I think I’m a pretty good worker and have no concerns about job security, but, well, I moved from a cube to a shared office. Officemate appears to work 50 hours a week to my 40-45. I feel pretty crappy coming in after officemate does and then leaving before she does. Anyone ever been in the same situation? How do you deal with it?
Maybe she needs to devote more hours than you do to get the job done. Maybe she’s grandstanding (“Look at all the long hours I work.”) Maybe she’s extending her work hours because going home sucks.
If your supervisors don’t have problem with the time you’re putting in, I wouldn’t worry about it.
You have to figure out first whether your coworker is actually getting more done than you. Some people are just better at what they do than others and can get more done in less time than people that may still be competent but may not be good at problem solving or organizational skills. You have to figure out if that applies in this situation. Working smarter and not harder isn’t just a cliche. I work in IT consulting I constantly run across people at all levels that just do things in ways that make the tasks harder and longer than they should be. It isn’t rare and no one should be admired for working longer hours under those conditions.
In my last job, I shared an office with two others. I was the last in and the first out. I was worried about it and asked my boss about it. I explained that with a 2-year-old daughter, I could not put in much extra time except when we really need it.
My boss surprised me with his answer. He told me I was getting twice the work done in less time and my one co-worker was putting in extra hours just to keep his head above water. Made me feel good and realize what Shagnasty posted above. Some bosses do recognize Quality of work over quantity of time.
If you are really worried about it, ask your direct boss about the situation and make sure she/he is okay with your work.
Jim
Or maybe she even, you know, likes what she’s doing and derives satisfaction from it.
I think different people are naturally going to have different schedules. As long as you both are getting your respective jobs done, I don’t see the issue unless you’re absolutely the only person working fewer hours. Then you might want to make clear your efficiency in your job.
I show up at 7:30 every day mainly because I hate working right when I get into the office. I spend that first half hour surfing the internet, reading the Dope, etc. It’s just a nice way to ease myself into the day for me. Just being there, I’m often told that I must be working hard since I show up earlier than most people every day - truth is, I start when they start. Just because I’m at my desk doesn’t mean I’m working.
Are you getting your work done? If so, I wouldn’t worry about it too much unless the majority of people in your department are working longer hours than you.
There could be any number of reasons why she is working longer hours than you. As mentioned, she may not be as productive, she may not want to go home, or maybe she has different circumstances from you (e.g. that’s when her carpool times are or those are the hours that fit in with child care arrangements).
It may also be a temporary thing. I work insane hours during the quarter end crunch times but not so much during slower periods. Others in my office really try to jam in a lot of hours and get ahead on projects during the later part of summer before their kids go back to school (when they may have to cut back for a while as they figure out kid transport).
If the majority of people in your office are working longer hours than you, then take a good look at whether you’re getting as much done as everyone else and whether “face time” is important in your company.
Thus it should ever be, for all of us. 
Hmm, k. Good advice all, thanks. I was recently offered a promotion & raise so no worries here at all. I’m not at all a very secure person, so I just can’t get over feeling a dick.
I think I’ll avoid the issue for the time being by getting in before she does.
No, no, no.
Find someone else who gets in before she does. Pay that person some minimal sum (a quarter a day? it adds up!) to stop in your office, flip on your computer, move something on your desk, and leave a hot cup of coffee there.
When your office mate arrives, she will assume you’ve just stepped out for a moment.
Trust me. You can get away with this for a couple weeks before anyone clues in.
You could be talking about me. I hate walking into work and having to start immediately. I’d much rather arrive at ~7:30, goof around for a half-hour, and actually start working at 8:00. (And yes, I do try to start working promptly at 8:00.) Plus, there’s the fact that if I wait much longer, traffic starts to get heavier and my commute becomes much more stressful.
As for your 50 hr/week coworkers, there’s another possibility: greed. I have a coworker who always works overtime, and whom I’m reasonably sure does not have the workload to justify the extra hours.
I’ve also heard this same coworker complain about how he didn’t get a raise, when I got a decent raise myself. I think my bosses are wise to his game 
I often work late. Some weeks I’m in the office 50 hours. My immediate cube-neighbor leaves every single day at 5:15, to pick up her son from daycare. One day, she asked me if I thought it looked bad, with her often arriving after and always leaving before me. I laughed and explained that I don’t work any more than she does. I just take my time most days. I like to enjoy lunch. I like to sit and zone for 1/2 hour in the morning (like others here). I like coffee. I like chatting in the kitchen with other co-workers. I like not feeling rushed, and I like waiting for traffic to thin out. I have no reason not to do otherwise, being young and single. (note: I am salaried. As long as I make my deadlines my boss wouldn’t care if I decided to do all my work from midnight to 8 AM each day. I could telecommute but my computer is better in the office). Your office mate could also be like me.
Wally, is that you?
She’s got an ugly husband.
Ok, I must confess that I actually do stuff like that and I have been doing it so long that I forgot I was doing it. I have timer software that turns my computer on a half hour before I get there and off a half hour before I leave. It logs in and I always have about ten application Windows open. I have instant messenger open as well and it always shows me on-line. During the winter, I never bring my coat to my desk because people can use it to tell when I have come and gone. I never lie directly if someone asks me when I got in a certain day but I know for a fact that a lot of people have been confused by these tactics for long periods of time.
Heh. Me, too. I think this type of thing is the new “Man in the Grey Flannel Suit” rebellion paradigm. Us postmodern TV kiddies know the system’s jacked and we jack it right back.
Having said that, it’s not like it’s some sneaky rip-off. Many people can do their work in less than 8 hours, and for them, 8 hours compulsory attendance is like having detention every single day of school. Employers jawbone about preferring “results-oriented” people, but they still think that the harried, 50+ hour a week workaholic is “results-oriented”, when in fact, the opposite is often true. Those harried, 50+ hour a week people are often either image-mongering or unable to get it done in 40, while the smart, efficient ones are getting it done in < 8 hours.
You are my hero.
I always figured if I was doing my work in the time allotted, then I looked better than the guy who arrived earlier and stayed later to do the same amount of work.
Like folks said, if you production is where you want it to be and your bosses are satisfied (which your promotion suggests they are) then work the schedule that works best for you.
It sounds as though you have somewhat of a flexible workday. If you were overly concerned about appearances, I’d suggest that you occasionally alter your schedule just enough so as not to be entirely predictable. Maybe once every week or two, come in early, even if you leave early that day. And every once in a while when your schedule permits stay later than usual, even if you don’t really need to.
I’ve wondered about this same subject. I’m usually one of the first people to show up every morning, so no problem there. But I generally leave right at 5:00 pm, as opposed to my manager, who makes a habit of staying until 6:00 or 7:00 pm most nights. I like to think that I’m a team player; I’ve got no problem with staying late occasionally to finish something or deal with a problem. I come in on weekends to do system upgrades and I log in from home after hours when I need to. But the fact is, this is my job, not my hobby, I get paid for 8:00 am through 5:00 pm and barring special circumstances, I’d rather be home with my wife than working. If that reflects poorly on me relative to the guy who stays late every night, so be it.
I’m a morning person. Many of my coworkers definitely aren’t; they’re no good before 11am or so, I’m no good after 5pm or so. When they stay late, they’re basically recovering the time before those coffees kicked in.
A few times when someone whined that I oughta stay after leaving time, I pointed out very brightly that I happen to get through some 25% of my workload in the first two hours of being at work. Blinking owlishly, they dropped the subject.