How much time do you spend accomplishing nothing?
People who claim to work long hours often seem to think the quantity of time invested in their job is an indicator of the quality of their work rather than evidencing a profound inefficiency. Indeed, Canadian productivity is middling at best and our output per worker our lags behind countries such as France which have instituted shorter work weeks.
Some have posited a post-work future where immense societal wealth nearly eliminates the need for full-time jobs. A British think tank recently recommended the work week be cut to 21 hours to boost the economy and improve quality of life.
But would a four-day weekend actually benefit society? The “forced routine” of the traditional 40-hour slog seems like a curious quality to laud for anyone without a significant stake in Eli Lily and Co.’s diverse line of antidepressants.
Offices are useful, until they’re not.
Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer has been catching hell for a controversial edict mandating all employees must be in the office. Every. Day. Mayer hopes to maximize “communication and collaboration” by working side-by-side.
As someone who used to (occasionally) work out of an office until I didn’t, I can understand where MM’s coming from. There is something about actually seeing and talking with your co-workers in person that helps foster positive relationships. Camaraderie doesn’t happen over Skype.
That said, I don’t care what you did over the weekend, your lunch smells bad, your music’s distracting and at some point this afternoon I’m probably going to walk past your desk and flatulate so that everyone thinks you’re the one with gastroenteritis.
Also, we’re from Toronto. It’s February. It looks like this:
While I appreciate Ms. Mayer’s old-school appreciation for facetime, the “all day, every day” stance seems a tad Draconian.
Though the jobless future seems like a dream for now, if you’re looking for a gig that requires little to no actual skill or work, I hear The Catholic Church is hiring.
