the 4 day workweek is basically fine for most white collar and office work. it cuts out the fat and waste. the entire structure of the week/end is already the result of labour victories. there’s no reason why we should persist with clockwatching and wasteful commutes for 5 days a week just because ‘that’s the way it is’. the nature of work is changing and there are fresh imperatives from the environment as well as the economy to adapt.
My personal sense is that the 4-day work week runs counter to another trend that employers favour, which is on-demand/on-call work at all times. At least for me, the creep started with a company cellphone and calls after hours. Then it was a laptop so I could respond to after hours requests more ably. Then it was a VPN so I could update internal systems on the weekends. And all that flexibility for the employer comes crashing down if they lose a guaranteed day during which I'mat the ready and dutifully standing at attention.
If there was a way to say 'you now work a 30 hour week, but that 30 hours is at any time we need you' they would do it.
If there was a way to say 'you now work a 30 hour week, but that 30 hours is at any time we need you' they would do it.
The shape of an eye in front of the ocean, digging for stones and throwing them against its window pane. Take it down dreamer, take it down deep. - Other Families
The problem with UBI is people can waste the money and still be in strife, and continue to produce kids.
What do you do with the woman with six kids who spent her monthly UBI in the first day. Tell her kids they're going to starve?
You can give people free food and accommodation plus UBI, thats about it, they'll still be trash and breed like crazy, probably crazier.
What do you do with the woman with six kids who spent her monthly UBI in the first day. Tell her kids they're going to starve?
You can give people free food and accommodation plus UBI, thats about it, they'll still be trash and breed like crazy, probably crazier.
Fuck Israel
Fair point, but I think we need at least one assumption for the world to work in any sort of way: that people are generally rational actors and can determine their own interests.
Last edited by Pochsy (2020-05-09 07:01:50)
The shape of an eye in front of the ocean, digging for stones and throwing them against its window pane. Take it down dreamer, take it down deep. - Other Families
Careful, you're going against over a century of progressive thought... are you a closet libertarian?Pochsy wrote:
Fair point, but I think we need at least one assumption for the world to work in any sort of way: that people are generally rational actors and can determine their own interests.
Last edited by Jay (2020-05-09 07:06:24)
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
-Frederick Bastiat
so organise and insist. get a workplace rep. a welfare council. elect an officer to mediate between you and the very top ranks. unionise. etc.Pochsy wrote:
My personal sense is that the 4-day work week runs counter to another trend that employers favour, which is on-demand/on-call work at all times. At least for me, the creep started with a company cellphone and calls after hours. Then it was a laptop so I could respond to after hours requests more ably. Then it was a VPN so I could update internal systems on the weekends. And all that flexibility for the employer comes crashing down if they lose a guaranteed day during which I'mat the ready and dutifully standing at attention.
If there was a way to say 'you now work a 30 hour week, but that 30 hours is at any time we need you' they would do it.
i am very fortunate to work for a not-for-profit so it’s always upwind of these new ideas and trends. remote working, 4 day weeks, flexible hours or, alternatively, fixed contractual hours (and no expectation to work outside of them). every team and department had a representative that meets with HR in a council, too. happy workers are more productive, it’s just so obvious and commonsensical. when workers feel valued and respected, they don’t turn in shoddy work or find ways to procrastinate and rip off the company.
That's the basis for all economics, not just libertarian thinking. There's some discussion from the Chicago school about the limits of rationality related to the study of behavioural economics and some related areas of focus, but even they aren't suggesting people are primarily irrational or arational--merely that there are limits to rationality.Jay wrote:
Careful, you're going against over a century of progressive thought... are you a closet libertarian?Pochsy wrote:
Fair point, but I think we need at least one assumption for the world to work in any sort of way: that people are generally rational actors and can determine their own interests.
The different major 'buckets' of thought come about from the observations of how rational actors appear to interact and the nature of the systems they move in. Libertarianism is the most extreme in its belief of self-directed thought, almost ignoring the social constructs that inform how rationality is applied.
The shape of an eye in front of the ocean, digging for stones and throwing them against its window pane. Take it down dreamer, take it down deep. - Other Families
Sounds like a good way to be replaced by contractors and freelancersuziq wrote:
so organise and insist. get a workplace rep. a welfare council. elect an officer to mediate between you and the very top ranks. unionise. etc.Pochsy wrote:
My personal sense is that the 4-day work week runs counter to another trend that employers favour, which is on-demand/on-call work at all times. At least for me, the creep started with a company cellphone and calls after hours. Then it was a laptop so I could respond to after hours requests more ably. Then it was a VPN so I could update internal systems on the weekends. And all that flexibility for the employer comes crashing down if they lose a guaranteed day during which I'mat the ready and dutifully standing at attention.
