“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
May 30, 2021 9:21 PM Subscribe
Working Less Is a Matter of Life and Death So, work less and live longer and better, right?
Once upon a time, that seemed inevitable. As prosperity increased and automation replaced human labor, people were expected to devote themselves to hobbies and family life. The British economist John Maynard Keynes was so certain industrialized countries were on a steady trajectory toward less work and longer vacations that he predicted people in the 21st century would work just three hours a day — 15 hours a week. “For the first time since his creation man will be faced with his real, his permanent problem,” he wrote in a 1930 essay, “how to occupy the leisure, which science and compound interest will have won for him, to live wisely and agreeably and well.”
Not in the United States, sir.
[Available in archive]
Once upon a time, that seemed inevitable. As prosperity increased and automation replaced human labor, people were expected to devote themselves to hobbies and family life. The British economist John Maynard Keynes was so certain industrialized countries were on a steady trajectory toward less work and longer vacations that he predicted people in the 21st century would work just three hours a day — 15 hours a week. “For the first time since his creation man will be faced with his real, his permanent problem,” he wrote in a 1930 essay, “how to occupy the leisure, which science and compound interest will have won for him, to live wisely and agreeably and well.”
Not in the United States, sir.
[Available in archive]
OTOH,it is a global competitive market and China is doing 9-9-6 and eating our lunch.By that token the future might not be the 4-day week or UBI but a world where everyone is always on and recreation is snackable dopamine boosts like mobile games that can be played in 15 seconds at a burst.
posted by acb at 3:40 AM on May 31, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by acb at 3:40 AM on May 31, 2021 [4 favorites]
What does it say in that on Memorial Day morning, while reading this very article, I also opened my work email and responded to an issue (worked for approx. 20 minutes). :/
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 4:14 AM on May 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 4:14 AM on May 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
...it is a global competitive market and China is doing 9-9-6 and eating our lunch.
It is a global competitive market, China was invited to lunch (not totally a bad thing) and SOMEONE is doing much better because of this global competitive market. But that 'someone' isn't labour or the middle class. Especially in the US.
posted by Artful Codger at 5:05 AM on May 31, 2021 [4 favorites]
It is a global competitive market, China was invited to lunch (not totally a bad thing) and SOMEONE is doing much better because of this global competitive market. But that 'someone' isn't labour or the middle class. Especially in the US.
posted by Artful Codger at 5:05 AM on May 31, 2021 [4 favorites]
> it is a global competitive market and China is doing 9-9-6 and eating our lunch
American CEOs are paid 265x the average worker. Chinese CEOs are paid half that.
But never mind our exploitative domestic overlords, let's blame the foreign bogeyman and just slave away more!
posted by Borborygmus at 5:14 AM on May 31, 2021 [40 favorites]
American CEOs are paid 265x the average worker. Chinese CEOs are paid half that.
But never mind our exploitative domestic overlords, let's blame the foreign bogeyman and just slave away more!
posted by Borborygmus at 5:14 AM on May 31, 2021 [40 favorites]
Thank you for including the non-paywalled link, Toddles.
posted by doctornemo at 5:51 AM on May 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by doctornemo at 5:51 AM on May 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
Ah, I remember learning about karoshi when I was a teenager, and chuckling. "That's insane," I thought. "I'll never do that."
I learned better.
Now, like I_Love_Bananas, on a national holiday, I woke at 6:30 am and have already done an hour of work and have a full day (<>10 hours) of same scheduled.
This is deranged and deadly.
The WHO study shocked me, and maybe I can ratchet things down to add some years to my span.
posted by doctornemo at 5:53 AM on May 31, 2021 [4 favorites]
I learned better.
Now, like I_Love_Bananas, on a national holiday, I woke at 6:30 am and have already done an hour of work and have a full day (<>10 hours) of same scheduled.
This is deranged and deadly.
The WHO study shocked me, and maybe I can ratchet things down to add some years to my span.
posted by doctornemo at 5:53 AM on May 31, 2021 [4 favorites]
But never mind our exploitative domestic overlords, let's blame the foreign bogeyman and
it's an exploitative executive class locally and a foreign reality -- these things can co-exist. But in terms of that foreign reality, I wonder if we'd do better in focusing on a place like Germany that seems to be doing fine while at the same time managing a far less egregious work-vs-leisure ratio, with no particular warning signs that it's sliding into either failed state status or autocracy.
posted by philip-random at 6:14 AM on May 31, 2021 [11 favorites]
it's an exploitative executive class locally and a foreign reality -- these things can co-exist. But in terms of that foreign reality, I wonder if we'd do better in focusing on a place like Germany that seems to be doing fine while at the same time managing a far less egregious work-vs-leisure ratio, with no particular warning signs that it's sliding into either failed state status or autocracy.
posted by philip-random at 6:14 AM on May 31, 2021 [11 favorites]
OTOH,it is a global competitive market and China is doing 9-9-6 and eating our lunch.
Possibly the competition is itself the problem. We're trying to win a game where the prize is misery for most people.
posted by restless_nomad at 7:04 AM on May 31, 2021 [29 favorites]
Possibly the competition is itself the problem. We're trying to win a game where the prize is misery for most people.
posted by restless_nomad at 7:04 AM on May 31, 2021 [29 favorites]
China is doing 9-9-6 and eating our lunch.
Meanwhile, in China...
posted by mstokes650 at 8:12 AM on May 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
Meanwhile, in China...
posted by mstokes650 at 8:12 AM on May 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
China is doing 9-9-6 and eating our lunch.
