How many hours we suppose to work per week?

[Lingerbell]

my job once hit more than >80hrs per mth consider OT already.

[Moonstar]

Working hours is depends on the individual companies. There is no fast or hard rules about it. Depends on your luck.

 

Previously i work for a damn jewish shipping company....9am to 6pm, including saturdays. Its a culture for my dept ppl to come in at 0830hrs and leave at 7pm. Even saturdays come 0830hrs, and expected to have lunch first and continue working until 3pm. Worst still, there is a routine schedule to come in on sunday for once a month.

 

Work like siao....no OT pay and the salary is only average in the industry. I only last for 1 year over there.....cannot tahan.

[Flight_skoda]

Hi anyone know whether how many hours we suppose to work per week?? 44hours etc... and five days week.... Is this 44 hours inc lunch and tea break??? My lunch is 45mins and tea break 10mins in the morning ang 10mins at 3pm....

I work 9.5hours daily and as for fri i need to work 9.45mins.... Is this normal or my company is eating me????

Pls advise!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks

 

I take your views above as an employee without any managerial activities (i.e. hiring/firing/transfer/discipline of employees) or as a confidential employee.

 

Based on the Employment Act Part IV Section 38 [Hours of Work],

 

Quote---

(1) Except as hereinafter provided, an employee shall not be required under his contract of service to work ?

(a) more than 6 consecutive hours without a period of leisure;

(b) more than 8 hours in one day or more than 44 hours in one week:

Unquote---

 

Hence, you may interprete as it is 44 hours a week or 88 hours over two weeks. Lunch breaks are not offical hours and excluded from the 44 hours workweek but you are entitled to a break after every 6 consecutive hours of work.

 

 

However, this working hours per day thingy varies differently in various working sectors. In retail/hospitality/F&B sector, you may be expected to work 12 hours during weekends, but slightly shorter hours during the weekdays or it may well be a 4.5 days work week of 10 hours each day plus another 4hours half day.

 

On the other end, you may have a office job that gives you 5 days work week of 8 hours each day, amounting to a 40 hours workweek.

 

IMO, you may wish to refer to your signed contract or employee handbook. Alternatively, talk to your HR representative to give you a clearer picture.

 

You may also want to note that Part IV of the Employment Act provision is only limited to certain class of employees, such as

 

Quote---

Application of Part IV to workmen and certain other employees.

35. The provisions of this Part shall apply ?

(a) to workmen; and

(b) to employees who are in receipt of a salary not exceeding $1,600 a month (excluding overtime payments, bonus payments, annual wage supplements, productivity incentive payments and any allowance however described) or such other amount as may be prescribed by the Minister.

Unquote---

Edited June 18, 2006 by Flight_skoda

[Pisces69]

Must be Zim Line?

[Flight_skoda]

Hi anyone know whether how many hours we suppose to work per week?? 44hours etc... and five days week.... Is this 44 hours inc lunch and tea break??? My lunch is 45mins and tea break 10mins in the morning ang 10mins at 3pm....

I work 9.5hours daily and as for fri i need to work 9.45mins.... Is this normal or my company is eating me????

Pls advise!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks

=======================

 

I think sud b abt 48 hours per week BUT WHO IS SO LUCKY TO WORK SUCH SHORT HOURS ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!

 

Most pple have been "upgraded" to excuetive level & above so campanies can "abuse" u more

 

Paid overtime? They now tell you, U r lucky to have a job. WTF we have become slaves to the employers now.

 

I want to retire early. Had enough of so much crap coming from employers & gharmen.

 

Bro, even as there are companies who use the term "Manager" or "Executive" loosely, the law would look at the person's job scope.

 

Would a MD's Secretary exposed to company's information be exempted? Yes, because she is a confidential staff. But what if the Secretary is just a title given but she is actually an Admin Assistant without privy to such information? Well, even if she earns above S$1600, she is still protected by the EA. Likewise, a manager without hiring, firing, transfer or employees' disciplinary authority will be no less than a workman and will be protected under the EA.

 

I do agree that there are many employers who abuse the laws to their advantage, but they are few and far in between. I always feel that employer and employee relationship must always be in good faith. That trust is the backbone to employee retention and employment goodwill.

 

To be fair, I do think our Ministry of Manpower is doing a great job as compared to many other countries.

 

 

** p/s, btw I am not working for the Ministry.

[Speeddemon]

lol....how about the following:

 

Official version

-6 day work week

-Hours 8am to 7pm Mon to Sat

-No OT pay

 

Actual version

-7 day work week

-Average hours 8am to 9pm Mon to Sat and 8am to 5pm Sun

-No OT pay

 

Anyone can guess what industry this is?

[Flight_skoda]

Could it be sales or retail?

[Southpark2000]

Well, i must be the luckily one.

 

my working hours is 9am to 520pm... inclusive 50 mins of lunch break.

each day is 7.5 hours.

1 week is 37.5 hours.

and it is 5-days work week.