If there was a way to say 'you now work a 30 hour week, but that 30 hours is at any time we need you' they would do it.
i am very fortunate to work for a not-for-profit so it’s always upwind of these new ideas and trends. remote working, 4 day weeks, flexible hours or, alternatively, fixed contractual hours (and no expectation to work outside of them). every team and department had a representative that meets with HR in a council, too. happy workers are more productive, it’s just so obvious and commonsensical. when workers feel valued and respected, they don’t turn in shoddy work or find ways to procrastinate and rip off the company.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
-Frederick Bastiat
I really do wish Canada had some more robust system of tripartism, but I'm in a weird spot where I'm one rung below mgmt, and if I want to make the jump from my union position into the management ranks I have to show my willingness to 'suck one up for the team'. It's really more a facet of where I am in my career than the strength of our union. We've got more than a few staffers who show up at exactly at 8:30 and leave exactly at 4:30 not be heard from until the next business day. I respect it, but it's not something I can do with my aspirations--and my director knows it.uziq wrote:
so organise and insist. get a workplace rep. a welfare council. elect an officer to mediate between you and the very top ranks. unionise. etc.Pochsy wrote:
My personal sense is that the 4-day work week runs counter to another trend that employers favour, which is on-demand/on-call work at all times. At least for me, the creep started with a company cellphone and calls after hours. Then it was a laptop so I could respond to after hours requests more ably. Then it was a VPN so I could update internal systems on the weekends. And all that flexibility for the employer comes crashing down if they lose a guaranteed day during which I'mat the ready and dutifully standing at attention.
If there was a way to say 'you now work a 30 hour week, but that 30 hours is at any time we need you' they would do it.
i am very fortunate to work for a not-for-profit so it’s always upwind of these new ideas and trends. remote working, 4 day weeks, flexible hours or, alternatively, fixed contractual hours (and no expectation to work outside of them). every team and department had a representative that meets with HR in a council, too. happy workers are more productive, it’s just so obvious and commonsensical. when workers feel valued and respected, they don’t turn in shoddy work or find ways to procrastinate and rip off the company.
The shape of an eye in front of the ocean, digging for stones and throwing them against its window pane. Take it down dreamer, take it down deep. - Other Families
I'm aware. But you're working against the tide of a century and a half of interventionism, mostly built upon the premise that people are too stupid to care for themselves. When I laid out my "right wing acceptance" of UBI, I knew that it was going to be subjected to miles and miles of whataboutism and caveats.Pochsy wrote:
That's the basis for all economics, not just libertarian thinking. There's some discussion from the Chicago school about the limits of rationality related to the study of behavioural economics and some related areas of focus, but even they aren't suggesting people are primarily irrational or arational--merely that there are limits to rationality.Jay wrote:
Careful, you're going against over a century of progressive thought... are you a closet libertarian?Pochsy wrote:
Fair point, but I think we need at least one assumption for the world to work in any sort of way: that people are generally rational actors and can determine their own interests.
The different major 'buckets' of thought come about from the observations of how rational actors appear to interact and the nature of the systems they move in. Libertarianism is the most extreme in its belief of self-directed thought, almost ignoring the social constructs that inform how rationality is applied.
Here are some objections that will arise from the same side of the aisle as the people proposing UBI in the first place:
1) People will waste all their money on booze and guns and won't pay their bills and their kids will starve.
2) People need to spend money on X because it will lead to a healthier life. Spending money on Y should be prohibited.
3) The rich are already rich, the money should not be universally distributed, but distributed to those in need only. It MUST be means tested.
The list of objections would be endless, and they would all point back to arguments made from dilberts fundamental perspective: "we live in Idiocracy and everyone except me is stupid and can not make their own decisions."
So sure, I'll accept UBI, if it's a true UBI with no strings attached. I'll happily pay a bit to remove the hundreds of governmental agencies that are designed to soak up public dollars to lecture the poor about their hygiene and food choices and tv viewing habits and their music choices etc.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
-Frederick Bastiat
Was the 4 day deal paired with a pay cut?uziq wrote:
so organise and insist. get a workplace rep. a welfare council. elect an officer to mediate between you and the very top ranks. unionise. etc.Pochsy wrote:
My personal sense is that the 4-day work week runs counter to another trend that employers favour, which is on-demand/on-call work at all times. At least for me, the creep started with a company cellphone and calls after hours. Then it was a laptop so I could respond to after hours requests more ably. Then it was a VPN so I could update internal systems on the weekends. And all that flexibility for the employer comes crashing down if they lose a guaranteed day during which I'mat the ready and dutifully standing at attention.
