I have trouble working even 8 hours a day
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2it's incredible that the 8-hour workday was really a compromise with labor activists and people worked 10+ hours before that
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6
@amerika how much did people work on average back then? or maybe better to ask, what was the average length of a white-collar vs blue-collar workday?
@genmaicha
A lot more people owned their own businesses or worked for smaller businesses. Generally you worked while there was work, and did not when there was not (many industries are seasonal). I doubt we will ever find accurate figures but companies adjusted hours downward to retain good workers. Unions then forced them to accept bad workers as well at high costs, and then all the labor went offshore.
A lot more people owned their own businesses or worked for smaller businesses. Generally you worked while there was work, and did not when there was not (many industries are seasonal). I doubt we will ever find accurate figures but companies adjusted hours downward to retain good workers. Unions then forced them to accept bad workers as well at high costs, and then all the labor went offshore.
@genmaicha
Your observation -- people burn out after more than a few hours of work -- has always been true. Employers recognized this.
True sweatshops were the exception, but they tended to be inefficient and low quality. Henry Ford and others recognized this when they formalized short workweeks, knowing that there were breaks and slowdowns in the workday.
Your observation -- people burn out after more than a few hours of work -- has always been true. Employers recognized this.
True sweatshops were the exception, but they tended to be inefficient and low quality. Henry Ford and others recognized this when they formalized short workweeks, knowing that there were breaks and slowdowns in the workday.
@genmaicha
Personally I find any requirement other than "achieve these goals" to be extraneous to a job.
Personally I find any requirement other than "achieve these goals" to be extraneous to a job.
@amerika yeah, and you can tell when people are trying to fill up time because they're really done with everything but are mandated to work X more hours.
@genmaicha
I always think of "Whatever" and "Office Space" here. If your job takes fifteen minutes a week... do it and then go do something real. But we have an image to uphold.
I always think of "Whatever" and "Office Space" here. If your job takes fifteen minutes a week... do it and then go do something real. But we have an image to uphold.