# Do People Really Work 80 Hour Weeks?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 22, 2002, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008 "2002-04-22T16:49:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/21 "2002-04-23T01:35:04Z")
My dad probably works more 16 hour shifts than 8 hour shifts and once that I know of he had to go work in Grand Cayman and he clocked in on Tuesday morning and didn’t clock out until late Friday night. I have no idea how he does it, it’s inhuman.
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### Author:  [@Lockfist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockfist)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/22 "2002-04-23T04:15:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Surreal \*
> \*\*Is it really that common for people to work 70 or 80-hour weeks?
>
> I hear this claim made a lot but I’m skeptical. Are these people full of it? Do they do some kind of ‘creative accounting’ when they figure the amount of hours they work?? Are they actually PRODUCTIVE while working that many hours??? \*\*
Ironically enough, many accountants work 80 work weeks from January through April. Many firms have a mandatory 60 hour work week during the so called “Busy Season”. Thankfully, I’ve been out of that profession for a few years now…
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### Author:  [@funguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funguy)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/23 "2002-04-23T04:38:04Z")
i own a bar/restaurant in the pocono mountains of pa and depending on business i work anywhere from 13 hours a day to 18 hours a day 7 days a week 357 a year
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### Author:  [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/24 "2002-04-23T05:17:28Z")
When I was an EMT I my typical workweek was about 55 hours Although there were a few wild weeks. My record was 149.5 hours in one pay period. A hefty chunk of that was also due to another personal record, 56 hours straight on duty. I did get to sleep 2-3 hours at a time here and there, but it was still hell.
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### Author:  [@snermy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snermy)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/25 "2002-04-23T05:57:14Z")
It’s pretty easy when you work 12 hour shifts.
Work 6 days=72 hours. I’m not even counting the extra 15-30 minutes for shift turnover. Not much fudging, because it’s straight shift work…you stay until your replacement shows up.
Of course, a normal week for us is 4 days on, 4 days off, but I’ve done the above overtime schedule at least once a month since January…
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### Author:  [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/26 "2002-04-23T06:06:04Z")
My longest workweek was 66 hours - technically our shifts were four ten-hour days, but people who didn’t work Friday and Saturday weren’t kept for very long, and most people worked a six hour day on Sundays. I got time and a half for everything over 40 so I was getting paid for 79 hours a week. This was only $4.50 an hour but it was my best pay yet at the time.
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### Author:  [@toaad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toaad)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/27 "2002-04-23T07:05:17Z")
during desert storm my ship failed a combat readyness test. we failed it because the yards had messed up half the equipment on the ship, nothing we could even fix. as punishment the whole ship went on 18 hour days. after extra duty most were getting 2 to 4 hours sleep. not the officers no sir they sleep like humans. we arrived after about 10 strait days of this with people passing out on duty. and halucinating from hundreds of miligrams of coffee/cafine pills. i got out of most of it but was awake for about 50 hours strait at one point. if we had had a fight we were screwed. they called it off after 61 days . guess who didnt stay in the navy.
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### Author:  [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/28 "2002-04-23T07:54:14Z")
I am suprised people can work 80 hrs a week and still have time to post on forums 🙂
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### Author:  [@blur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blur)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/29 "2002-04-23T08:03:58Z")
I’ve done 80 hour weeks before. During a big cutover of a new account, the shift leaders were on 7 days a week, at least 10 hours a day for a few months. The overtime pay was great, especially since I didn’t get a chance to spend the money. Now I work 12 hour shifts, so and extra day puts me up to 60, and two up to 72, which happens only during vacations. I try to draw the line now at 60 hours, after that I’m shot.
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### Author:  [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/30 "2002-04-23T08:22:34Z")
there was a recent program on TV that showed a company (royal dalton I think) trying to stop its executives working so hard, and going home at usual hours. The theory was that if you are working so hard you are probably inefficient, and need to delegate more. It seemed to work.
