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Should I ask this question in my next interview?
Hi All,
I'm a Project Manager working with a UK based LSP. While I was inerviewing for this position, 2 years back, I was told that I might have to work occasionally, out of office hours if the project requires.
Being a Project Manager, I understand that my day never ends at 5 PM or the moment I finish working for 8 hours, it could and can be extended any time there's a issue or improvement needed in the project .
It has been 2.6 yrs here in the role, there have been multiple instance where I have had to work out of my office hours, everyday including weekends - this I know is not healthy and thus, while I'm currently interviewing with other companies for multiple reasons, want to know your opinion if I should ask the following question to my next interviewer or not?
How many hours a week do you someone putting in this role? I know, we usually have a 40 hour week, but, being a Project Manager, there could be need of working extra, how much will an ideal candidate work for in this role?
I would love to hear your opinion and view points on this! If you think I should ask this question another way, please do suggest!
Krista CouttsMarketing Professional, Cross-Functional Leader
336
10/14/20 at 9:09PM UTC
This is a perfect question to ask your supervisor! Clarity on your role, work hours, and appropriate compensation should be discussed!
Charlotte WilkinsonWomen and D&I specialist in Asia
24
10/14/20 at 7:28AM UTC
The reality is it comes down to whether you feel you are compensated well for the extra hours beyond the EU legal 40 hr week. Are you looking to stick to 40 hrs only or are you happy to work beyond if compensated fairly. You can ask them typically how many projects require weekend and evening work etc and measure whether salary reflects this. Ultimately its your choice but we often need to chose between social hours, salaries and flexibility..... My partner for example is often called in the middle of the night to jump on crisis solution seeking calls, has to plan projects for his teams around banking down times ie weekends etc but he is fairly compensated for the responsibility and hours that come with the role.
Annetta MosesConsumer Insights and Strategy Leader
1.31k
10/14/20 at 4:53AM UTC
I encourage you to think about what is important to you and match what you want to the industry and level that will give you that. I had a friend and work life balance was very important to her. While she could have been promoted to Director, she choose to remain a Sr Manager because of the time commitment to do the job. I have worked for companies in which operations ran 24 hours a day, 365 days a year including Christmas and Thanksgiving. Hourly employees worked 20 to 40 hours a week. Salary employees worked 45+ hours per week. Based on my experience, most, for-profit, public companies expect you to work more hours and pay more than non-profit or private for-profit companies.
Good luck.
Gwyn GaubatzUser-Obsessed Product Manager
45
10/14/20 at 1:36AM UTC
I approach the topic a couple of ways - I like to ask, "what does an average day/week look like...and what does an 'exceptional' day/week look like?" - it gives a good sense of the general rhythm of the business, and the information on what "exceptional" looks like (could be exceptionally good or bad) can give you insights into what type of events or projects may demand additional time/effort, and the frequency of those exceptions to the norm. It's also a good way to roll in a conversation about the flow of a typical day - how much time is spent in meetings, triaging emails and interruptions, and how much is available for focused work.
Another way to suss this out is to ask about standard working hours, i.e., "Does everybody work the same schedule? What time in the morning would you expect me to be available/how late do most people work + is there an expectation of being available off-hours?" That should get to some pretty straightforward information, as well as insight into how flexible the company is. It's good to know up front if every employee is expected to have butts-in-seats 8:30-5 and everybody breaks for exactly 1 unpaid half hour lunch no exceptions (like my first corporate job!) vs. people are generally in the office 9-5 but start or leave earlier or later based on their own schedules, and as long as they are generally consistent about their availability and communicative if their schedule veers from their own norm, it works.
Lynn
26
10/13/20 at 6:29PM UTC
100% ask this question, I like to have a good Work / Home life balance so for me I would not want to have a position that keeps me at the office at all different hours of the day on a regular basis. Of course there is always exceptions because if deadlines or urgent matters but overall I enjoy having a 45 hour work week.
Lisa MyersBrand & Creative Leadership
70
10/13/20 at 3:31PM UTC
I'm coming at this from a different perspective so keep this in mind. I manage creative projects and my clients are in regions around the world. Therefore my hours are all over the place. That's fine by me since I have flexibility in my day to accomplish what I need but that rarely is a set block of time. When interviewing, I will ask for an understanding of what a typical project looks like. How the teams work together, when do they meet to review together, how long do typical projects run... Anything that drives deeper into the work you'd be doing. This should bring someone to respond with the information you are looking for but in a more organic sense. This way you get loads of info on your daily life without sounding a though you are only wanting to work 8 hrs.
Shirley LeevyMaterial Operations Logistics Manager Decatur IL
162
10/13/20 at 2:27PM UTC
Yes by all means ask what the hours will be for this position. I recently interviewed for a position and was told that even though it is 40 hours a week I was expected to work 50-60 hours a week to get the job done. The catch was I would only be paid for the 40 hours the other 10-20 hours would be free.
Found out up front if you are going to donate 10-20 hours of your free time for the company.
Elizabeth RagoneDirect to Consumer Leader
147
10/13/20 at 2:12PM UTC
Yes, ask! Be on the same page before you start. Just be sure you’re not taken too literally, as asking about number of hours worked could be misunderstood as: I’m outta here at 5 no matter what. My POV is: The job needs to get done. Most employers want that commitment.
In my industry, launches happen in early morning hours, Thanksgiving weekend is a madhouse, emails go wrong on a Sunday morning—even w all the planning in the world. I offer tons of flexibility to keep people sane and healthy, and no one has to ask me permission to be away for appts, kid pick ups. Some weeks a person on my team is barely around, some weeks they’re working nonstop to deliver a project on time. That may or may not be right for you—which is why you should ask!—but there are now so many versions of work hours, lead w your commitment to getting the job done, and then ask open-ended questions about what fulfilling those expectations *looks like* to that company.
Anonymous
10/13/20 at 1:46PM UTC
Really good companies will share this information in the interview. They’ll give a summary of what the week/month/year typically looks like. I interview lots of project managers and the discussion always takes place so that everyone is aware of expectations. It’s a completely valid question and honestly if someone didn’t ask I’d be curious why.
Tracey MorrisDirector of Talent Strategy at WVU
348
10/13/20 at 1:24PM UTC
You can also ask questions of the manager about traits of their most successful employees -- if they say the most successful person on their team is someone who works hours and hours of overtime, that might indicate that as a manager, they value the number of hours over the work product.
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