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The Forum > Article Comments > The BBQ-stopper that just keeps giving...or taking > Comments

The BBQ-stopper that just keeps giving...or taking : Comments

By Josh Fear, published 23/11/2010

If you're still at work, it's after 5:00 pm and you are reading this - Go Home

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Not sure if everyone is aware but a large number of companies actively prevent people from accessing social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter from the company server (threats to network security etc). If these sites take up valuable work time then in that same line of thought, what do we do with the smoker/non-smoker dilemma?

Also, if people waste time by commuting to and from work then following the argument above most people should move to the CBD areas of our capital cities (good luck with rents) or we should demand all corporate offices be brought to the suburbs.

As most people stay quiet, management does not consider the issue of long hours important. If more and more people spoke up then management would be force to deal with the issue. Daunting, but if you are not happy, probably a good time to start looking for a new job.

But, the one thing I have to wholeheartedly agree with is the concept of "flexibility" - we should all be paid for the end-result of our work and not for the outdated concept of "hours worked". Sadly for this to happen it would require a tremendous shift in the way that managers/society/government think. Depending on the industry, telecommuting etc. are great options that really should have taken off already.

Overtime for the sake of overtime is definitely wrong. The Japanese term "karoshi" pretty much says what happens to you: death from overwork.

http://currentglobalperceptions.blogspot.com/
Posted by jorge, Wednesday, 24 November 2010 6:36:08 PM
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Flexible work hours can be OK if you have nothing to do with customers, but it doesn't work too well if you do.

I ran a fleet of large tourist day trip boats up north. Our boats were built by a large engineering works in Cairns.

They were good people to do business with, & very helpful with the problems which arose in new boats. That is until they got a contract to build Navy patrol boats.

A large increase in the work force was required, & many of the new staff brought union problems from the south with them. After many strikes they were forced to run a 9 day fortnight. This was a catastrophe from our point of view.

One 320 passenger boat had steering problems. It often wouldn't. With good skippers we managed to run around the Whitsundays, & the reef using engine controls to steer the thing.

The steering had electric, electronic, hydraulic, & mechanical components, so required a few experts to try to fault find. With our suppliers working their 9 day fortnight they became a 6 days a fortnight service outfit, as they could only muster all the experts on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

Sending trouble shooters for only a couple of parts of the system proved utterly useless. The problem always appeared to belong to one who wasn't there.

We finally spent 2 days going right through the thing ourselves, with our limited expertise. We did not find the problem either, but everything worked after that. Nothing like the blind leading themselves.

Oh, our supplier, after finishing the government contract, cancelled the 9 day fortnight, & the other "special" conditions. After a 3 month strike they had their good employees, & their business back.
Posted by Hasbeen, Wednesday, 24 November 2010 10:41:21 PM
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The great elephant in hte corner is 'Who is doing all these extra hours?'

Who does the vast bulk of paid and unpaid overtime? Wat group of people suffer from a lack of work-life balance? Migrants? Aboriginies? Casuals?

No. It's men. Australia's largest minority group are the poor suckers who put in the extra hours.
Posted by partTimeParent, Thursday, 25 November 2010 5:47:46 AM
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Yabby why do you persist in this blanket perception of 'the workers' as all lazy layabouts. It just isn't true - maybe you have been on the farm too long and need to get out more. :)

Fact is more and more people are working longer hours (men and women), I see it around me both in the private and public sector and the impact on family life is evident.
Posted by pelican, Thursday, 25 November 2010 7:31:27 AM
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ok, we have the go home on time day.
how about a always work at work day?
or a go home when no work day?

some people seem to think you can have it one way, but there is always two storys to the argument, or even more.
Posted by dunart, Monday, 29 November 2010 12:51:56 PM
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*Yabby why do you persist in this blanket perception of 'the workers' as all lazy layabouts.*

Pelican, you are creating your own strawman argument here, for
I have never claimed that they all are. What I have claimed is
that people commonly act out of self interest and will become
fat and lazy, without competition.

Now take a system like the public service. Some may join with
great enthusiasm and vigour and even ideals. But eventually
they get dragged down by the majority, who don't think that
way. How many rock the boat and point out to all the waste?

I once read a study about the Swedish public service. They
are some of the laziest around. Now Swedes are generally not
lazy by nature, but the system as its implemented is that everyone
does just enough to keep their jobs. Apathy and feathering
nests takes over, the taxpayer just pays.

This was the very reason why even the Swedes started privatising
some things and creating competition in others.

*Fact is more and more people are working longer hours (men and women),*

Well yes, they have borrowed to buy the world's biggest houses,
borrowed to the limit and now have to work to pay for it all.
Our economy is also slowly becoming more competitive, as it
deregulates from the bad old days of high tariff walls etc.

Some of the hardest workers and most innovative people are in fact
WA farmers. Why? They have to survive in a global economy, they
export most of what they produce. Not me personally lol, for the
bit that I do is purely for passion and fun, its a hobby. But
comparing those farmers with the rest of you, frankly you don't
come off looking too good.
Posted by Yabby, Monday, 29 November 2010 2:22:36 PM
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