5 ms·

I've rarely met anyone that has actually "worked" a full 8 hours. The marathon work days where you actually do 8, and more likely 16, are few and far between. O

by yardie 11y ago

I've rarely met anyone that has actually "worked" a full 8 hours. The marathon work days where you actually do 8, and more likely 16, are few and far between. Once you exclude the coffee breaks, snack breaks, stretch breaks, brain breaks, etc. you easily get back to 6 hours. Hell if you are on here and at work you are technically not working. Most managers will overlook the occasional reddit or YC page load because they know it's hard to "crush it" for hours straight.

impl 11y ago
This article is about nurses, though. In the US many ER nurses work 12 hour shifts and they obviously don't have the option of personal downtime. It's likely that as "computer" people we're already reaping much of the benefit discussed.
- yardie 11y ago
  This article is about nurses in care homes. They aren't under the same constraint as an ER nurse. Reason why ER nurses work 12 is continuance of care. You're better off being looked after by 2 shifts who are familiar with your case rather than 3 or 4. More people just add complexity
Excavator 11y ago
In Sweden "work" entails 8hours + 1hour set aside for obligatory break time. Is it different in the states? Also, I can't see how 6hours would mean no stretch/brain breaks.
- svachalek 11y ago
  In the US, "work" is split into "exempt" and "non-exempt" status. "Non-exempt" workers are paid by the hour and have mandatory benefits if they work 40 hours and overtime pay if they work more than 40, so most employers will aim for 35 or so. "Exempt" workers, which is most of us in the tech industry, are paid a salary and have essentially no limit to the hours that may be asked of us.
  - deleted 11y ago
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  - deleted 11y ago
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  - acqq 11y ago
    > and have essentially no limit to the hours that may be asked of us. You may be asked, but do you really have to accept? (I'm asking from Europe) It sounds insane to sell 24 of your hours per day for any typical salary?
    - ryandrake 11y ago
      Nobody HAS to accept the working hours required by their employer. You're always free to quit and try to find another job that requires fewer hours.
      - acqq 11y ago
        But how can you make the contract (even if it's not formal) in which the employer pays X dollars fixed and the employee "has to work as much unspecified amount of work"? If the employee sells his work, he's selling without the possibility to measure how much he sells? Isn't it absurd? Or is it specified as "after 50 hours per week you can really go home?"
        ryandrake 11y ago
        Welcome to "at will" employment. Besides some very specific exceptions, including race, gender, etc., employers are free to fire you for any reason or for no reason. Similarly, you are free to quit for any reason or no reason.
        acqq 11y ago
        I'm amazed that the apparent "high skilled professionals" are satisfied with such vague conditions under which they sell themselves. It doesn't sound professional at all not having the limits and not organizing the protection of the profession. Please excuse me, that's how it appears in some European countries where what the rights are protected by the organizations of professionals (or even workers) and at the latest level by the laws.
rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
You're absolutely right. I get to work at 8 and start to lose steam around 1 (hence why I'm here). I would gladly buy an extra two hours in return for the expectation that work is for work goofing around is for home. I think the contemporary startup idea that people have to be "working and playing" at the office for 10-14 hours a day to make anything significant happen is at worst, misguided, and, to a cynic like me, just a way to grind people out of your company before they can vest any significant amount of equity.
- aaron_m04 11y ago
  An equally cynical explanation is that they do it to kill anything you have going on outside of work (social life, side projects), which could compete with work for your attention.
  - kstenerud 11y ago
    Except that nobody's actually that interested in you.
- anon4 11y ago
  It's not that misguided. I'm one of those people who can't really work full steam for many hours, so to get 6 real hours out of me, I need to be in the office for about 10 hours.
  - rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
    You are the reason for all the pain and suffering in the world. Kidding. I'm not completely disparaging the long workday and loads of perks to keep you at the office. It is nice to have good food nearby most hours of the day, and amenities such as gyms help coalesce my time at the office around the "productive" part of my day. Where it falls apart is when managers have to justify their employees' work: even if the 6hr worker and the 10hr worker are equally productive, they're going to point to the 10 every time to justify their employees' salary and their own ability of a manager to get more out of them. Then the 6hr worker is asked to stay later for "team morale," which often amounts to little more than twiddling thumbs and waiting out the clock, with hopefully some of that time spent wondering why they're even there in the first place.