This backs up what I have seen in many american universities, The post-docs there in the resarch labs would often put in 12h days, 6 days a week. But the productive time was much much less. Essentially they turned up at 7.00 in the morning and left at 7.00 at night for their supervisor to see them, but many afternoons would be spent on the beach etc
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### Author:  [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/31 "2002-04-23T10:54:20Z")
I teach journalism, and although an 80-hour week is certainly not typical, they’re not at all unusual when newspaper students are laying out the paper and yearbook students are staying after school to make yearbook pages.
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### Author:  [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/32 "2002-04-23T11:58:15Z")
I’ve done two jobs before, and worked (including the commuting between them) 70 hour weeks for several months. If you include the morning commute to the first job it was probably closer to an 80 hour week. I found that as long as I had weekends off it was fine.
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### Author:  [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/33 "2002-04-23T13:26:35Z")
12 hours a day, 7 days a week, are the norm for workers in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Of course, this is followed by off time - most people work a two-week-on, two-week-off schedule. So the work routine becomes: two weeks of 12 hour days and two weeks off work. 84 hour work weeks are the norm and many tasks require working later or going to work a little early, so it is not unusual at all to work a 90 hour week. And when we have a shutdown/turnaround of one of the big facilities, one can easily spike up to over 100 hours in one week.
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### Author:  [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/34 "2002-04-23T13:41:02Z")
Everyone I know who has a programming background has a “war story” about a particular project sometime in their career that required ungodly hours to complete.
I had a project where I worked about 90 hours per week over a period of 9 months. It’s really not that hard to do (especially if you’re single like I was at the time). Start at seven in the morning and go until about 10 at night gives you about 14 hours of work, assuming relatively short lunch and supper breaks. Do that six days a week and you’re already at 84 hours of actual work time. Spend some time on Sunday working and there you are, pushing 90 hours per week.
I don’t believe people (with extremely rare exceptions) can do this for extended periods of time. I was reaching my limits after 6 months, and the only thing that kept me going was knowing we were getting close to being finished.
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### Author:  [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/35 "2002-04-23T17:14:36Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by plnnr \*
> \*\*The attorneys I worked for routinely put in 70-80 hour work weeks early in their careers. If they didnt bill for that amount of work their chances of making partner were practically nil. \*\*
OT, but I’m reminded of an attorney who worked an overnighter on the East Coast for a client, stayed on the account during a flight to California and finished the day shortly after midnight. His putting in twenty-seven billable hours in one day elevated him to godlike status among his peers.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/36 "2002-04-23T18:16:36Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by bmerton \*
> \*\*I work for a large US investment bank in the corporate finance division. Last week I arrived in the office at 9.00am on Monday. I didn’t leave the office until 2.00am on Tuesday morning. I was
> …snip…
> Feeling a little tired.
>
> Total hours last week= 108 1/2 hours.
>
> …snip…
>
> As for taking holiday - ha? In my dreams… \*\*
Whoa. How do you find time to read the Straight Dope and boards?
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### Author:  [@Intrinsic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intrinsic)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/37 "2002-04-23T18:35:20Z")
For the average professional or middle manager not operating under crisis mode due to a major deadline or large project, the 70-80 hour work week is quite embellished. I know… since I work with many of this mindset. True enough, if a stopwatch began when they walked through the door and ended the moment they left for the day, there may a 10-12 hour day. But factor in coffee & muffin time, gossip sessions in co-workers’ offices, group lunches, a quick errand here or there, surfing the internet (straight dope perhaps?) for a mid-afternoon break, and voila… the 8 hour day can easily be extended to 11 or 12 hours.
And if you’re a smoker, you can really stretch things out…
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### Author:  [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-work-80-hour-weeks/105008/38 "2002-04-23T21:59:05Z")
After I got out of college and went back to farming full time, I did it part time throughout college, I kept track of the hours for the first year or so. I only counted hours worked not including lunch or breaks in the afternoon and morning. My worst weeks during the summer ran around 95 but many summer weeks were closer to 80. Most weeks ran in the 60-70 range during the rest of the year. Most weeks I get most of a day off (I always do the early morning chores, about 2 hours work). There’s always one or two weeks a month that I’m not be able to get my day off though. I just got back from this year’s vacation actually, three days Sun, Mon, and today.
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