If there was a way to say 'you now work a 30 hour week, but that 30 hours is at any time we need you' they would do it.
i am very fortunate to work for a not-for-profit so it’s always upwind of these new ideas and trends. remote working, 4 day weeks, flexible hours or, alternatively, fixed contractual hours (and no expectation to work outside of them). every team and department had a representative that meets with HR in a council, too. happy workers are more productive, it’s just so obvious and commonsensical. when workers feel valued and respected, they don’t turn in shoddy work or find ways to procrastinate and rip off the company.
Last edited by Larssen (2020-05-09 07:23:26)
I'm sorry Jay, but I think a lot of this is made up. I don't know any serious policymaker working on UBI (and I do know about a dozen in a professional capacity) that thinks the 'nanny' state needs to direct how UBI is spent. In fact, the very notion of dictating how UBI is spent runs counter to the core of the proposal. Id est, that people will arrive at their own preferred basket of good and maximize their own benefit while simultaneously reducing the 'nanny state' with multiple complex programs all with different requirements.Jay wrote:
I'm aware. But you're working against the tide of a century and a half of interventionism, mostly built upon the premise that people are too stupid to care for themselves. When I laid out my "right wing acceptance" of UBI, I knew that it was going to be subjected to miles and miles of whataboutism and caveats.
Here are some objections that will arise from the same side of the aisle as the people proposing UBI in the first place:
1) People will waste all their money on booze and guns and won't pay their bills and their kids will starve.
2) People need to spend money on X because it will lead to a healthier life. Spending money on Y should be prohibited.
3) The rich are already rich, the money should not be universally distributed, but distributed to those in need only. It MUST be means tested.
The list of objections would be endless, and they would all point back to arguments made from dilberts fundamental perspective: "we live in Idiocracy and everyone except me is stupid and can not make their own decisions."
So sure, I'll accept UBI, if it's a true UBI with no strings attached. I'll happily pay a bit to remove the hundreds of governmental agencies that are designed to soak up public dollars to lecture the poor about their hygiene and food choices and tv viewing habits and their music choices etc.
I think you've confused the core of the UBI proposal with the surrounding considerations that are brought up as matters of related discussion.
The shape of an eye in front of the ocean, digging for stones and throwing them against its window pane. Take it down dreamer, take it down deep. - Other Families
a publishing house has lots of freelancers. it’s part of the model. full-time salaried staff have additional and other responsibilities which cannot really be freelanced. you need core teams and full time workers to achieve the medium and long term goals of the organisation. project work/management, development, portfolio work, cultivating lasting business relationships (to say nothing of author lists), passing on expertise and knowledge and training staff. maintaining a company culture and ethos.Jay wrote:
Sounds like a good way to be replaced by contractors and freelancersuziq wrote:
so organise and insist. get a workplace rep. a welfare council. elect an officer to mediate between you and the very top ranks. unionise. etc.Pochsy wrote:
My personal sense is that the 4-day work week runs counter to another trend that employers favour, which is on-demand/on-call work at all times. At least for me, the creep started with a company cellphone and calls after hours. Then it was a laptop so I could respond to after hours requests more ably. Then it was a VPN so I could update internal systems on the weekends. And all that flexibility for the employer comes crashing down if they lose a guaranteed day during which I'mat the ready and dutifully standing at attention.
If there was a way to say 'you now work a 30 hour week, but that 30 hours is at any time we need you' they would do it.
i am very fortunate to work for a not-for-profit so it’s always upwind of these new ideas and trends. remote working, 4 day weeks, flexible hours or, alternatively, fixed contractual hours (and no expectation to work outside of them). every team and department had a representative that meets with HR in a council, too. happy workers are more productive, it’s just so obvious and commonsensical. when workers feel valued and respected, they don’t turn in shoddy work or find ways to procrastinate and rip off the company.
this is all pretty obvious stuff in the real world, jay. this stuff works. did i mention that my full time contract is for 32.5 hours a week? and i get 30+ days of holiday a year? americans seem to think that’s impossible, too.