by yardie 11y ago

impl 11y ago

This article is about nurses, though. In the US many ER nurses work 12 hour shifts and they obviously don't have the option of personal downtime. It's likely that as "computer" people we're already reaping much of the benefit discussed.

yardie 11y ago
This article is about nurses in care homes. They aren't under the same constraint as an ER nurse. Reason why ER nurses work 12 is continuance of care. You're better off being looked after by 2 shifts who are familiar with your case rather than 3 or 4. More people just add complexity

Excavator 11y ago

In Sweden "work" entails 8hours + 1hour set aside for obligatory break time. Is it different in the states? Also, I can't see how 6hours would mean no stretch/brain breaks.

svachalek 11y ago
In the US, "work" is split into "exempt" and "non-exempt" status. "Non-exempt" workers are paid by the hour and have mandatory benefits if they work 40 hours and overtime pay if they work more than 40, so most employers will aim for 35 or so. "Exempt" workers, which is most of us in the tech industry, are paid a salary and have essentially no limit to the hours that may be asked of us.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- acqq 11y ago
  > and have essentially no limit to the hours that may be asked of us. You may be asked, but do you really have to accept? (I'm asking from Europe) It sounds insane to sell 24 of your hours per day for any typical salary?
  - ryandrake 11y ago
    Nobody HAS to accept the working hours required by their employer. You're always free to quit and try to find another job that requires fewer hours.
    - acqq 11y ago
      But how can you make the contract (even if it's not formal) in which the employer pays X dollars fixed and the employee "has to work as much unspecified amount of work"? If the employee sells his work, he's selling without the possibility to measure how much he sells? Isn't it absurd? Or is it specified as "after 50 hours per week you can really go home?"
      - ryandrake 11y ago
        Welcome to "at will" employment. Besides some very specific exceptions, including race, gender, etc., employers are free to fire you for any reason or for no reason. Similarly, you are free to quit for any reason or no reason.
        acqq 11y ago
        I'm amazed that the apparent "high skilled professionals" are satisfied with such vague conditions under which they sell themselves. It doesn't sound professional at all not having the limits and not organizing the protection of the profession. Please excuse me, that's how it appears in some European countries where what the rights are protected by the organizations of professionals (or even workers) and at the latest level by the laws.

rm_-rf_slash 11y ago

You're absolutely right. I get to work at 8 and start to lose steam around 1 (hence why I'm here). I would gladly buy an extra two hours in return for the expectation that work is for work goofing around is for home. I think the contemporary startup idea that people have to be "working and playing" at the office for 10-14 hours a day to make anything significant happen is at worst, misguided, and, to a cynic like me, just a way to grind people out of your company before they can vest any significant amount of equity.

aaron_m04 11y ago
An equally cynical explanation is that they do it to kill anything you have going on outside of work (social life, side projects), which could compete with work for your attention.
- kstenerud 11y ago
  Except that nobody's actually that interested in you.
anon4 11y ago
It's not that misguided. I'm one of those people who can't really work full steam for many hours, so to get 6 real hours out of me, I need to be in the office for about 10 hours.
- rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
  You are the reason for all the pain and suffering in the world. Kidding. I'm not completely disparaging the long workday and loads of perks to keep you at the office. It is nice to have good food nearby most hours of the day, and amenities such as gyms help coalesce my time at the office around the "productive" part of my day. Where it falls apart is when managers have to justify their employees' work: even if the 6hr worker and the 10hr worker are equally productive, they're going to point to the 10 every time to justify their employees' salary and their own ability of a manager to get more out of them. Then the 6hr worker is asked to stay later for "team morale," which often amounts to little more than twiddling thumbs and waiting out the clock, with hopefully some of that time spent wondering why they're even there in the first place.