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Subject:Re: 4/40 work week From:Daniel Wise <dewise -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM> Date:Sun, 2 Nov 1997 00:17:45 -0600
Colleagues,
Two thoughts.
First, my last employer allowed us to work a 9/80 two-week schedule. One
week we worked 4 9s and an 8. The second week we worked 4 9s and were off a
day. Rarely did we limit ourselves to the 9-hour day, and we sometimes
wound up working when we should have been off, but generally it worked just
fine. We had to stagger off days so that at least half the workforce was
on-site at any one time. Other than that, we could work things out pretty
much as we wanted.
Second, we are stupidly allowing ourselves to be sucked into working those
60-hour weeks as routine in the mistaken belief that this somehow makes us
more valuable to the company. It sure does. Any time I can get 20 free
hours of work out of an employee it is called Money In The Bank. But I'll
cut you off staff in a heartbeat if the workload drops off.
Is it loyalty to the employer, undying love for the project, or just plain
fear of losing our jobs that keeps us working these idiotic schedules?
Dan Wise
dewise -at- ix -dot- netcom -dot- com
The opinions are mine--no one else would claim them
