I've been thinking about something lately - isn't it kind of crazy how we've evolved from a society that can't wait until the weekend to a society that takes work home?
Maybe that isn't the norm, but it is how I have evolved anyway. For some reason I went from 'my job is 40 hours out of my week and that is it' to 'work comes before life and wife'. I don't really know when it happened, or how it happened.
Maybe it is technology. The ability to 'easily' do work is just too tantilizing - you get random project x finished, or can put more time into it and make it better. Maybe working at home is just more comfortable than working in the office.
The end result of this, though, certainly isn't good. Maybe you get tired, maybe you get burnt out and sloppy, maybe feel like your job owes you something for the time you put in.
I'm sure there was probably a host of studies done and going on right now that figure a healthy amount of someone's work week. I'd be curious to know what the studies say about what working 50 or 60 or 70 hours a week does to your body compared to when you work 40 hours a week.
At some point, I figured I was doing the right thing...being a model employee. But, I would have to believe that companies want you to stay in your job for an extended time, so they can see the pay off of the time and resources they have put into you.
So maybe being the best employee you can be is to work your 40 hours and then just walk away.
Maybe. Maybe not.
Thoughts?
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4 comments:
A year or so ago I went the other direction and asked, "when did society decide we should only work 40hours? And have weekends off? Who decided we should retire at 62,65,70?"
I'll reserve the right to change my mind as I age, but right now I'm enjoying working beyond what the world says I should.
I might be a touch predudiced here, but...
Some time ago a colleague told me that his company had actually done a study on the productivity of people who work longer days and shorter weeks or overtime versus those who work a typical 40 hour week. Turns out that people who worked long were less productive.
obviously the company wasnt on salary
"obviously" is my absolute FAVORITE word in the English language. Now I'm wondering if my dripping sarcasm will come across. OBVIOUSLY I don't care. Arrogant word.
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