4 ms·

>A lot of people seem to be OK with dull, boring jobs, I'm a little shocked to see this sentiment, and even more to see support for for it from other commentat

>A lot of people seem to be OK with dull, boring jobs, I'm a little shocked to see this sentiment, and even more to see support for for it from other commentators. Has anyone here actually worked jobs like this? I've had several factory, dull, boring jobs where you repeat the same task 2-10 times per minute, and none of the people I worked with enjoyed it. It's hell.Time slows to a crawl. You can repeat a task a hundred times and only 20 minutes go by. Attempts were always made to rotate people though different tasks throughout the day. The vast majority would leave to go to a non-repetitious job if possible.

btbuildem 12y ago
I've done a few stints in jobs like that - I think how you deal with it depends on how/who you are. With time I found the endless repetition of simple tasks very calming, harmonious and peaceful - I'd hit a "zen zone" and kind of meditate over the machinery / pieces I was making. When you repeat a task long enough, time ceases to exist.
randcraw 12y ago
That's exactly what Henry Ford found when he introduced the assembly line in 1914. He found that he had to hire 10x more men than he needed because 90% would quit the line within a few weeks. That's where Ford's 'generous' $5 day came from (twice the prevailing wage). Most found the tedium of the assembly line to be insufferable. I worked in several furniture factories as a youngster, and I share that sentiment. Assembly lines are soul killing.
- taivare 12y ago
  In the late 60's GM built a new factory west of Youngstown,OH. ~ they soon found out the young men they hired from the local rural farm areas were not happy doing the same thing all day, even though they were paid far better then their previous employment on there families farms. They were used to doing different activities through the day on the farms. Their discontent, became known as the 'Lordstown Syndrome'.

btbuildem 12y ago

I've done a few stints in jobs like that - I think how you deal with it depends on how/who you are. With time I found the endless repetition of simple tasks very calming, harmonious and peaceful - I'd hit a "zen zone" and kind of meditate over the machinery / pieces I was making. When you repeat a task long enough, time ceases to exist.

randcraw 12y ago

That's exactly what Henry Ford found when he introduced the assembly line in 1914. He found that he had to hire 10x more men than he needed because 90% would quit the line within a few weeks. That's where Ford's 'generous' $5 day came from (twice the prevailing wage). Most found the tedium of the assembly line to be insufferable. I worked in several furniture factories as a youngster, and I share that sentiment. Assembly lines are soul killing.

taivare 12y ago
In the late 60's GM built a new factory west of Youngstown,OH. ~ they soon found out the young men they hired from the local rural farm areas were not happy doing the same thing all day, even though they were paid far better then their previous employment on there families farms. They were used to doing different activities through the day on the farms. Their discontent, became known as the 'Lordstown Syndrome'.