7 ms·
Why is it legal for businesses in the US to ask employees to work around the clock like this? It seems like an insane and unethical practice
by splatzone 5y ago
Why is it legal for businesses in the US to ask employees to work around the clock like this? It seems like an insane and unethical practice
- raspasov 5y agoAt-will employment. If you don't like, go do something else.
- JI00912 5y ago> If you don't like, go do something else. Many people don't have many options and companies abuse the shit out of that because people don't want to be homeless, get kicked out of the country or dead when they can't pay medical bills. Etc. Thus the need for legislation. And the lack of such legislation partially explains fabulous areas like skid row.
- oh_sigh 5y agoSkid Row would be better if employers were prevented from having their highly paid salaried employees from doing crunch time?
- volkk 5y agothat doesn't explain the _why_, that only explains the how this keeps persisting
- missedthecue 5y agobecause they pay through the nose for it
- JI00912 5y agoBecause large companies have a huge amount of influence over the political parties.
- alecco 5y agoGood luck being a large US corporation without giving money to politicians. They'll shake you down with threats of regulation and other tactics.
- awillen 5y agoThey're incredibly well compensated and for the most part have the financial freedom to quit at any time as a result. They can choose to work in terrible conditions for a lot of money - that seems totally reasonable. Now on the other hand, consider people who are stuck in part time jobs that treat them terribly for minimum wage. They don't have the freedom to quit because they can't afford to miss a paycheck. In general, I don't think people who freely opt into anything should get sympathy for it.
- jonny_eh 5y agoHow about if no one would get treated like this?
- awillen 5y agoWhat is the issue with people willingly subjecting themselves to poor treatment in exchange for a lot of compensation? It happens all over the place... medical students and residents are run ragged and brutally overworked. Young investment bankers are in the office constantly and always on call. Same thing with young lawyers in biglaw. These are not people being abused or taken advantage of - they're making their own choices. You're suggesting that we should not allow people free choice in this context, and I think that's a much worse thing to do to them than to allow them to pick a job that's unpleasant.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- borroka 5y agoAlso violence happens all over the place, but it does not make it ok. Extremes and provocative-examples aside, the problem I see is not with exchanging life-obliterating work for money, but with signing for normal-ish work and getting brutal 24/7 instead. We can think that they are free to go elsewhere like we can think that those in abusive situations can simply go elsewhere, but there are financial considerations, gas-lighting, just-another-month syndrome that leads to burn-out. Life is just in theory pack-your-bags-and-go easy.
- gorbachev 5y agoMoney.