2021 - 22:28

        Engineering I guess

  • Bid Sniper on 11/10/2021 - 20:09

    I've automated a lot of my work as well, productivity is up 5000% and things run while I'm asleep now. Systems I build and maintain myself without insanely expensive service contracts, also I repair systems right away, so little downtime.

    So metrics I use is; money saved, time saved, work completed (ongoing and novel), and quality of results. Time elapse at work is a pointless metric in my work/KPIs, it serves no one.

    “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” -Bill Gates

  • baldur on 11/10/2021 - 20:59

    You guys are the lockdown fanatics for this specific reason.

    • CrispyChrispy on 11/10/2021 - 21:01

      Working from home has its perks - I enjoy it much better than being at the workplace. I guess YMMV, some people would rather be out of the house than in it.

  • CalmLemons on 11/10/2021 - 21:11

    How are you automating your work>?

    Don't feel bad. I only do about 6-8 hours a week of solid work during lockdown nowadays.

    You're paid for the output, not by how long you can do mediocre levels of work for.

  • Unsafe on 11/10/2021 - 21:39
    -2

    "I just wanted some validation from strangers…". No one who seeks validation is successful. Especially from strangers, on a bargain sharing forum, regarding a moral standpoint. Perhaps you've made up your mind and this is a confession?
    Spend your time better, analysing the source of your requirement to be judged and then don't.

  • spedohero on 11/10/2021 - 22:22

    Automation is very vague here. Can you give some context?

  • pointblank on 11/10/2021 - 23:06
    +1

    AR&R 87 to 2016 means 75% less work right OP?

  • ASAPNow on 12/10/2021 - 09:12

    Output is everything. I’ve started to do the same thing with work. Databasing and developing code to conduct various QAQC stuff I need to do. My life is now heaps less stressful.

    I did provide other departments my codes but the old school guys still wants to do it manually.

    Not sorry that I only do like 5 hours of work everyday and still get paid the same as everyone else as well as exceed everyone else!

  • Danger on 12/10/2021 - 09:31

    Humble brag as others have pointed out..Hard to believer that as an Engineer, reporting is the only thing you do.

  • Drakesy on 12/10/2021 - 10:16

    I was in a similar situation as a civil grad with automation
    You sir have just won

    Start your own company and undercut everyone else
    Its not your fault the industry isn't innovating

  • happyhammer on 12/10/2021 - 10:20
    +2

    You are performing to the level that they need so the $ should match. Just because you're efficient doesn't mean you shouldn't get rewarded.
    I'm in a similar position at state gov. 1 hour a day max and listening into some meetings and I charge 40 hours a week. But they are happy and I deliver. (I also think it's reward for menial jobs you did in younger days to get to this position).

  • abuch47 on 12/10/2021 - 10:53
    +1

    the biggest question is what do you get paid OP?

  • Wiede on 12/10/2021 - 11:12

    I assume you are not management because you won't be asking this questions if you are. I know some middle managers who work 1 hour a day and still have the gall to complaint they are underpaid

  • aliocroc on 12/10/2021 - 11:26

    Nah, props to you on being competent enough to automate your tasks.
    Mayyyybe, if your morals are nagging you, you could mention to your boss you have extra capacity.
    But if the job you are being asked to do is being done satisfactorily then, good for you. Telling them about your efficiencies could mean they could consider letting other positions go based on implementing your automations. Hydrology and other STEM work is about monitoring and being aware of an issue when it arises, if you're digesting the data and picking up on anomolies, then you're a good employee.
    Ive seen engineers asleep at their desk as they work two jobs or skimming work equipment for their side gigs, thats fraud, this is just smart!

  • charkwayteo on 12/10/2021 - 11:58
    +1

    nice flex? - I mean if the poll was a resounding - Hell No would you actually do anything different? If higher ups found out some of these roles could be automated to that extent, I'm sure they'd love to streamline the system and make a few redundant.

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