The 5’o clock meeting on Friday

Thank God Its Friday! I have been waiting for Friday since Monday and now finally it has come. I tried to work hard or hardly work, either one of those, so that I reach the most awaited 5’o clock. And it is indeed 5’0 clock! I call my husband, holding the receiver of my phone between my left ear and left shoulder…Are you asking me why? Obviously because my hands are busy packing my bags…and he has a surprise for me!!! Well, but it is not one of those pleasant Friday surprises. He informs me that he has a meeting now. I freak out…Meeting at 5’o clock on a Friday????? He tries to consol me and makes promises about the weekend. None of which I want to believe, but I am almost entrapped in his sweet lies. I have just one simple question…What is the agenda for the Friday 5’o clock meeting? And he says “Discuss the progress of the software being released this weekend…” I hung up. I now know that all my weekend I would be sitting besides him watching TV or at least trying to watch it while he is working on his laptop! “The release” guaranteed another 7-8 hours of work over Saturday and Sunday.

I was really mad at him. But why should I be? Is it because he was working? How about the other people who were working with him over the weekend? How about all the other people I see are putting many many extra hours every week? My real estate agent gives us an appointment for 7.00 PM on a weekday. I have no comments about his weekends. My own manager is logged in to the office network almost any time during the day and night. Other people I know are also doing extra hours. What is this? Competition? Money? The normal work hours per week are no longer confined to 40. Doesn’t matter whether you are billed for 40 or more or less, people are putting in 60-80 hours a week on an average. They obviously suffer from headaches, backaches, shoulder pain or many such small but considerable health issues. But anyways, who has the time to pay attention to these petty issues? What about their families? Aren’t they affected too? If yes, why don’t I hear anymore noises? No one is complaining? Why? Is everyone too busy working that no one has the time to complain? What is happening here?

Is this not a problem? And if it is, is there any solution?