30 Hour Work Week

[onlyrp]

Try living here and getting anything done...

Their hours may be 9am-2pm, but they don't get to the office till 9:30, then from 11-11:30 they go for breakfast, and they're usually packed up, ready to go by 1:30pm. It's a disgrace.

ouch

 

[Cowlesy]

Try living here and getting anything done...

Their hours may be 9am-2pm, but they don't get to the office till 9:30, then from 11-11:30 they go for breakfast, and they're usually packed up, ready to go by 1:30pm. It's a disgrace.

That's why no one wants to invest there anymore. But you still have Iberico Jamon, and that's all that matters.

 

[eduardo89]

That's why no one wants to invest there anymore. But you still have Iberico Jamon, and that's all that matters.

Jamón ibérico isn't as good as jamón Serrano.

Another anecdote about Spanish civil servants: I've been waiting 10 months to correct a mistake on my daughter's birth certificate that I need fixed in order for me to be able to pass on my Mexican citizenship to her.

 

[phill4paul]

and how does that help you? may I ask?

I chose only to do 'work' that is challenging to me. I generally don't consider 'work' as something I would rather not be doing. I was told in my tweens by someone I respect that if what if what you do to make a living becomes something that you loathe then look for something else. I have some friends that use to work 60 hrs a week in the restaurant business. After 10 yrs. in various aspects they started their own. They STILL work around 50 hrs. per week and would not trade what they do for the world. The difference is in the mindset. Are you working TOWARDS something or working to just exist?

 

[liberty2897]

Are you working TOWARDS something or working to just exist?

+rep
I'm working towards something! I hope we all are on this forum. Freedom in 2012 or ???

 

[rockerrockstar]

I chose only to do 'work' that is challenging to me. I generally don't consider 'work' as something I would rather not be doing. I was told in my tweens by someone I respect that if what if what you do to make a living becomes something that you loathe then look for something else. I have some friends that use to work 60 hrs a week in the restaurant business. After 10 yrs. in various aspects they started their own. They STILL work around 50 hrs. per week and would not trade what they do for the world. The difference is in the mindset. Are you working TOWARDS something or working to just exist?

There are plenty of things I could do out side of work that would be way more interesting to me than work. Work to live don't live to work. I would rather spend time with family and friends or with my hobbies then work so much. If my job was my hobby then maybe I could work more and be happy with it. My hobbies are more artistic and don't pay currently.

 

[onlyrp]

I chose only to do 'work' that is challenging to me. I generally don't consider 'work' as something I would rather not be doing. I was told in my tweens by someone I respect that if what if what you do to make a living becomes something that you loathe then look for something else. I have some friends that use to work 60 hrs a week in the restaurant business. After 10 yrs. in various aspects they started their own. They STILL work around 50 hrs. per week and would not trade what they do for the world. The difference is in the mindset. Are you working TOWARDS something or working to just exist?

I am working for a reward, I don't hate it, especially knowing the alternatives are worse.

 

[phill4paul]

There are plenty of things I could do out side of work that would be way more interesting to me than work. Work to live don't live to work. I would rather spend time with family and friends or with my hobbies then work so much. If my job was my hobby then maybe I could work more and be happy with it. My hobbies are more artistic and don't pay currently.

Don't differentiate between a 'job' and a 'hobby,' Artist are the true 'free market' in our society. I know many 'artists' in various stages on the ladder to being considered 'successful.' One just put in 14 hr days over the last three weeks while raising his daughters. He works for the local musem. He get's payed a salary (no overtime) and every time I've talked with him he absolutely glows about what it is he is doing. His dinosaur exhibit shows his craftsmanship. So if art is where you want to go then do so. For the 'artist' it is not so much the hours worked as it is the service rendered that creates joy. A mechanic can be an 'artist.'

I am working for a reward, I don't hate it, especially knowing the alternatives are worse.

Keep on keeping on!

 

[PaleoForPaul]

Everyone says they like freedom but how can you be free if you have to work so much?

..snip..

"worker productivity has been on a steady increase, rising 62.5% from 1989 to 2010, but wages during that time are only up 12%."- http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...01103/productivity-is-wages-are-down-what-s-0



At minimum we should look at the FLSA and remove all exemptions to the 40 hour work week that allow people to work overtime for free.

We should consider quality of life in America for the people of America. We work too much when will we get wise and improve our lives in America the land of the free and consider the 30 hour work week.

Interesting to see this posted on rpf. I have reflected upon this topic quite a bit. Your point on productivity is correct, but there are other factors depressing wages. Consider globalization, women in the workforce, more one parent households, and rising taxes which force retired people to work. Largely the capitalist class benefits from this (of which I am somewhat a part) but in the long term it is problematic as food stamps will not pacify the lower quartile of the population forever.

