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> Do we really need to make employment as unpleasant and stressful That's a large oversimplification. Employment is stressful because the business world is str

> Do we really need to make employment as unpleasant and stressful That's a large oversimplification. Employment is stressful because the business world is stressful. By entering into a contract with an employer, the employer is not only giving you a salary, but some sort of assurance that you'll be buffered from the market because the employer has larger cash reserves to ride out market fluctuations. Nobody can stop you from freelancing, which gives you ultimate freedom, but also doesn't insulate you from market conditions. By making it more difficult to fire you, the employer has to reduce compensation, benefits, and protections because the overall value proposition has shifted, since the employer now is far less flexible in dealing with market situations.

brandon272 10y ago
> Employment is stressful because the business world is stressful. The business world has always been stressful; my point is that current and upcoming market forces (i.e. automation) are adding onto that stress more and more. Without figuring out some plan, people are in for a lot of misery as jobs are replaced with automation. It'll be a mistake to suggest we constantly reduce the requirements on employers to provide for fair compensation for work. If today we are saying labour laws should be relaxed to allow employers to employ people full time with reduced compensation and benefits (which seems to be the response to the article), what is the next axe to fall? Lowering of minimum wage?
- jimmywanger 10y ago
  > The business world has always been stressful; my point is that current and upcoming market forces (i.e. automation) are adding onto that stress more and more. My point is that the business world is becoming more and more stressful for businesses also, something you're not taking into account. Automation and the elimination of certain markets affect businesses just as much as employees. When times become harder, the solution is not to increase worker rights, as that's what's happening in Europe. If you're in a highly uncertain business environment as a business, AND it's incredibly difficult to adapt by letting employees, you start hiring temporary employees, and full time employees become a thing of the past. And yes, lowering the minimum wage might be something you have to think about. There really isn't anything left to do when your labor is worth less than the minimum wage.

brandon272 10y ago

> Employment is stressful because the business world is stressful. The business world has always been stressful; my point is that current and upcoming market forces (i.e. automation) are adding onto that stress more and more. Without figuring out some plan, people are in for a lot of misery as jobs are replaced with automation. It'll be a mistake to suggest we constantly reduce the requirements on employers to provide for fair compensation for work. If today we are saying labour laws should be relaxed to allow employers to employ people full time with reduced compensation and benefits (which seems to be the response to the article), what is the next axe to fall? Lowering of minimum wage?

jimmywanger 10y ago
> The business world has always been stressful; my point is that current and upcoming market forces (i.e. automation) are adding onto that stress more and more. My point is that the business world is becoming more and more stressful for businesses also, something you're not taking into account. Automation and the elimination of certain markets affect businesses just as much as employees. When times become harder, the solution is not to increase worker rights, as that's what's happening in Europe. If you're in a highly uncertain business environment as a business, AND it's incredibly difficult to adapt by letting employees, you start hiring temporary employees, and full time employees become a thing of the past. And yes, lowering the minimum wage might be something you have to think about. There really isn't anything left to do when your labor is worth less than the minimum wage.