Not to mention Amazon.
posted by y2karl at 10:39 AM on May 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
Not to mention Amazon.
posted by y2karl at 10:39 AM on May 31, 2021 [2 favorites]
But affluent Americans also are motivated by the reality that the rewards for working hard are larger than ever — and in this sternly meritocratic society, so are the consequences of falling behind. People work long hours because so much is at stake: the ability to obtain health insurance, to buy a home, to send children to good schools.
Health insurance shouldn't be tied to employment, house prices are inflated, and society as a whole benefits when all schools are 'good' schools (which is why they aren't). Besides,
A belief in meritocracy is not only false: it’s bad for you
How Meritocracy Worsens Inequality—and Makes Even the Rich Miserable
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:00 PM on May 31, 2021 [12 favorites]
Health insurance shouldn't be tied to employment, house prices are inflated, and society as a whole benefits when all schools are 'good' schools (which is why they aren't). Besides,
A belief in meritocracy is not only false: it’s bad for you
How Meritocracy Worsens Inequality—and Makes Even the Rich Miserable
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:00 PM on May 31, 2021 [12 favorites]
China is doing 9-9-6 and eating our lunch.
One weird trick to get workers to blame the Chinese for their overtime instead of their boss.
posted by Reyturner at 6:25 PM on May 31, 2021 [8 favorites]
One weird trick to get workers to blame the Chinese for their overtime instead of their boss.
posted by Reyturner at 6:25 PM on May 31, 2021 [8 favorites]
Now, like I_Love_Bananas, on a national holiday, I woke at 6:30 am and have already done an hour of work and have a full day (<>10 hours) of same scheduled.
I'm retired and I still get up at 5:30 every morning to "work" (mostly gardening and house cleaning and my exercise routine). I keep telling myself to take it easy, put my feet up, but that voice that says, "get busy, lazybones," won't allow it. It's hard to give up old habits.
posted by SPrintF at 10:22 PM on May 31, 2021
I'm retired and I still get up at 5:30 every morning to "work" (mostly gardening and house cleaning and my exercise routine). I keep telling myself to take it easy, put my feet up, but that voice that says, "get busy, lazybones," won't allow it. It's hard to give up old habits.
posted by SPrintF at 10:22 PM on May 31, 2021
I spent so many years overworking myself, to the detriment of my physical and mental health and probably the destruction of my long-term relationship. And then at some point I just...stopped.
During the pandemic it became so abundantly clear that no amount of overwork can possibly overcome the terrible planning and criminally stupid staffing philosophies that dominate my industry. My continuing to hit benchmarks just taught the bigwigs that they didn't need to hire support, or even increase my wages all that much.
I suppose it also doesn't help that I still see "getting good work accomplished" as the (now impossible) goal rather than "impressing someone up the chain with all my long hours."
If my reward for working six 12-hour days in a row is ... getting to work six more 12-hour days...I'm just not going to. I've gone enough of my life without health insurance or job security that they just aren't very effective motivations anymore. And they have no reason to fire me since every week, half a dozen people quit and save them that cash.
It's a weird, miserable kind of privilege I guess, but I am too worn down and demoralized to find better for myself at the moment.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:58 AM on June 1, 2021 [7 favorites]
During the pandemic it became so abundantly clear that no amount of overwork can possibly overcome the terrible planning and criminally stupid staffing philosophies that dominate my industry. My continuing to hit benchmarks just taught the bigwigs that they didn't need to hire support, or even increase my wages all that much.
I suppose it also doesn't help that I still see "getting good work accomplished" as the (now impossible) goal rather than "impressing someone up the chain with all my long hours."
If my reward for working six 12-hour days in a row is ... getting to work six more 12-hour days...I'm just not going to. I've gone enough of my life without health insurance or job security that they just aren't very effective motivations anymore. And they have no reason to fire me since every week, half a dozen people quit and save them that cash.
It's a weird, miserable kind of privilege I guess, but I am too worn down and demoralized to find better for myself at the moment.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:58 AM on June 1, 2021 [7 favorites]
Good for you, We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese. Sounds like it was a radical shift.
posted by doctornemo at 9:07 AM on June 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by doctornemo at 9:07 AM on June 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
If my reward for working six 12-hour days in a row is ... getting to work six more 12-hour days...I'm just not going to.
Making partner at a BigLaw firm has been described as a pie-eating contest where the reward is all the pie you can eat.
posted by atrazine at 9:47 AM on June 1, 2021 [6 favorites]
Making partner at a BigLaw firm has been described as a pie-eating contest where the reward is all the pie you can eat.
posted by atrazine at 9:47 AM on June 1, 2021 [6 favorites]
Making partner at a BigLaw firm has been described as a pie-eating contest where the reward is all the pie you can eat.
Hahaha and the funny thing is, if I (as a mid-career manager) were making even HALF of the money I'd make as a first year associate in BigLaw, I'd probably be less salty about my hours. I'm not even complaining about my salary, which is more than sufficient to my needs, but just pointing out yet another wedge that contributed to my burnout-shutdown. My company likes to talk a big game about how they're "like a tech startup!!!11!" but they don't wanna pay tech company salaries, that's for damn sure.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:59 AM on June 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
Hahaha and the funny thing is, if I (as a mid-career manager) were making even HALF of the money I'd make as a first year associate in BigLaw, I'd probably be less salty about my hours. I'm not even complaining about my salary, which is more than sufficient to my needs, but just pointing out yet another wedge that contributed to my burnout-shutdown. My company likes to talk a big game about how they're "like a tech startup!!!11!" but they don't wanna pay tech company salaries, that's for damn sure.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:59 AM on June 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
« Older L. Ron Hubbard + Leni Riefenstahl = ? | When great powers continually destabilize each... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by kliuless at 10:32 PM on May 30, 2021 [1 favorite]