Last edited by uziq (2020-05-09 07:32:05)
no. i have received an annual raise of 5.5–8% every year i’ve been in the role. and a nice annual bonus equivalent to 8–15% of salary.Larssen wrote:
Was the 4 day deal paired with a pay cut?uziq wrote:
so organise and insist. get a workplace rep. a welfare council. elect an officer to mediate between you and the very top ranks. unionise. etc.Pochsy wrote:
My personal sense is that the 4-day work week runs counter to another trend that employers favour, which is on-demand/on-call work at all times. At least for me, the creep started with a company cellphone and calls after hours. Then it was a laptop so I could respond to after hours requests more ably. Then it was a VPN so I could update internal systems on the weekends. And all that flexibility for the employer comes crashing down if they lose a guaranteed day during which I'mat the ready and dutifully standing at attention.
If there was a way to say 'you now work a 30 hour week, but that 30 hours is at any time we need you' they would do it.
i am very fortunate to work for a not-for-profit so it’s always upwind of these new ideas and trends. remote working, 4 day weeks, flexible hours or, alternatively, fixed contractual hours (and no expectation to work outside of them). every team and department had a representative that meets with HR in a council, too. happy workers are more productive, it’s just so obvious and commonsensical. when workers feel valued and respected, they don’t turn in shoddy work or find ways to procrastinate and rip off the company.
cutting back hours does not mean accepting less income. who would advertise for a 4 day week on that basis?
No, I understand what the core principle is. I'm saying it will never gain enough political momentum to pass here in the US, because right now it is being proposed by a subsection of the left, but the rest of the left are the ones primarily benefitting from the nanny state and the jobs it provides.Pochsy wrote:
I'm sorry Jay, but I think a lot of this is made up. I don't know any serious policymaker working on UBI (and I do know about a dozen in a professional capacity) that thinks the 'nanny' state needs to direct how UBI is spent. In fact, the very notion of dictating how UBI is spent runs counter to the core of the proposal. Id est, that people will arrive at their own preferred basket of good and maximize their own benefit while simultaneously reducing the 'nanny state' with multiple complex programs all with different requirements.Jay wrote:
I'm aware. But you're working against the tide of a century and a half of interventionism, mostly built upon the premise that people are too stupid to care for themselves. When I laid out my "right wing acceptance" of UBI, I knew that it was going to be subjected to miles and miles of whataboutism and caveats.
Here are some objections that will arise from the same side of the aisle as the people proposing UBI in the first place:
1) People will waste all their money on booze and guns and won't pay their bills and their kids will starve.
2) People need to spend money on X because it will lead to a healthier life. Spending money on Y should be prohibited.
3) The rich are already rich, the money should not be universally distributed, but distributed to those in need only. It MUST be means tested.
The list of objections would be endless, and they would all point back to arguments made from dilberts fundamental perspective: "we live in Idiocracy and everyone except me is stupid and can not make their own decisions."
So sure, I'll accept UBI, if it's a true UBI with no strings attached. I'll happily pay a bit to remove the hundreds of governmental agencies that are designed to soak up public dollars to lecture the poor about their hygiene and food choices and tv viewing habits and their music choices etc.
I think you've confused the core of the UBI proposal with the surrounding considerations that are brought up as matters of related discussion.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
-Frederick Bastiat
I'm full salary with a 12% bonus, and I get 29 vacation days a year. Some weeks I work 60-70 hours, some weeks I work 35.uziq wrote:
a publishing house has lots of freelancers. it’s part of the model. full-time salaried staff have additional and other responsibilities which cannot really be freelanced. you need core teams and full time workers to achieve the medium and long term goals of the organisation. project work/management, development, portfolio work, cultivating lasting business relationships (to say nothing of author lists), passing on expertise and knowledge and training staff. maintaining a company culture and ethos.Jay wrote:
Sounds like a good way to be replaced by contractors and freelancersuziq wrote:
so organise and insist. get a workplace rep. a welfare council. elect an officer to mediate between you and the very top ranks. unionise. etc.
i am very fortunate to work for a not-for-profit so it’s always upwind of these new ideas and trends. remote working, 4 day weeks, flexible hours or, alternatively, fixed contractual hours (and no expectation to work outside of them). every team and department had a representative that meets with HR in a council, too. happy workers are more productive, it’s just so obvious and commonsensical. when workers feel valued and respected, they don’t turn in shoddy work or find ways to procrastinate and rip off the company.
this is all pretty obvious stuff in the real world, jay. this stuff works. did i mention that my full time contract is for 32.5 hours a week? and i get 30+ days of holiday a year? americans seem to think that’s impossible, too.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
-Frederick Bastiat
That's pure speculation based on the current political climate, and not an analysis of the broader economic trends at play that tend to favour some major changes in the structure of government assistance. I'm not a political strategist, so I can't tell you the criteria to make a policy proposal palatable to Joe Dirt in Iowa, but I think there's great potential for UBI to be piloted (if it hasn't been already) in just about every well functioning economy in the world.
