As some of you know, I have been working as a shop supervisor / engineer for some time now and my job has seriously worn me down over time. Since doing this for over 2 years, I have logged in an average of 65 hours a week steady, no lunches, no breaks. I was just about to quit a few months ago when my wife got pregnant with Emma and I decided to last until my parental leave of 5 weeks and then think about it. Well, looks like my company did it for me!

As funny as it sounds, I have been suggesting to high management for a long time that the way things were organized, it made no sense and was costing the money in the long run. I even stated that I was willing to sacrifice my job because I am very loyal to my company, as long as I get offered something else. Well, that has finally happened.

Prior to working as a shop supervisor, I was working in the engineering department as a master troubleshooter for a territory covering all of quebec and some of Labrador. I left in 2006 due to a ''difference of opinion'' on my salary. To sum it up, I was paid 10% less than the technicians I was helping, so I asked for an equivalent raise... they met me halfway, which I was OK with, but then 3 weeks later, they created a salary class system for all office jobs on which there was a maximum salary per job, and when you started at that job, the minimum you could make was 78% of the maximum. Well, my salary AFTER my raise was exactly at 78%, even after doing the job for 2 years (the company policy was that you should be making 100% in 3-4 years). After asking for a rvision, my boss at the time said that my salary wasn't the problem... it was my interpretation of it that was. Classy...

Lucky for me, I was offered a promotion to shop supervisor a month later which gave me a 20% raise!!!   Needless to say my old boss was frickin pissed (he was an engineer and MBA of my age and I was offered a similar post as his... with less education... jealousy sucks!!! ).

Lo and behold, today, the company and new boss of my old department (my old boss got canned...) offers me my old job back (they are desperate as 2 of the 3 troubleshooters are retiring...) but at my actuall salary, which is now 30% higher than what I was making 2 years ago at the same job. Justice...

So now, no more 65-70hour weeks, no more work at home, same money, and more time to enjoy life, my family, and of course, my hobby!!!

... Needless to say, I am going to church on Sunday and thanking God for all this, even though I am an atheist!!!  

Congrats ! I would not even be able to work a 65 hours week.

Quoted from weirdguy

Congrats ! I would not even be able to work a 65 hours week.

Thats average... my max was 102 hours... that was a crazy week. Everyone in the company said that it was unbelievable that I lasted as long as I did. Well, I can't say that I got out of it unscathed (I dunno how many friends have said to me that I seemed out of it lately), but I am as hard-headed as an Irishman can be...

Congrats, sounds like you are getting rewarded for your hard work. Don't get back into that long hour rut again.

Way to go Sparky, congrats and good timing with your new addition (no, not HMM, you nitwit, your daughter! ).

I remember I almost killed myself 25 years ago when I worked at a burger king.  I was doing my regular day shift and working maintenance at night.  The managers were pissed because I was making more than they did, but I was also working something like 16 hours a day for 6-7 days per week. Over the last month before I quit from a burnout, I slept a grand total of 57 hours.  57, not even 2 hours of sleep per night average.  The routine was, stay up for 3 days straight, then try and sleep 5-6 hours. My wife (girlfriend at the time) who lived about 40 minutes from where I lived, had the glorious job of calling to wake me up.  I'd say "just a sec" and next thing you know, I'd be back to sleep with the phone next to my ear. After 5 minutes of her yelling in the phone "wake up, you have to get to work in 30 minutes!" I'd finally wake up, get in the shower and get my butt to work.  I quit when one day I missed my bus, had to hitchhike to work in a #$T^@ blizzard. One guy stopped in front to pick me up.  As I got closer he moved ahead a bit more, then he'd stop.  I got closer again, he'd move up more, than stop. In a middle of the blizzard, some jackass thinks he's a comedian.  No one has to pick up hitchhikers, I get that, it's a dangerous thing to do, but that was cruel.  Anyway he drove off, I said F this thing, turned around, went home and called in sick forever (ie: I quit).  I then slept 15 hours straight.

It had a profound affect on me, I've never been able to sleep as well since then.  I typically sleep 3-4 hours during the week, and about 7-8 on the weekend.  It's got a nice side to it, I get to enjoy my hobbies more.