Limits and the freedom they provide
There's something to be said about being "hourly". I'm not responsible for checking my email while away from work. I get an hour lunch, where I don't have anything to do except for eat lunch. I have a finite list of responsibilities, and if I attempt to go outside of that list I can be written up and dismissed. I am an at-will employee, meaning I can leave whenever I want, without a reason why. I work at an institution with very defined policies and practices which require people to be civil and protect me from harassment and discrimination. I always thought that being hourly meant being in a low-end job. But in all reality I have a pretty cushy job that allows me to have responsibility but also a work-life balance. I can't be ordered to do something outside of the set parameters, for example I cannot paint while on the clock. I can't (or shouldn't) drive my car to do university business. And the institution where I work has an entire process for bein...