The shape of an eye in front of the ocean, digging for stones and throwing them against its window pane. Take it down dreamer, take it down deep. - Other Families
I only really make overtime when necessary and 'take the liberty' of compensating on other days. The work has ebbs and flows, sometimes 60hrs+ (rarely), sometimes ~30, if that. I make sure I'm there when I'm needed, but never let people pile work on you just because. In any field I've come to learn they will take as much as you're willing to give.
Meetings are generally the biggest drain on time, especially for management, and the more control you have over those the better. I don't mind having them, it's just infuriating when they're not structured and when people aren't well prepared. Be concise, keep time, always exit with clear next steps and absolutely get rid of individuals who are overly long-winded, fly off on tangents and have difficulty being goal-oriented.
Not that I'm 'mr. Structure' - my desk, thoughts and schedule are always a bit of a mess but I'm always happy if we manage to walk out well within the scheduled time and I very much appreciate people who can make their points as short as possible.
Naturally bureaucracy got on my nerves a bit because there's a whole lot of long winded people there.
Meetings are generally the biggest drain on time, especially for management, and the more control you have over those the better. I don't mind having them, it's just infuriating when they're not structured and when people aren't well prepared. Be concise, keep time, always exit with clear next steps and absolutely get rid of individuals who are overly long-winded, fly off on tangents and have difficulty being goal-oriented.
Not that I'm 'mr. Structure' - my desk, thoughts and schedule are always a bit of a mess but I'm always happy if we manage to walk out well within the scheduled time and I very much appreciate people who can make their points as short as possible.
Naturally bureaucracy got on my nerves a bit because there's a whole lot of long winded people there.
Lots of employers...uziq wrote:
no. i have received an annual raise of 5.5–8% every year i’ve been in the role. and a nice annual bonus equivalent to 8–15% of salary.
cutting back hours does not mean accepting less income. who would advertise for a 4 day week on that basis?
That sounds very generous for a non profit.
Long winded, some. Most meetings when working on government projects were pointless affairs full of too many people, people who scheduled meetings just to have something to do and justify their job.Larssen wrote:
I only really make overtime when necessary and 'take the liberty' of compensating on other days. The work has ebbs and flows, sometimes 60hrs+ (rarely), sometimes ~30, if that. I make sure I'm there when I'm needed, but never let people pile work on you just because. In any field I've come to learn they will take as much as you're willing to give.
Meetings are generally the biggest drain on time, especially for management, and the more control you have over those the better. I don't mind having them, it's just infuriating when they're not structured and when people aren't well prepared. Be concise, keep time, always exit with clear next steps and absolutely get rid of individuals who are overly long-winded, fly off on tangents and have difficulty being goal-oriented.
Not that I'm 'mr. Structure' - my desk, thoughts and schedule are always a bit of a mess but I'm always happy if we manage to walk out well within the scheduled time and I very much appreciate people who can make their points as short as possible.
Naturally bureaucracy got on my nerves a bit because there's a whole lot of long winded people there.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
-Frederick Bastiat
There's no simple solution, and it only takes ~20% of the population to be too dumb to take their own decisions to ruin a country.Jay wrote:
The list of objections would be endless, and they would all point back to arguments made from dilberts fundamental perspective: "we live in Idiocracy and everyone except me is stupid and can not make their own decisions.
The best I can come up with is a UBI plus basic food and accommodation for the people who can't manage it themselves.
The problem is to stop the dregs breeding.
Fuck Israel
in the 35 hours a week that you're working and i'm not, i'm reading the world's great literature, romancing its great beauties, working on my languages, and composing symphonies. your life is immeasurably impoverished by your pathological workplace culture.Jay wrote:
I'm full salary with a 12% bonus, and I get 29 vacation days a year. Some weeks I work 60-70 hours, some weeks I work 35.uziq wrote:
a publishing house has lots of freelancers. it’s part of the model. full-time salaried staff have additional and other responsibilities which cannot really be freelanced. you need core teams and full time workers to achieve the medium and long term goals of the organisation. project work/management, development, portfolio work, cultivating lasting business relationships (to say nothing of author lists), passing on expertise and knowledge and training staff. maintaining a company culture and ethos.Jay wrote:
Sounds like a good way to be replaced by contractors and freelancers
this is all pretty obvious stuff in the real world, jay. this stuff works. did i mention that my full time contract is for 32.5 hours a week? and i get 30+ days of holiday a year? americans seem to think that’s impossible, too.
