Filed under: ideas, news articles | Tags: art, article, books, economics, event, ideas, installation, lifestyle, news articles, overwork, society, technology, work
A recent flurry of great blog suggestions have arrived from Monika, Abby, and electronic news lists at large. Rather than post each separately (the ongoing plight of overwork is driving me nuts!), I am summarizing the links here. All can be found at http://delicious.com/notimetolose, as well…
“The Long Work Hours Culture”
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=405651&encCode=917617571BC14249875JTBS737226611
Julia Bryan-Wilson, Art Workers. Radical Practice in the Vietnam War Era, October 2009
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/10899.php
The Vera List Centre for Art and Politics
Panel Discussion & Art Installation: Changing Labor Value
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
http://www.veralistcenter.org/237
But, oh my… the one from Abby on Family360 sounds especailly wacky!! I think I will post it separately… asap. :Shudder!:
Filed under: news articles | Tags: article, lifestyle, news articles, overwork, society, technology, time, work, working
Thanks for sending this along, Monika!
BlackBerrys ‘adding 15 hours’ to working week
Alan Jones, Press Association
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 23 August 2009 19.23 BST
Reposted from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/aug/23/blackberry-work-life-balance
Staff with mobile technology such as BlackBerrys work an extra 15 hours a week as they constantly check emails even when out of the office, new research found today. A survey of more than 600 employees revealed many were turning into workaholics because of the ability to receive and send messages and work online even when they were at home. The employment law firm Peninsula said the working week was being extended to about 55 hours for many people and urged employers to make sure their staff were not breaching working time regulations. PA
• This article was amended on Tuesday 25 August 2009. We said the working day was being extended to about 55 hours for many people; we meant the working week. This has been corrected.
Filed under: news articles | Tags: article, issues, news articles, society, tragic, work, working
Reposted from: euro|topics 18/09/2009
La Vanguardia - Spain
Working life a source of insecurity
After several employees at telephone company France Télécom took their own lives in the last few months the daily La Vanguardia favours intervention by the French government aimed at making the process of privatising the company more humane: “The case of France Télécom certainly gives pause for reflection. No one denies that we are living in a competitive society, nor that the effort or ability to adapt to new challenges is vital for professional and entrepreneurial advance. But nor would anyone in their right mind deny that a revision of the labour policy at France Télécom is necessary. … Working life, which used to provide security nowadays generates insecurity. Therefore it is crucial to find a balance between the demands of a competitive society and public health. Cases like that of France Télécom should not be repeated.”
Filed under: news articles | Tags: article, issues, news articles, society, tragic, work
Reposted from: euro|topics: A year of crisis (15/09/2009)
Ta Nea – Greece
Privatisation wave partially responsible for suicides
In the last 18 months 23 employees of the privatised telephone company France Télécom have committed suicide. Just last week an employee threw herself to her death after a meeting with her boss. The left-wing daily Ta Nea asks why: “This phenomenon isn’t limited to one company or one country. Data compiled by the US statistics office show that the number of suicides in the workplace in the US has risen by 28 percent [over the previous year]. It would be closing our eyes not to seek the causes of the latest suicide at France Télécom in the government’s desire to transform a traditional state enterprise into a profit-making multinational company at all costs. But even if we did close our eyes we couldn’t help seeing the ongoing trend towards privatisation in Europe, even though it is clear that the liberalisation of the financial markets is what brought the economic crisis down upon our heads.”
Filed under: ideas, news articles | Tags: Canada, economics, ideas, overwork, society, working
The Conference Board of Canada has released a new briefing… check out the details below:
Working 9 to 9: Overtime Practices in Canadian Organization
Briefing by Karla Thorpe August 2009, Source: The Conference Board of Canada, 14 pages
Canadian employers are reviewing their human resources policies and taking steps to mitigate the legal risks of overtime worked without appropriate compensation. This briefing surveys the overtime practices of 130 organizations.
Document Highlights: Overtime practices are coming under scrutiny due to external factors as well as employee and management concerns. Many employers are reviewing their policies and taking steps to mitigate the legal risks of overtime worked without appropriate compensation. Most organizations have formal policies and practices to guide managers and inform employees about overtime provisions. Multiple policies are typically needed to deal with various groups, including unionized versus non-unionized employees. Organizations tend to rely on employees’ positions rather than their duties and responsibilities to determine their eligibility for overtime pay. This can leave employers vulnerable to legal challenges. The Conference Board of Canada recently surveyed mid- to large-sized Canadian organizations concerning their overtime policies and practices, use of overtime within their organization, and future directions in their approach to overtime. Working 9 to 9: Overtime Practices in Canadian Organizations summarizes the responses from these 130 organizations.
