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- bloodomen13, on 10/11/2007, -2/+779 - 5 workers are already a thing of the past since we're expected to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by our employers
- NICU, on 10/11/2007, -1/+359 to 5 jobs are already a thing of the past. I've never met someone who worked 9am-5pm, I've seen a lot of 8am-5pm and 7am-5pm, but never 9am-5pm.
- Gizza, on 10/11/2007, -0/+31@ydnab40 (#6847169)
My cycle is about the complete opposite of yours. I can't do ***** in the morning, it takes me a few hours to actually wake up.
And as Software Engineer I can completely agree with this article. It doesn't matter how much you may try to do some work, if you're not in the correct mental state nothing productive will get done. Doing a complicated piece of coding requires being switched on, if I'm not switched on I can barely follow my own code that I wrote yesterday.
Thankfully there's always something new on Digg when I have those moments where I'm staring blankly at code and nothing is registering. - nreisan, on 10/11/2007, -2/+25yeah its a thing of the past since ist now 8am-10pm
- lcarsdeveloper, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11I'm exactly the same, I do 95% of my coding between 11pm and 5am. It's dark, no distractions, no ringing phones from telemarketers, it's great! I just make myself a nice hot cup of coffee, put on my headphones, and get stuck into it.
Ask me to do the same thing at 9am, and by lunchtime I'll have written only 20 lines of code, which I'll probably have to rewrite later than night anyway. - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+10"because I enjoy the people I work with"
Yeah! me too, if there are a couple of hot chicks around. - SpaceMonkeyZero, on 10/11/2007, -0/+99 to 5? Try 7 to 5. That's my day.
- gergle, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9I wish you'd tell my boss this, while I do most of my work on project sites.....he's still in the stone ages so I have to waste gas/ pollute the air and fry my brain sitting in traffic every day to and from the office...to do things I can do via internet or phone. It's a..."I want to be able to bitch at your face"..kinda thing. He would feel too useless if he didn't have that fun to fill his day.
- wpc105, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9It won't happen. As much as I would love a non-traditional work week, people have been proposing this since the 1950's. Back then we would only need to work 20 hours a week because technology would make us so productive we could accomplish 40 hours worth of work in 20. They didn't count on companies logic that, instead of meaning the worker can do the work in half the time, workers can now do twice the work.
I'm also still waiting for my flying car. That hasn't materialized yet either. - bobdobolena, on 10/11/2007, -1/+9I hate working 9-5. I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late, use the side door - that way my boss can't see me, and, after that I just sorta space out for about an hour. I just stare at my desk; but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch, too. I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work.
- dickybrown, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8I don't think you guys should give him crap for "allowing it" - depending on the firm/company, you can push back or refuse to work as hard as your peers, but it's really just a career limiting move
when you want to be top dog, sometimes you gotta do the tricks.... - The_Dude, on 10/11/2007, -0/+89 to 5 is fine by me, just how about some of that 5 weeks off a year action like Europe? (that being said, my favorite workday ever was at home during a snow emergency with a remotely connected laptop).
- bjornski, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7You'll be working weekends alright, at BOTH of your 30-hour per week jobs (not full time, mind you. they'd have to give you BENEFITS then)
- Cerebral, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7How can you people be so dense???
You think a lot of people really have a CHOICE to not work 24x7???
Let me put it to you this way, which a lot of businesses have figured out LONG AGO is that if I don't want to take their job which requires 24x7 then guess what... there are three more willing to take the job. Not only that but generally there are a lot of places that don't care what it takes to get the job done, just as long as the job is done on time. The business world is not ALWAYS out for quality anymore, they are out for someone to fill the void; to get the menial tasks done.
I am "scheduled" at ~54 hrs./wk. but pretty much am on call 24x7. Again, I could have not taken this job but there were at least two others going for the position. Oh yea... your other comment is that I could have just not taken the job... sure but then again I COULD work a 9x5 job at McDonalds for the same $$ right? - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6Patik,
You said, "I'd rather spend my least productive hours at work so I can make the most of my free life." This is something I completely agree with. My intention with the article wasn't to promote using every single productive hour for work. The idea is to optimize the time spent working and cut out the time spent "pretending to work". If we can get the same amount of work done in 5-6 hours a day, maybe we can shorten the work week. I realize this is incredibly idealistic why wouldn't it be possible if enough people wanted it to happen? - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7I'm more of a nocturnal worker (web dev) and find my high times are from the afternoons through to the early hours of the morning.
- legendxx, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6I completely agree with this article because I am working 9-6 every day.
- Ellsass, on 11/05/2008, -2/+79-5 works because society is set up around it. Stores and restaurants are open when the 9-5ers can use them. I've worked nights before and despite not working during the business day I found it hard to get simple things done. It was difficult to schedule appointments, make it to a non-24-hour store, etc., not to mentioning sleeping while it's light out.
How do you hold special events (concerts, etc) when people don't work some sort of regular schedule? How can you see your friends when you all work different hours?
