# Poll: are you working yourself to death? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 22, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138 "2004-11-22T18:03:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/21 "2004-11-23T18:40:25Z")
I figured it out to about 1900 hours per year. If you take off the time that I’m at the Dope, about 150 hours per year. That works out to about $500 per hour. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/22 "2004-11-23T20:44:14Z")
For 10 years I worked between 2500 to 3000 hours a year. In a salaried State government job (great benefits, no money). Then the Powers that Be decided to take all the fun work and leave me the dregs. So I found another State job. The glorified state job of legend. Dreams are made of this. ## 2080 hours - no overage …104 hours of sick time …156 hours of vacation (increasing to 182 next year) …104 hours of holidays 1806 hours a year. At a desk. In air-conditioning. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/23 "2004-11-23T21:18:42Z")
nononono, the OP is not a snipe at anybody. the idea is if people are getting along just fine with 5 weeks leave, then we should all band together and petition for ‘only’ 4! (_one month_!! woot!) “4 weeks leave! 4 weeks leave!!” ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/24 "2004-11-23T22:14:54Z")
I only work part time now because I’m in school, but my husband gets 2080-24(holidays)-40(1 week of vacation)=2016 hours/year. I can’t even imagine how awesome it would be to have 4 weeks off. I’d be over the moon if he had 2 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/25 "2004-11-23T23:02:58Z")
I once worked 127 hours in a single week. Never ever ever again. Now I work 16-20 hours a week of independent contracting. That’s enough to coover the bills and then some, and the rest of the time, I spend with the wee one. We go to the park _a lot_. So, no I do not work myself to death. at all. Once the offspring hits school, I’ll probably ramp it up some, but for now, this rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Maxxxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Maxxxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maxxxie)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/26 "2004-11-24T10:08:27Z")
Before I started having seizures, I’d routinely work 60 hours a week. That’s … umm… _counts on fingers… 8… carry the two…_ 2880 hours a year (assuming 4 weeks annual leave - which I hardly ever use up). Nowadays, I’ve cut back a little. Usually it’s more like 45-50 hours a week (2160-2400 hrs a year). 1855 hours a year? Who ARE these slackers?! That’s not even a 40-hour week! Upon re-reading my first sentence, it’s occurred to me that maybe I’d be better off if I became one of those “slackers” instead of the tired, depressed, overworked ball of stress I’ve become ☹ Max. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/27 "2004-11-24T10:47:03Z")
I also work in the videogame industry. For most of this year, since around March or so, I worked around 12-14 hours a day for 6-7 days a week. We get 15 days “personal time,” which combines vacation and sick days, plus two weeks of comp time when the project finished. And then there are around 10 official company-wide vacation days on major holidays (which sometimes, employees are not allowed to take). In the last six months, I’ve lost about 40 pounds, unintentionally, which I’m blaming on job-related stress (although the year has been pretty stressful personally, too). This week I had what was diagnosed as a gall bladder infection/inflammation which had me either doubled in pain or vomiting profusely for about an entire day; reading up on it afterward, I see that this kind of thing can be brought on by rapid weight loss and stress. So yeah, I kind of think that I’m literally working myself to death. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/28 "2004-11-24T14:37:58Z")
I do printer testing, so that puts me in the high-tech industry. Here is how my hours stack up: 40 hours x 52 weeks = 2,080 hours Less: 40 hours paid vacation (my company is very stingy with paid vacation time) Less: 6 paid holidays, so that’s another 48 hours off Less: One week of company-wide shutdown between Christmas and New Year’s Day, shave off another 40 hours. Total hours for the year: **1,952**. ---
**Author:** ![Jammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@Jammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/29 "2004-11-24T14:45:06Z")
It sure is easy to get jealous when you hear all non-American folks talking about 6 weeks vacation. Hell, I’m the president and 1/3 owner of a consulting firm and it took us almost 6 years and a lot of success before we even considered giving OURSELVES more than 3 weeks. And I usually feel guilty when I take any of it. I guess it is just the work ethic that is so prominent here. As a boy, I remember that my dad always used his “time-off” for doing other work around the house or moonlighting work for extra money. Once a year in the fall we would take a week off as a family and go to the beach or something, that’s it. Having said all that, we did finally vote in four weeks vacation this year and I’m actually going to come pretty close to taking it all (probably won’t use 2-3 days). It has been nice and I don’t think I’m working my self to death now. Unfortunately, those extra days of life I’m storing up will be guilt-ridden, having lived the life of a slacker. 😉 Jammer ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/30 "2004-11-24T15:03:29Z")
