On a weekly work basis, this law requires employers to pay wages equal to 1 1/2 times an employee`s regular wage rate after that employee has worked 40 hours for workers aged 16 and over. Weekend or night work does not apply to overtime pay unless it exceeds the prescribed 40 hours. That certainly seems to be true for Alex, a federal prosecutor who focuses on securities fraud. He works long hours, usually comes home around 11 p.m. and regularly skips meals. Instead of dinner, he`ll have a PowerBar at his desk — or a peanut butter jelly sandwich when he gets home late at night. He never comes home until his two young children are in bed, although he makes a point of taking his daughter to kindergarten in the morning. He complains that by trying to gain as much family time as possible, he neglects his relationship with his wife. On a rare date, the couple went to a jazz club only to let Alex fall asleep after a drink.
It`s not hard to imagine why: his average workweek is 75 hours – and in the middle of a process, he can work 95 hours. Currently, there is no OSHA standard to regulate longer and unusual shifts in the workplace. A working time of eight consecutive hours over five days with at least eight hours of rest between shifts defines a standard shift. Any postponement exceeding this standard is considered prolonged or unusual. Our two surveys of high-paying professionals revealed the four characteristics considered to generate the greatest intensity and pressure: unpredictability (cited by 91% of respondents), fast pace with tight deadlines (86%), work-related events outside office hours (66%) and 24-hour customer requests. 7 days a week (61%). However, there are several exceptions that allow a 14- or 15-year-old to work 8 hours in a single day while school is in session. This can happen if the employee: These are poignant examples of the extreme cost of labor for individuals, but there can also be costs at the company level – for example, when burnout occurs. Half of our extreme job owners don`t want to work under this pressure for more than a year. What`s more, the next generation of executives – the so-called Gen-X and Gen-Y cohorts – seem less enthusiastic about their work than baby boomers.
In the 45-60 age group, only 19% of extreme job holders say they are likely to leave their job within two years. In the 35-44 age group, this proportion rises to 30% and in the 25-34 age group to 36%. The ultimate price can be paid in succession planning when exhausted professionals stop looking for high-level jobs. In our survey, 65% said they would turn down a promotion if it required even more energy. Let us go back for a moment and clarify the distinction we make between ordinary, long-term jobs and extreme jobs. Our definition, which emerged from extensive discussions, takes into account not only hours (and, of course, compensation), but also the pressures that make these positions particularly stressful. We identified ten common characteristics of extreme jobs and decided to classify a respondent as owning an extreme job if they face five or more of them, in more than 60 hours or more per week (see box “Elements of the extreme”). By this standard, 21% of the high-income earners we surveyed in the U.S.
have extreme jobs. (In our separate survey of professionals working in global companies, that number rises to 45percent.) For adult workers, there is no legal limit on the number of hours one can work per week, but the Fair Labour Standards Act sets standards for overtime pay in both the private and public sectors. A financial analyst we`ll call Sudhir emigrated from Mumbai, India, five years ago. He works at a large commercial bank in New York. Summer, when he spends 90 hours a week, is his “light” season. The rest of the year, he works more than 120 hours a week – he only has 48 hours to sleep, eat, entertain and (smiles) wash. Sudhir stays in the office for a long time, even if he has nothing particularly urgent to do. His life is a danger to the profession — but it`s worth it: at 23 with a first job, he`s one of the top 6% paid in America. On the bright side, employers have a real chance here. We know several companies that are starting to tap into the talents of women who are willing to work hard and take responsibility, but can`t handle the long hours.
For example, Booz Allen Hamilton and American Express are starting to “get the job done” in different ways. AmEx has created an internal consulting pool that provides high-performing employees with flexible career paths. For example, a working mother may choose to organize her working day so that she can pick up her children from school. “We are refining our approach to creating flexible work models,” said L. Kevin Cox, executive vice president of human resources at American Express. Similarly, Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs are beginning to create flexibility throughout their careers. Lehman`s Encore program welcomes talented women who have found a way back into the financial sector and are looking for networking, mentorship and flexibility. Goldman Sachs` New Directions program offers retraining and a “new compass” for returning women, showing them a path back to their careers.
In addition to weeks of more than 60 hours, 24/7 customer demands, unpredictable work processes, and tight deadlines, many extreme jobs have the following characteristics: Women in particular lose out due to the extreme work model. Our research shows that while women are not immune to the pressures or responsibilities of extreme work, they do not match the hours recorded by their male counterparts. This is especially true for mothers, who also have to deal with an increasingly extreme model of education; You just can`t or don`t want to work too long. Of all the high earners we have classified as holding extreme jobs, only 20% are women. Women who have extreme jobs like their jobs a little less often than men. (The box “Is there a gender issue here?” provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact on women leaders and the companies trying to retain them.) Employers must classify all employees as employees or hourly, according to the FLSA. Hourly workers are paid by the hour and earn at least federal minimum wage, while white-collar workers have a flat wage of at least $455 per week. The duties of hourly and salaried employees should be separated, and an employer should, whenever possible, avoid mixing employees` wages and hourly duties. Employees whose wages are wages rather than hourly wages may not be entitled to overtime pay, regardless of how much overtime they work per day or week.
In other words, employers could require these workers to work 80 hours or more per week while owing them only their regular wages. Federal regulations provide employers with exemptions from overtime pay laws for many employees. The exemption applies if, starting in 2011, an employee earns at least $455 per week and is employed in a managerial, administrative, professional, external sales or computer-related position, as prescribed by federal regulations. Some industries have regulations that limit an employee`s daily hours of work at work. Employees in these occupations may not work more than the maximum number of hours. The same rules do not always apply to minors. For more information on marginal working hours and wage restraints, see our Child Labour Laws document. Workers aged 15 or younger are limited in the number of hours they can work in a single day. Under federal law, these restrictions depend on whether the school is in operation or not. Workers in this age group can only up to: In fact, for many women, the equation is not balanced.
A clear majority (57%) of women in extreme jobs in the U.S. told us they didn`t want to work at this pace for more than a year. Less than half of men (48%) felt the same. Only 13% of women (compared to 27% of men) want to work at this pace in five years. The numbers were much more dramatic in our global business survey, where 80% of women (vs. 58% of men) said they didn`t want to work that many hours for more than a year, and only 5% of women (and 12% of men) said they planned to do so in the next five years. Extreme job owners have reported what motivates them to work long, stressful hours. They answered the question “What are the main reasons why you love your job?” Several answers were admissible. Employers may assign employees rather than hourly workers to 80-hour weeks.
Employees who work that many hours would only be legally entitled to their agreed wages, while hourly workers would be entitled to 1.5 times their usual wage for the last 40 hours.