If 9-5 goes, then a new X-Y should emerge. If we're not all roughly on the same schedule, things just suck. - Technopundit, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Because if things keep going the way they are, we'll be spending 14 hours a day picking onions.
- dblbender, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6This sound so 90's...I remember we had a school book back then promising very similar things, but now, 14 years later, nothing has changed.
It's a nice theory which can never work, even only because people have to communicate in daily business life. It will slow down everything when direct communication is not possible anymore, because your business partner is taking a nap. Not to think of how you are going to organize a meeting under such circumstances... - kernelhappy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5"Yeah, the slave driver. Imagine putting your back on a four day week. What does he think this is? The 20th century? " - George Jetson
It's kind of funny, last time I was on vacation (the last time the French limits on a work week were in the news) I had a great conversation with a guy from the UK. I have not substantiated his facts but he was saying that in the course of his thesis (I'm assuming he did some research) he found that, the USA actually leads the world in production per employee, but not efficiency per employee. He also mentioned an observation by a buddy of his that worked for Ikea in Sweden and then worked for Ikea in the USA, he said that in the USA we're practically self enslaving. For the most part workers in the USA will take whatever hours they can get in order to bring in as much income as possible.
On a personal level I worked from home for a major corporation for the better part of a year and I hated it. I always felt like I was at the office and couldn't get away. My days turned longer rather than shorter (my fault, nobody else's) because I found it harder to walk away from a task mid-way, and when it was completed, I just had something else to do the next day. There is something to be said for rigid confines of a finite work day. (This of course comes from a guy that still works half days 7am-7pm) - calvmari, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5I do agree that it's not essential that everyone work in the office all the time, working in the office establishes a sense of community between office mates. I may be the exception, because I enjoy the people I work with.
- 15charmaxwtf, on 10/11/2007, -3/+8There are different types of jobs and people compete for labour, so if you get a job like that you are solely responsible.
- zyl0x, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Wrong. Some of us actually have real jobs which require us to sit at a desk and type on a computer all day. Software Engineers like myself are a great example. Certain actions like building a large code base require upwards of 20 minutes to complete, but we need to stay at the computer in case something fails.
- lcarsdeveloper, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5Did you actually want to comment on the article, or did you just write something as an excuse to blog spam Digg?
Either way, I dugg you down. - xtmno3, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4"I'm also still waiting for my flying car. That hasn't materialized yet either."
I want my hoverboard! Damn you Marty McFly! - Ellsass, on 11/05/2008, -2/+6Yay, another article trying to find ways to optimize work, since of course we all live to work. How about a way to optimize your free time? I'd rather spend my least productive hours at work so I can make the most of my free life.
- burdalane, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3A big problem I have with the continuous 8-hour workday is the difficulty of getting any errands run during the week. No matter what time I go to bed at night, I can barely get myself out of bed in time for work. By the time I'm done with work, it's getting dark, stores are closing, and I'm tired. The flexible schedule the author recommends will fix that problem, but I would end up either getting nothing done (same as before), or working more than 8 hours. Besides, getting paid for non-productive time is the best kind of pay there is.
- asdf2000, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3so are we supposed to believe what this guy says, "just because" ?
I play online poker for a living and sometimes i sit in front of the computer playing multiple tables for 20+ hours at a time. I also know many other players who do it as well. And we have no problem focusing the entire time. - theont7, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3what is 9-5 anyways. I'm 8-5 with an hour unpaid lunch which is a scam because a 30 min lunch is too short, but an hour lunch is too long.
- vorathee, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3i just hate rush hour traffic mostly (7-8 am and again 5-6 pm), such a waste of my life!!!
- Wacer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Where I work, a lot of the workers are stuck in the 8 to 5 cycle but I get leeway because I am the IT Manager and they understand that when I am writing computer code, I need time where I am uninterrupted. I can even write down hours when I work at home. There is not reason to lie about the hours because sometimes when I am not tired at night, I will put in a very long productive runs. Night time is some of my best hours to work because I am not hassled with everybody else (Phone ringing, Meetings, Ordering Supplies, Putting up with salesmen, wife, children). Once the rest of the world shuts down, thats when I most productive.
- decadre, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3HAH, 8 hours in front of a computer. Don't ask a MMORPG addict the last time he got up out of his seat... hehe
- adml_shake, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Pfft don't know where he's getting his info from, but from what I've seen of my friends jobs and the hours that I seem to work it's starting to look more like an 8-6 world.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2FTA: "Human-resources personnel need to recognize that women have diverse values and motivations throughout their careers and tailor hiring and retention practices to fit those needs"
Where is the recognition of the diverse values and motivations of men? Or is this suggesting there should be special treatment for women? Or that men are too simple to have diverse values and motivations? - bigtizzle, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2That's because you're a compulsive gambler and would be uncomfortable if you weren't making wagers every waking hour of the day!
- FearMEiDEA, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Dugg up, I really like this concept.
And yeah if you're a online poker player or something, and don't work the 'traditional' 9-5, then you're an exeption. I feel this article was well written and I agree completely.