 

there is not much of OT to do.. unless u wan to stay behind to finish ur own work.

 

*added*

 

if i didnt remember wrongly, if u r working in services industry.. employer can required you to work 56 hours per week.

 

correct me if i am wrong...

 

- I start my day at 7.30....end earliest 7.30

[Rollagt]

What industry is that ?Werk 7 days a week ?My guess is accounting !

 

Me werking in US MNC..recently business is darn good,volume increase 100percent and more but manpower remains..my werking hours ? 9am till 9pm daily for 7 days for the past few months..sometimes werk till 11:30pm!

 

I used to be quite healthy but I fell sick once every month !HAHA!These 2 weeks quite ok..boss let us rest for this week next week continue to slog!

[Speeddemon]

lol....at least sales still got hope for commission....nope this industry is construction....the worst to be in if you ask me....fresh grads working on site can expect to work 7 day weeks with no OT pay....each day working for 12 hours....sometimes up until 3am (yes 3AM!!!...i kenna b4!!!)....slogging in the hot sun almost everyday....and all for less then 30k annually....and thats including bonuses and any allowances given....

[Flight_skoda]

Construction.... no wonder. I have heard from friends that there are a lot of exploitation of labour etc etc. To me, that's a sunset industry that I wouldn't want to be in lor. If I may ask, was your major in some form of engineering? How come after graduation you end up in a construction firm?

[Recon]

Hey Bro,

 

What firm u work in hor, up to 3 a.m also no OT pay. I also in construction yea the hours is long 8 to about 7 or 8. However mine for Sun sometimes no work or most is until 5... Maybe your company is big projects alot...

[Flight_skoda]

Hi Bro, I think your post was to Bro Speeddemon right?

Edited June 18, 2006 by Flight_skoda

[Pisces69]

Yes but from the replies you can see the situation in real life here.

 

I think working life sux nowadays. Good thing i'm quite old so hope to retire soon.

 

Can't imagine what it's going to b like for my poor kid. She just started working.

 

Maybe u r one of the lucky ones or u got some good connections.

[Moonstar]

Must be Zim Line?

 

No its not..........here's a big hint.

 

The office is over-looking the marine bay, can see batam very clearly on a good clear day.

[Flight_skoda]

Hi Bro, how I wish I can retire soon like you but I have 2 young kiddies to feed and educate.

 

IMO. Somehow, working life being quite sticky here is perhaps resultant of us Singapore too on the ball. I have seen colleagues who stayed on later than the boss just to gain a good impression. There are some who are over-zealous to prove and 'slave' themselves to their work. Hence, what will the "Ang-Mohs" or Bosses think?

 

I do think whatever a person does, there must be some moderation. At the end of the day, your family matters and not your title nor your salary. Your kid may be a victim of our so called "new economy"... dog-eat-dog as some people called it...knowledge based as the gahmen called it, whatever. This is an era of pre-emptive layoffs, job redesigning and restructuring as well as corporate cost management to fulfill the ambition of CEOs/MDs and their ROIs towards the investors.

 

Even experienced workers like you and me are indirectly victims of change, my predecessor left his job and I took over. However, in doing the same job my pay was 30% lower. Is that fair? Eventually, when your pay gets high enough or that one does not generate enough "value" as they called it, our jobs are made redundent. Fair? Foreign talents or "Ang Moh" doing the same job are paid much more, with car and housing benefits. Fair? That's the way the economy is right now, bro. Aunt Lucy says "join the union", but do they help? I, me and myself is the best bet on survivial.

 

My kids are still young and yet to be schooling. If it is bad now, I cannot imagine 15 years later.

 

At the end of the day, I respect my self-worth and dignity more than climbing the corporate. So yar, connection in part is important, but not everything. I still prefer to work for an ethical employer who really values their employees and make career development a partnership. If the employer is bad, boycott them, shame them, spread the news to your friends and do not be employed by them. The last few years were bad, really bad and employers have had their call. Now, the tide has reversed. *Get the hint*

Anyway, this is a long post and my 2 cents worth. Wish you, me and our kiddies the best of luck in the new economy.

[Metalslug]

Hi anyone know whether how many hours we suppose to work per week?? 44hours etc... and five days week.... Is this 44 hours inc lunch and tea break??? My lunch is 45mins and tea break 10mins in the morning ang 10mins at 3pm....

I work 9.5hours daily and as for fri i need to work 9.45mins.... Is this normal or my company is eating me????

Pls advise!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks

 

if u ask me, is how much u wan to perform in your job. if u want to, u can stay late to do watever things to complete ur daily tasks b4 u go. if not, u will be on time to go back... for me i choose e latter. no hanky panky, work hard and do wat it takes to get it done cos i am paid for it. and i wan to excel... so there u go, all based on your commitment to e job.

 

btw i work 9am - 630pm. but usually stay till 7plus.

[Paffendorf]

I dun care I work like sxxt and $$ sucks...but no choice I need to feed my family.