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silly-symphony
7y

Our team (devs and QAs) have been doing a series of overtime work.

So, the company has provided us a place to sleep. Everyday, we would go to work at 10AM and then return to our place to rest at 12 midnight (sometimes at 2AM).

We've been doing this for a week now and we'll resume again tomorrow.

I already feel exhausted, and I was thinking of resigning after all of this mess was over.

However, I am having second thoughts. Since this is my first job, I have no point of comparison.

Perhaps a series of overtime like this one is normal? Is this type of work environment to be expected when being a developer? Or am I selling my self short and there are better options out there? What do you devs think?

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overtime

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  • 4
    7y
    As I now work in Germany, I got used to the very well defined separator of work and life. Life is more important. That's why there are strict laws that govern this, as well as many agreements between people.

    What you described is unthinkable in the environment I work in. I am specifically told by my superior to avoid getting burned out.

    But in the past I did have situations where such overtime work was practiced at times. I understood why it was necessary, and reducing it was in our own power, by changing the work flow, to not need the late after-business hours of downtime.

    The best thing for me was when I stopped doing that.

    Overtime should be an exception, not a rule.
  • 1
    7y
    @AndSoWeCode This project was actually supposed to be delivered to the client by Dec last year. It had grown into a monster it is today because our client keep changing their minds on some requirements and adds more. They also contradict themselves.

    I understand why we are asked to work overtime. We are very delayed and our team just wants to get this over with.

    Also our company pitched to the client it would only take 3-4 months to deliver, but it has been 6 months and we are still doing overtime.
  • 2
    7y
    A day of working late is perhaps conceivable. But what you're talking about, a week of not going home, is insane. It sounds like someone really fucked up in setting expectations.
  • 2
    7y
    There are many companies without OT. Those who require OT should be paying much more... Unless you go to companies like Google, but you won't be asking here if u are in Google
  • 2
    7y
    Sounds like either the sales team threw the developers under a bus to make the sale (not uncommon), or your project management team is not handling the client correctly.

    If the client keeps changing the project scope then that means the budget and deadline should also change - if you're having to do weeks of "crunch mode" overtime to ship the project then someone else screwed up!

    This kind of thing does not happen everywhere, but it's not that uncommon - if you see it happening regularly then you probably want to look for a new job as the problem is part of the company and won't go away.

    Either way, good luck getting this one done and hope the next project is better.
  • 0
    7y
    @conjoiner Thank you :)

    That is what I've been thinking. Even if we did manage to complete the project, if the management keeps on being a yes man just to close a deal then the next project will just as exhausting as the current one.

    That is a red flag, I believe, that tells me I should go find a better job.
  • 2
    7y
    @asdfghjbenny thankfully they are paying us for the OT :)

    Although for me, having time for myself and my family is more important than an overtime pay.
  • 1
    7y
    @vyrtruus I am totally ok doing overtime when it was really necessary, but doing this consequently can really be tiring.

    I think our project manager says we would be doing this for a month. So 3 more weeks...
  • 2
    7y
    @silly-symphony Three more weeks of this will take it's toll. Maybe it's a one off problem of someone overpromising, but I'd see it as a red flag. How long have you been working there? Can you ask other devs if this is a regular occurrence?

    Edit: conjoiner up there brought up good points, better than I could say them
  • 2
    7y
    @silly-symphony that sounds very much like the management in your company is astoundingly bad. New requirements = new deadlines. They ALWAYS happen. But it doesn't mean that people should forfeit their personal lives and sleep to make it happen.
  • 2
    7y
    @vyrtruus there was once a project here where the devs also worked overtime for weeks. That project was cancelled due to being so unmanageable that nearly all of those devs resigned.

    I sense that history will repeat itself.
  • 1
    7y
    @silly-symphony good point. A project that is so badly managed that people are required to work overtime, will likely fail.
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