The free market solution would mean competition against third world countries, in a race to the bottom in working conditions and wages. The consitutional solution that our founding fathers would have embraced is a tarriff, but that is heresy to libertarians and unacceptable to the two parties in washington whose corporate masters demand access to slave labor and return the profits they make to politicians in the form of campaign contributions.

 

[Watch]

Would we really be competing with third world countries on all levels?
Absolutely not.
In order to make that comparison one would have to assume we would be creating the same products, with the same access to the same resources etc..
But we're not.
Remove the regulations that burden the businesses, null the fed's control of interest rates, and the manufacturing of products can actually happen in America, and be profitable. There is no incentive to produce due to the aforementioned interventions.

 

[Elwar]

Socialism does not work.

I would say that it is fine if you go and work 30 hours per week, that just makes me more marketable and makes any small business owner that much more likely to do better as they work 100+ hours per week.

But I do believe in the concept of all boats rising together. If we all work 100+ hours per week, think of how much more advanced we could become.

And the more advanced we become, the more we can work on things we enjoy as opposed to just trying to work to get by.

 

[onlyrp]

Socialism does not work.

I would say that it is fine if you go and work 30 hours per week, that just makes me more marketable and makes any small business owner that much more likely to do better as they work 100+ hours per week.

But I do believe in the concept of all boats rising together. If we all work 100+ hours per week, think of how much more advanced we could become.

And the more advanced we become, the more we can work on things we enjoy as opposed to just trying to work to get by.

obviously there's only 2 choices, capitalism and socialism, so if socialism doesn't work, capital is fool proof by default.

 

[Elwar]

obviously there's only 2 choices, capitalism and socialism, so if socialism doesn't work, capital is fool proof by default.

There are more than 2 choices. Communism, Fascism, anarcho-capitalism, minarchism, etc...

 

[onlyrp]

There are more than 2 choices. Communism, Fascism, anarcho-capitalism, minarchism, etc...

ok good.

 

[Icymudpuppy]

I work for myself. I often put in over 70 hours a week during busy season, but less than 20 during slow season. My employees are given tasks and go home when they've completed their daily assignments. I pay them a salary + commissions.

I love my job and don't consider it work at all really, except the figuring taxes and payroll deductions part. That is work, and decidedly unpleasant.

 

[tttppp]

I work for myself. I often put in over 70 hours a week during busy season, but less than 20 during slow season. My employees are given tasks and go home when they've completed their daily assignments. I pay them a salary + commissions.

I love my job and don't consider it work at all really, except the figuring taxes and payroll deductions part. That is work, and decidedly unpleasant.

It sounds like you know how to manage people. Most business don't. They want their employees to be slaves for them and don't care about anything else. They don't care if employees get the job done, all they care about is wasting their employees time. It appears most companies' goals are simply to waste their employees time.

 

[onlyrp]

It sounds like you know how to manage people. Most business don't. They want their employees to be slaves for them and don't care about anything else. They don't care if employees get the job done, all they care about is wasting their employees time. It appears most companies' goals are simply to waste their employees time.

if they can get away with it, making money and employees dont care, why should they care?

If they have unhappy employees or unhappy customers, they have to deal with it, otherwise, its not entirely wrong to look at only the end results. In the big picture, that's all that matters. What good is a bunch of happy customers and employees if you dont have money? Can happiness pay for living?

But no, most businesses DO NOT want to waste employees' time, at least any good ones I know do not. They want employees to work as little as possible if they're paid by time, and as much as possible if they're paid by result. They want employees to be healthy and reliable, not worn down to quit, unless they're easy to replace.

 

[tttppp]

if they can get away with it, making money and employees dont care, why should they care?

If they have unhappy employees or unhappy customers, they have to deal with it, otherwise, its not entirely wrong to look at only the end results. In the big picture, that's all that matters. What good is a bunch of happy customers and employees if you dont have money? Can happiness pay for living?

But no, most businesses DO NOT want to waste employees' time, at least any good ones I know do not. They want employees to work as little as possible if they're paid by time, and as much as possible if they're paid by result. They want employees to be healthy and reliable, not worn down to quit, unless they're easy to replace.

If you work in a regulated industry with little to no competition, trust me, they want to waste your time. And they don't care if you are a better employee either. Whats more important to these companies is that you suck up to them.

Most companies have zero focus on results. They don't even know what results are. Its more important to them that you sit at your desk for 8-12 hours straight than it is to get results. And they don't have any concept of not wearing down employees either. They don't realize that when you work 12 hour days, your last four hours are not as productive as the first 8 usually.

Also, results are not necessarily tied to the amount of work you do. If you overwork people they are going to make mistakes and not realize it. Employees who have enough time to themselves to think, will generally do their work SMARTER than someone who is overworked. Companies don't realize this.

 

[nemt4paul]

Everyone says they like freedom but how can you be free if you have to work so much? Anyone besides me want to work less hours? I can imagine how much better life would be if you did not have to work so many hours in order to just provide a basic living?