But keep in mind the author is talking primarily of the 'typical' 9-5 worker. - ersatzphi, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Is that a rewarding job?
- dickybrown, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I'd rather just work til 7pm and get home in 15 minutes, than leave at 5 or 6 and spend an hour and a half in the car
- labmouse42, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Strange how headphones help with the coding.
I tell my co-workers, "Dont bug me when I'm listening to music. It means I'm in 'the zone'" - datastorageguy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Same here. I have set hours during the day but am on call 24/7 for the most part. I am one of the lucky ones, however, who has a boss who cares more about getting the work done than some draconian sense of being on time and at my desk throughout the day.
- operand, on 10/11/2007, -2/+4The problem is more often than not, people tend to get lazy at home and Managers simply can't rely on people working remotely. I don't have a problem with being in the office as long as the Manager assists in quiet time. Focus on the project that you are working on today and not projects that will happen in the future, stop the unproductive meetings that drag the day along and flex time should be given as some people simply do no work well at 8 or 9 in the morning while others (me) are up and ready to go at 5:30 or 6:00. You don't need to completely remove the employee from the office but companies should encourage them to disconnect and be given half days off every so often or if the weather is nice - hell work outside on the laptop if available. Personally, Human Resources need to meet with the executives to come up with a better game plan because so too many good people are getting fried.
- Matic, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2What is 9 to 5? more like 9 to 6... When was it ever 9 to 5 and why are we working an extra hour now?
I really agree. I hate the fact that I work 9 to 6. It sucks so much that I started my own company in order to work this way. I read in Fortune about Generation-Y and how we are able to do things a lot faster than those old guys because of our tech skills etc... I agree. Generation-Y ran companies should be ran this way. Kevin Rose is the front man! Thank God for the diggnation podcast or I'd go crazy during work.
-software engineer - sodade, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3The social aspect, to me, was the worst part about working in a cube farm. Why do I want to spend so much of my work time socializing with people that I wouldn't choose to hang out with on my free time?
I have been a telecommuter for five years now and could never go back to cubeland. - ScionAltera, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I like /having/ an office to go to, but I don't like /having/ to go to an office. I had a tough time in one of my prior jobs where I worked from home all the time (the office was in Brazil and I'm in Oregon). I felt like I lived at the office, which sucked. Now I work at a local office, but I can work from home if I need or want to. It makes all the difference.
- Derfus, on 10/11/2007, -0/+29 to 5 doesn't exist. it's 8-6 nearly across the board at most 'leisurely' companies, any company with pressure, expect 8-9 or even 8-11 often.
the hours demanded of you are worse if the company knows you are single and without a family, so my advice is lie and say you have a wife and children, soccer games, that whole shpiel - mattrobuck, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2If people are looking for a perfect environment, the answer is an environment that caters directly to each individual workers needs. Jim might work best from 8am-10pm and Bob might do his best work from 6-8pm, whats the answer? Jim and Bob on the same team would not be productive as people of similar time schedules. This is only the surface. Personality compatibility, Relational compatibility, Financial compatibility, the list goes on. The answer is this will never happen in corporate America. The only way to achieve a perfect working schedule for your employees is to have one employee, yourself.
- kernelhappy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2patik - good point
A while back I read an article ( http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/04/polyphasic-sleep-the-return-to-monophasic/ ) about someone trying out Polyphasic Sleep, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep . After 5-1/2 months of maintaining a polyphasic sleep schedule he decided to go back to monophasic for the reason that the rest of society is monophasic. Don't get me wrong, allowing an employee to modify their schedule to a certain degree is a good thing, some people just don't do well early morning, but when you shift so far outside the norms that everyone else keeps it makes coordination difficult.
My wife basically converted me to a morning person, if left to my own devices I was a rise at 11am, start working at noon kind of guy, now I'm normally up by 5:30am without an alarm clock, 7am is a late morning. To this day I still do my best creative, deep thinking from 11pm - 4am. Luckily I changed careers (from IT to construction) and this whole morning person thing is kind of a prerequisite. I've since found that on the odd occasion when I finish on time that it's nice to be able to run errands and enjoy a couple hours of evening daylight. YMMV - whaambulance, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I don't think we will see any big change in the immediate future when it comes to telecommuting. We have all the technology now to make it completely seamless, with laptops, everyone having a high speed internet connection, IP phones, remote access, there is nothing that is going to come out to make this MORE appealing or convenient. A lot of the decisions on stuff like this in larger companies (mine in particular) may be put forward by a modern, hip, forward thinking manager, but they get stifled by the top dogs who are usually older businessmen who have been in the game since the 60s and are very traditional. The CEO may think that working from home is a great idea for some of his employees, but he answers to the board of directors who in most cases probably don't. Until the businessmen who made their fortunes in the technology era are at the very top of these companies and all the baby boomers are dead or finally retired from business, this won't happen.
- bsiviglia9, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Will the corporate sector ever convince us to abandon our "luxurious lifestyle of the pampered western worker"? Did we perhaps already abandon it?
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