I am one of the poor bastards slogging my guts out in Australia. Each year I get 10 public holidays off, 4 weeks of recreation leave, 2 weeks of long service leave, as much sick leave as I need (I probably take a few days a year and have hundreds of days accumulated), a couple of days a year for FACS (family and community service) leave if I need it and a flex day every fortnight. I also have to work a gruelling 7 hour work day so I only work 4 days a week…you’d have to be Superman otherwise. By my reckoning this adds up to about 1190 hours a year…it makes me tired just typing it. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/31 "2004-11-24T15:11:22Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > I am one of the poor bastards slogging my guts out in Australia. Each year I get 10 public holidays off, 4 weeks of recreation leave, 2 weeks of long service leave, as much sick leave as I need (I probably take a few days a year and have hundreds of days accumulated), a couple of days a year for FACS (family and community service) leave if I need it and a flex day every fortnight. I also have to work a gruelling 7 hour work day so I only work 4 days a week…you’d have to be Superman otherwise. By my reckoning this adds up to about 1190 hours a year…it makes me tired just typing it. Yeah, I would think so! Are you doing all that to retire early or something or are you forced to do it to support a large family? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/32 "2004-11-24T15:20:29Z")
Count me in as a 2200+ hour wage slave. I also get five months a year holiday. Go figure 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/33 "2004-11-24T15:34:43Z")
I work 1850 hours a year. I think this is low for an American, since I almost always work a standard 40-hour week. It seems to me that a lot of Americans believe that some sort of mantle of sainthood descends upon them if they work long hours. I’ve never shared in that belief. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/34 "2004-11-24T18:02:56Z")
56 hour week \* 52=2912 -80 hours vacation= 2832 Which doesn’t include the OT worked because the pay sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/35 "2004-11-24T19:00:53Z")
We don’t seem to have any Canadian input yet, so here’s some. The norm in Canada is two-weeks annual paid vacation. That often increases as you stay longer with a company, but employees in Canada are basically treated as disposable, and people change jobs quite frequently (on their own, or due to layoffs/firing). Paid sick time is at the discretion of employers. Most people routinely work sick as dogs because so many companies are so short-staffed that people feel they can’t take a day off. Our work week is minimum 40 hours and getting longer all the time (people coming in earlier and staying later). People on salaries are routinely expected to work much more than 40 hours, and their pay doesn’t change at all to reflect extra hours. Ya know, reading this thread, it occurs to me that Canadian employers are seriously hosing us. And we’re letting them. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/36 "2004-11-24T19:08:19Z")
Well, I’m in the quite low-tech industry of newspaper delivery. I work about 2.5 hours/day, about 361 days per year. In bad weather, I might add an hour/day to my route. No vacations (aside from the few major holidays, as long as they don’t fall on a Sunday), no sick days, no paid anything. On the other hand, no co-workers, no high-stress deadlines, no boss. Can’t complain. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/37 "2004-11-24T22:28:08Z")
I may be really bad at math, but I just figured that I work 1,575 hours a year: ## 52 weeks x 35 hours = 1,820 minus 4 weeks vacation - 140 minus 15 stat days, holidays and X-mas floaters - 105 1,575 I also get: - unlimited sick leave (although if you’re away for more than a week they like a little note or something) - a moving day - bereavement days - stampede 1/2 day - 2 disaster days - 1 sick family member day - 1 /2 graduation day - mat leave of 1 year, regardless of if I pop the kid out myself, or adopt. Actually - it looks like I don’t have to be at work at all. Ever. I guess I’m not going to die of work stress burnout anytime soon… ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/38 "2004-11-25T10:01:07Z")
I work 12 hour shifts, 6AM to 6PM. 3 days one week, 4 days the next, then 3 and so on… I work a lot of OT. Several months ago, I worked 17 12-hour days in a row. I have a 2 to 2 1/2 hour one way commute. (1 1/2 hours back home) If I take a vacation day, the guy who works the opposite shift has to work my day and vice-versa. So, yeah. I’m working myself into an early grave. But whatdayagonnado? ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/39 "2004-11-25T10:50:54Z")
**featherlou** , I disagree. Probably because I don’t live in Alberta 😉 Canadian minimum is 2 weeks vacation. It most decidely is not the norm except for fairly low-paid, relatively unskilled people. At my last job north of the border, I started at 3 weeks paid vacation (once I managed to claw my way up to staff from a ‘contract’ position). My dad recently changed jobs (returning to a company he spent 3 months with about a decade ago), fought for and was awarded 5 weeks vacation. The key seems to be if you accept a sucky offer, you’ll be stuck with it. Most people I know can take as many sick days as necessary-- some people exploit this as much as they can-- but many _feel_ they will be treated badly come evaluation time if they do take time off, even if the evidence doesn’t justify this feeling. However, I note that in the issue of Macleans sitting in my bathroom, a columnist says Canadians average 8.5 hours of overtime each week. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138/40 "2004-11-25T15:35:27Z")
I probably should have noted in my post that I was talking about my experience with working (and the experience of many people that I know), not talking about working in Canada in general. I suspect things may be different in Alberta (especially Calgary) than the rest of Canada, due to the super-hot economy and growth that’s going on here. Although, you would think that would make employers _more_ generous, not less. I do disagree with you about the vacation time, however, **Barbarian**. This could be a regional difference too, but in my experience, people just don’t seem to get much paid vacation. I do think that Canadians are being taken advantage of by employers, on the whole. Just wait until all those Boomers retire and employers can’t get any staff. Then we’ll see who has the last laugh. MUWAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-are-you-working-yourself-to-death/276138.md?page=3)