I’m in the middle of a big refactoring job for my work project. I’m basically restructuring all the classes that make database calls so that they use connection pooling with a per-thread “DatabaseHandle” that caches PreparedStatements. It’s a big job, and it’s going to take a LOT of time and concentration, which means that home is a far better environment to work on it than at work. The problem and dilemma comes because I was on a roll when I hit 40 hours for the week. I’m not allowed to bill more than 40 hours, and I’m sure as hell not going to do it for free. Nor can I work from home without prior approval and that’s not easy to get.
So my question is, do I quit now and hope I can quickly get back in the groove on Monday morning, or do I work on it this weekend and then when I’m done spend an equivalent amount of time at my desk at work working on personal projects, like my photoshop stuff? I’m thinking it’s probably safest, although nowhere near as productive, to shut down Eclipse right now and don’t look at it until Monday morning.
Well, if your company is that rude/incompetent, my advice is “quit soon” (and I’m not referring to the specific task).
They make the rules, they have to deal with the consequences. Like however much time it takes for you to get back into the zone, get all the data and connections reloaded into your brain on Monday, and resume forward progress. And because you work for them, you have to deal with the frustration of stopping while you’re hot, and trying to pick it up on Monday after it’s all gone cold and sour. I’d suggest making at least some cryptic notes to yourself, though….
Quit now and start again on Monday. It won’t do you any good to not have a life of your own over the weekend.
If I was being paid hourly and was restricted to 40 hours, I’d drop the code on the floor and walk out the door as soon as the clock struck :00.00
There’s no reason to work for free if you’re just a mercenary.
I’d tend to agree with the other commenters. Shut down Eclipse, go home, go flying.
Hope you chose for go home. Honestly if the management wants to nickel and dime you for things like being able to work from home and/or working overtime, they should be accounting for the productivity reboot on Mondays in their scheduling.
Being seen doing Photoshop or something else non-work-related at your desk is probably a CLM, so that’s not a recommended route, especially if you’re in the middle of an Important Project and they expect to see you beavering away. Can you at least offset your work hours (8-4 or 11-7 or something better than 9-5) so you get more quiet time and less bedlam around your desk? If they’re not seeing the productivity benefits of having you working where you can concentrate, then they’ve chosen not to enjoy those benefits. Certainly your weekend is for Recovery, go say hi to Vicki, and be refreshed when you look at the project Monday morning.
I wouldn’t personally work for free.
Doing the work at home over the weekend and then using your paid work time for personal ventures come Monday would seem like an option, but will your employer understand and agree if they “Catch” you doing so next week?
I don’t know how understanding your employer is, but if the answer is no, then it’s a loose-loose situation.
Like others, I’d wash my hands of everything until I’m officially back on the clock. If they want you to be more productive, speed up the process, or keep you at peak productivity by letting you work around your own personal goals, then they might reconsider their refusal to pay you the OT, or at least negotiate something with you in regards to trading weekend time for weekday time.