3 ms·
> We overwhelmingly choose to work the greatest number of hours we can sustainably tolerate (somewhere between 40 and 60 hours for most people), in order to max
by zurn 14y ago
> We overwhelmingly choose to work the greatest number of hours we can sustainably tolerate (somewhere between 40 and 60 hours for most people), in order to maximise our spending power.
Not so: http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=AVE_HRS http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=AVE_HRS
(the statistic above excludes vacatyion and national holidays, sick leave, paid maternity/paternity leave etc, which are also much more generous these days)
Note how the well off countries tend to have shorter
working hours.
Anecdotally, I only know maybe 2 people who I'd say
work more than 40 hours and they're small business owners
who really like what they do.
- __--__ 14y agoConsidering I just spend the last month putting in 80+ hour weeks along with all of my co-workers, might I humbly suggest you put "n=1" after your post? Then again, I work in video games. Long hours are the industry standard.
- zurn 14y agoI hope the 80 hour standard doesn't spread to the rest of the world, lest the games biz loses all the talented workforce with any sense ;)
- BSousa 14y agoMost are already leaving. I was in the industry and left, and I know many that people I worked with have left as well after about 10 years. In the UK, I might be mistaken as I read the article a while ago, but it is the (or top 5) industry where people spend less time compared to other creative/professional careers.
- svachalek 14y agoAre you in Europe or something? In Silicon Valley, 50 hours is a fairly typical week most places I've worked and in some companies much higher numbers are the norm. (edit: and all forms of leave are decreasing rather than increasing)
- jvm 14y agoI really wish the US was on that chart!
- zurn 14y agoThis one seems to have it, titled "Average annual hours actually worked per worker": http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=ANHRS http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=ANHRS
- rmc 14y agoAnother data point : the European countries with the longest holidays (France & Germany) are bailing out countries with the shortest holidays ( Greece Ireland Portugal)
- ozgung 14y agoWow, one of those lists that we're at the top position as Turkey, with an almost 50-hour work week (plus 10-15 hours for commuting). I work in a science park inside a university campus and it's mandatory to work at least 45 hours a week. I always thought this is an insanely counter-productive policy and now I have statistical proof.