Most jobs that pay any decent amount require at least 40 hours a week. Imagine if you could get a good job and only be required to work 30 hours a week. That would be great. You would have more time to enjoy your freedom. More time to spend with family and friends. You would be healthier because you would not be strapped to a desk for 40 or more hours a week. Added benefit for you and the company is that if you have more free time you are bound to have more creativity. You would also have lower stress. You would have more time to be political and this would be good for democracy.

Studies have shown that sedentary life style the typical office worker has is known to be bad for you. It is a major cause of heart disease. It kills more people than smoking according to one study. It is talked about in this article http://www.naturalnews.com/001547.html Less time at work means less time setting at a desk. It would give you more time to be active and exercise. Even walking is better than sitting.

Productivity has gone way up but wages have not gone up at the same rate. The productivity has led to needing less people to do the same work and thus layoffs. Many companies layoff people and expect their remaining workers to do more work. This leads to burn out of the remaining workers and added stress. To top it off the workers don't get paid extra for the extra work they need to do because of the other workers getting laid off.

"worker productivity has been on a steady increase, rising 62.5% from 1989 to 2010, but wages during that time are only up 12%."- http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...01103/productivity-is-wages-are-down-what-s-0

If productivity increases people should be allowed to do less work for the same amount of money. Since companies are know not to give workers compensation for their added productivity. Increased productivity leads to more unemployment we should demand 30 hour work week. This is the same principal that led France to the 35 work week. Make anything over 30 hours a week too expensive for companies to pay so they have to hire more workers.

Anyways, I know I am sure this is not a perfect idea and there could be issues with implementing it. I know the people in France like the 35 hour work week from what I have read.

At minimum we should look at the FLSA and remove all exemptions to the 40 hour work week that allow people to work overtime for free. It does not make since that companies should make workers work overtime for free. We tell our kids to go to college and get a degree to get a good job. I don't think working overtime for free was something they expected when they got their degree and job. Being a professional should not exempt you from getting overtime pay. I think we should remove all exemptions. Having exemptions makes not sense with a depression and this many people unemployed.

We should consider quality of life in America for the people of America. We work too much when will we get wise and improve our lives in America the land of the free and consider the 30 hour work week.

You're joking with this shit right? Who says you have to work 40 hours a week?

 

[RickBelmont]

Everyone says they like freedom but how can you be free if you have to work so much? Anyone besides me want to work less hours? I can imagine how much better life would be if you did not have to work so many hours in order to just provide a basic living?

Most jobs that pay any decent amount require at least 40 hours a week. Imagine if you could get a good job and only be required to work 30 hours a week. That would be great. You would have more time to enjoy your freedom. More time to spend with family and friends. You would be healthier because you would not be strapped to a desk for 40 or more hours a week. Added benefit for you and the company is that if you have more free time you are bound to have more creativity. You would also have lower stress. You would have more time to be political and this would be good for democracy.

Studies have shown that sedentary life style the typical office worker has is known to be bad for you. It is a major cause of heart disease. It kills more people than smoking according to one study. It is talked about in this article http://www.naturalnews.com/001547.html Less time at work means less time setting at a desk. It would give you more time to be active and exercise. Even walking is better than sitting.

Productivity has gone way up but wages have not gone up at the same rate. The productivity has led to needing less people to do the same work and thus layoffs. Many companies layoff people and expect their remaining workers to do more work. This leads to burn out of the remaining workers and added stress. To top it off the workers don't get paid extra for the extra work they need to do because of the other workers getting laid off.

"worker productivity has been on a steady increase, rising 62.5% from 1989 to 2010, but wages during that time are only up 12%."- http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...01103/productivity-is-wages-are-down-what-s-0

If productivity increases people should be allowed to do less work for the same amount of money. Since companies are know not to give workers compensation for their added productivity. Increased productivity leads to more unemployment we should demand 30 hour work week. This is the same principal that led France to the 35 work week. Make anything over 30 hours a week too expensive for companies to pay so they have to hire more workers.

Anyways, I know I am sure this is not a perfect idea and there could be issues with implementing it. I know the people in France like the 35 hour work week from what I have read.

At minimum we should look at the FLSA and remove all exemptions to the 40 hour work week that allow people to work overtime for free. It does not make since that companies should make workers work overtime for free. We tell our kids to go to college and get a degree to get a good job. I don't think working overtime for free was something they expected when they got their degree and job. Being a professional should not exempt you from getting overtime pay. I think we should remove all exemptions. Having exemptions makes not sense with a depression and this many people unemployed.

We should consider quality of life in America for the people of America. We work too much when will we get wise and improve our lives in America the land of the free and consider the 30 hour work week.

Can you please reconcile how you are a Libertarian or Ron Paul supporter while supporting authoritarian collectivism?