America's Got Talent - Lots of It
Has Facebook Timeline Changed Fan Engagement?

How Many Hours Do You Really Work?

By Guest Blogger Mary Schmidt, Marketing Troubleshooter 

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, recently admitted that she leaves work at 5:30. And has been doing so ever since her children were born.  

I walk out of this office every day at 5:30 so I'm home for dinner with my kids at 6:00, and interestingly, I've been doing that since I had kids. I did that when I was at Google, I did that here, and I would say it's not until the last year, two years, that I'm brave enough to talk about it publicly. Now I certainly wouldn't lie, but I wasn't running around giving speeches on it. 

If she can do it, why can't everyone else?  Yes, yes, I know.  She's a COO. She's a major power player. (And, I do wonder what time her assistant leaves...)

Some people have to appear to be working killer hours.  Some actually do work killer hours.  But, then again...the key word here is "work."  

Are you busy...or producing results?  There's a difference.   

P.S. Having kids shouldn't be the sole reason for leaving at a sane hour. Having a life should be the only reason needed.  

 

 

Comments

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Social Media Marketing Agency

I work from home and my hours are very flexible. I could work 40 hours a week and sometimes just work 15 hours in a week. It really comes down to knowing your priorities and finding a way to see through that they do get prioritized.

Yvonne DiVita

Interesting. I work from home and often end my day at 4:00. Of course, I just as often start at 6:00 a.m. And work through lunch (though I eat at my desk). I do take frequent pauses and I find time to walk the dogs daily, weather permitting. I feel strongly that humans need to pace themselves and set priorities.

FLT

Good for her! The culture of "putting in the hours" drives me crazy. At my old job, if someone left at 5pm or 5:30, someone would always say something. And my boss once came out and exclaimed, "It's only 7pm and no one is in the office! Those kids need to learn a work ethic!"

Now, keep in mind I work in digital and we could all do our jobs from home--and many people tried to get out to spend time with kids and would then go back online. But what mattered was "face time."

When I manage someone, all I care is that they get their work done and give clients coverage. If you can manage that and do good work, I don't care how late or early you are in the office.

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