[kimandgareth]

Hi all

I was wondering about working hours in NZ - do you tend to start early/finish early or the opposite? Is flexi-time common? I'm not hoping for shorter working hours than the UK (although who would complain at that!! ;) ), we were just hoping that the lovely laid back attitude would lean towards allowing more disposable time with family and time outdoors etc for example by having a start earlier general principle.

Also, does there tend to be flextime allowance for those with families. We don't have kids yet, but it doesn't hurt to plan ahead! :)

Thanks everyone

[zardell]

Mmmm........would depend on the type of work you do I suppose.

Julie

xx

[kimandgareth]

Mmmm........would depend on the type of work you do I suppose.

Julie

xx


Hi Julie :)

We're both in IT so would be office based. I'm on the project side and Gareth is a network engineer so may end up being on call etc - if his role is anything like it is now anyway!!

[jubjub]

Well, hubbys hours (in IT) are pretty much what they were in the UK, but the overtime has gone down, as has the travelling distance so he spends more time at home. He is also on call but can do most of that remotely, so can sit at our desk at home and work.

Both companies he has worked for here have been very family friendly, you get a paid sick leave allowance, but that covers any sickness in the immediate family, so if I am ill, he can take a day off to look after me & our boy. He was also allowed time off to come to any antenatal appts, but he did make that up by working lunches etc. so I guess it depends on the company.

[Moorf]

Hey Kim/Gareth

Hubby is a s/ware developer and works in Chch. He has flexi-time, 4 weeks hols and bonuses.

Dress code etc are all relaxed and the company holds 2 family days a year where we all meet up and go for BBQ's or winery meals.

The "smoko room" (you can't smoke in them anymore but most companies still call the staff room a smoko) has a huge fridge stacked with beer and snacks and every Friday (or any evening after a "tough" day!) they have a hour socialising before heading home.

Not too disimilar to the UK, but definitely a more laid back office atmosphere.

Moorf

[KerryS]

I'm in IT too - and hours are usually pretty flexible. At my current place people tend to start anytime between about 7am and 10am. Earlier you start the earlier you can finish, so I'm in as early as possible so that I can enjoy the afternoons and evenings doing my own thing. (Usually head to the beach and surf.)
Obviously when projects are going live or there is more work I stay later and have been known to work weekends too. In salaried roles there is an expectation that you will do this and there is no TOIL at many companies or extra payment. (From the places I've worked.)
I find the workplace in NZ really relaxed, but that could be because I came from working in academe in the UK, which is very different to working in a corporate anyway.

[eternalkiwi]

As the previous posters have said, hours of work do vary.
During my accounting career I have worked from 37-90 hours per week, while teaching I have had up to 25 teaching (contact) hours per week.

I have read a couple of articles recently that NZ have one of the longer working weeks in the OECD, so maybe the average hours are increasing.

Flexi-time is becoming more common to attract high calibre staff in hard to find roles. Government Agencies have this as standard and some industries like IT also include this option.

[Ana&Steve]

Sorry to interrupt, but what is flexi-time? Interesting thread, I'm paying attention!
Ana

[jubjub]

Ana, Flexi time is when you take the amount of hours you work per week, and divide them up as you see fit, as long as you do your hours. You can finish early when required, and late if you need to catch up, great for long weekends etc... some places even let you save up an extra hours for an extra day off.

[Ana&Steve]

Thanks jubjub!:)
Ana

[kimandgareth]

Thanks for the info everyone. Its good to hear there is a more relaxed attitude in general. Thats one thing that has always bugged me a little about the UK - we spend so much of our time at work that it would be a lot more enjoyable if it were more relaxed. Not so people can slack off, just for a nicer atmosphere. The idea of being able to start early and finish early sounds great (I'm with you on that one Kerry!), so hopefully we will find companies that have similar policies. Gareth especially is used to long (and unflexible) hours so anything would be an improvement on that!!

Did your hubby find it easy to get IT work in Chch Moorf? I'm always keen to ask about different areas and IT work as its the area we're both in :)

[Mal]

I work in Chch in IT (internet), and my company is pretty relaxed compared to what I was used to in the UK. People drift in between 8.30 & 9.30 based on what convenient for them. I am still effectively on call 24hrs as it is a small firm without an on-call rota, but that comes with the territory (SysAdmin).

As an example, I was out surfing at 6am last monday and it was such a nice day I phoned the boss and asked if I could have the day off to make a super long weekend (tues was a public holiday) ... 'no worries' was the reply. I'm not sure if thats indicative of the work culture here in general, but it suits me!

IT work here in Chch is a little thinner on the ground than Auckland / Wellie, but if you have good experience you will probably find you will be offered the first job you go to. My firm tried for 5 months to fill my position and said they simply didn't get any suitable candidates in that time. There's a good list of firms at http://www.canterburysoftware.org.nz/Home , and if you can get a job offer from one of them you will get extra points on your EOI (identified cluster).

Mal

[Sam B]

I work for the Minestry of Education as a speech therapist and my full time hours are 40 per week, and generally people arrive between 8am and 9am and finish at 4pm to 5pm with half hour lunch break. However, I had no probs negotiating a 4 day week, and another SLT I work with works approx 20 hours a week entirely based around her children's school hours. Our boss is v flexible, maybe other MOE jobs in other parts of the country are not so good.

[incredible hulse]

I've found the working week to be longer than the UK (40 hour weeks opposed to 35-37.5 hrs in UK) and both the companies I've worked have had an "official" start time of 8:30 (again opposed to typical 9am in UK). I have found they have been fairly relaxed about me starting earlier than that but not so much the other way - this is in IT. I personally have found the notion I had that work would be more relaxed to be a bit of a myth - I find that whilst productivity is lower (frustratingly so!) the hours and beauracrasy are unfortunately not. I personally long for an extended pub lunch break but the kiwis just don't seem to get it ;)

[diforsyth]

I've got to agree with Incredible Hulse - I'm in IT and I have to work an extra 5 hours a week, only get 20 days holiday instead of 30, get paid a lot less and pay a lot more tax.......I'm still happy to be here though. Opportunities are abundant outside of work and it's what you make of them that counts.:nice1

David.