UBI will help everyone to become much more self-actualized individuals. you could join a dance society. learn how to weave baskets. develop love and comity for your fellow man.
just a thought.
also yes, there are no bonuses normally in publishing as a whole. it's very rare to get them. i only mentioned that to point to the fact that my salary/lifestyle has not been negatively affected by these new workplace arrangements. i make a modest income compared to a corporate job. but i didn't want to work in advertising or PR or anything else for all the reasons outlined above. i read and edit manuscripts for 25 hours a week, and spend as much time on my own writing and reading. it's damn near pleasurable. which i would not get from commuting and working 5/6 FTE days per week.
you do make a point, which i have alluded to above, in that the right-wing are now cottoning on to this UBI/4-day-week/etc thing. of course, they're contesting it the other way: in favour for the owners and managers. '4 day week? great! we can save 1/5 on salaries!".Larssen wrote:
Lots of employers...uziq wrote:
no. i have received an annual raise of 5.5–8% every year i’ve been in the role. and a nice annual bonus equivalent to 8–15% of salary.
cutting back hours does not mean accepting less income. who would advertise for a 4 day week on that basis?
That sounds very generous for a non profit.
UBI is very much going to become a contested political issue, as time goes on and we inevitably have to ask some difficult questions about how to cope with and manage a transition to mass-automation. where do the cost-savings and efficiencies go? to whose benefit?
That works in some industries, but not for others. I am personally only productive in bursts. I need to recharge and socialize between those bursts. When I get in the zone I can produce work at a tremendous rate, it's just not sustainable without burning out.uziq wrote:
in the 35 hours a week that you're working and i'm not, i'm reading the world's great literature, romancing its great beauties, working on my languages, and composing symphonies. your life is immeasurably impoverished by your pathological workplace culture.Jay wrote:
I'm full salary with a 12% bonus, and I get 29 vacation days a year. Some weeks I work 60-70 hours, some weeks I work 35.uziq wrote:
a publishing house has lots of freelancers. it’s part of the model. full-time salaried staff have additional and other responsibilities which cannot really be freelanced. you need core teams and full time workers to achieve the medium and long term goals of the organisation. project work/management, development, portfolio work, cultivating lasting business relationships (to say nothing of author lists), passing on expertise and knowledge and training staff. maintaining a company culture and ethos.
this is all pretty obvious stuff in the real world, jay. this stuff works. did i mention that my full time contract is for 32.5 hours a week? and i get 30+ days of holiday a year? americans seem to think that’s impossible, too.
UBI will help everyone to become much more self-actualized individuals. you could join a dance society. learn how to weave baskets. develop love and comity for your fellow man.
just a thought.
also yes, there are no bonuses normally in publishing as a whole. it's very rare to get them. i only mentioned that to point to the fact that my salary/lifestyle has not been negatively affected by these new workplace arrangements. i make a modest income compared to a corporate job. but i didn't want to work in advertising or PR or anything else for all the reasons outlined above. i read and edit manuscripts for 25 hours a week, and spend as much time on my own writing and reading. it's damn near pleasurable. which i would not get from commuting and working 5/6 FTE days per week.
I am all for the four day work week. I've proposed it a few times to past employers (4 days, 10 hours/day), but the objection was that it wouldn't be fair, or I'd miss meetings. I would just like to save the time allotted to my 3 hour daily commute...
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
-Frederick Bastiat
It's very common here for people to work 9/4 or 10/4. The US has some catching up to do in that regard. Whenever there were americans around here we'd had to drag them away from their desks at lunchtime else they'd eat behind their computers.
Hard workers for sure but work quality and quality of life come first.
As for modest incomes; depends where you live. I suppose a junior working for a top law firm in london will still see his comparatively good income evaporate each month due to the cost of living.
What are your financial/career goals for the long term?
Hard workers for sure but work quality and quality of life come first.
As for modest incomes; depends where you live. I suppose a junior working for a top law firm in london will still see his comparatively good income evaporate each month due to the cost of living.
What are your financial/career goals for the long term?