Find the article here: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/documents.aspx?did=3158
Filed under: news articles | Tags: article, economics, exploitation, lifestyle, news articles, rights, society, UK, work, youth
Employers and MPs taking advantage as graduates struggle to find jobs
By: Polly Curtis, Education editor, The Guardian, Saturday August 1 2009
(Article, in context, available here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/jul/31/mps-graduate-interns-pay)
A government watchdog is to investigate whether companies are exploiting thousands of graduates by employing them on unpaid, long-term internships during the recession, the Guardian has learned.
The Low Pay Commission is expecting to include recommendations on internships in its annual review in the new year amid concerns that companies are taking advantage of the tough jobs market.
A Guardian inquiry has also discovered that MPs could be breaking the rules. Ministers have estimated that unpaid interns work up to 18,000 hours a week inside parliament, a saving of more than ?5m a year on the national minimum wage. MPs are each given a staffing allowance of ?104,000pa.
Concern has become acute because of the huge numbers leaving university this year without a job. Official figures are likely to show one million young people in total out of work by the autumn.
Under the National Minimum Wage Act, interns who work rather than observe should be paid, but employers have taken advantage of a legally grey area, and the willingness of young people, to pay just expenses, or nothing at all.
This year there has been a rapid expansion of advertisements for internships. The government itself is arranging 4,000 placements for this year’s graduates who face the harshest employment conditions in a generation.
On websites companies routinely recruit for internships, some unpaid or offering expenses only. There were 162 adverts on Gumtree.com featuring the word internship in just one week last month ? up 390% on the same week last year. There are also 185 ads for work experience placements compared with 17 in the same week last year.
Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said: “My concern is about employers exploiting students and graduates for cheap labour. I’m worried about the quality of internships and the way in which people are given opportunities to take them up. People who aren’t supported by the bank of mum and dad are excluded.”
Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, added that employers in the most “glamorous” careers were the worst abusers of internship schemes, which he said excluded those from less well off backgrounds. “Unpaid work has grown in recent years and the recession risks making it an even more attractive proposition for employers,” he said. “In most cases, people doing work experience have a right to be paid the minimum wage.”
David Lammy, the universities minister, said that internships were valuable tool when used correctly. “Internships help graduates kick-start their careers. They are also a good way for companies to identify fresh talent.”
He said that people taking part in the government’s Graduate Talent Pool internship scheme from the autumn, would be fairly rewarded. “We encourage employers to pay a wage which reflects both the value of the intern’s contribution and the level of training and support offeredbut ultimately graduates will need to weigh up the potential benefits,” he said.
The commission’s last two annual reviews have highlighted the problem on exploitative work experience but a spokesman said that the issue would be considered again this year in light of the recession and the increasing potential for exploitation.
Additional reporting by Ben Carter
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Filed under: news articles | Tags: article, economics, lifestyle, news articles, overwork, rights, self-sacrifice, society, work, working
Reposted from The Financial Times
By Brian Groom, Business and Employment Editor
Published: May 31 2009 23:35 | Last updated: May 31 2009 23:35
More than half of UK workers have experienced a cut in pay or hours or a loss of employment benefits since the recession began, according to a survey of more than 1,600 staff published on Sunday.
Unemployment, currently more than 2.2m, would be higher still without such measures, said the Keep Britain Working campaign.
The campaign argued that the figures demonstrated how flexible the workforce had been in the downturn, and that changes in employment terms had helped employers to avoid even greater job cuts.
The campaign, which promotes innovative ways to preserve and create jobs, was founded by James Reed, the chief executive of Reed recruitment group. It is backed by the main political parties, the Trades Union Congress and the British Chambers of Commerce.
Last week, workers at Honda’s factory in Swindon, Wiltshire, voted overwhelmingly in favour of a 3 per cent pay reduction for the next 10 months to protect 490 jobs.
Over the past nine months, 27 per cent of UK workers have had their pay cut, 24 per cent have had their hours reduced and 24 per cent have lost benefits, according to the survey.
It found that 37 per cent had experienced only one of these changes, while another 12 per cent had experienced two of them and a further 5 per cent all three.
Two in five workers had been given extra responsibilities, while a fifth had seen the nature of their role within their organisation change. Two per cent had been offered a semi-paid sabbatical and 6 per cent an unpaid sabbatical since the recession began.
In spite of wage freezes and cuts in pay and hours, the Office for National Statistics recently published data showing that unemployment had so far risen as steeply as in the 1980s recession and more sharply than in that of the 1990s.
The ONS said the jobless rate had risen by 1.3 percentage points to 7.1 per cent since last year’s third quarter – the same at this stage as in the recession of 1980. By comparison, the rate rose by 0.9 percentage points in the first three quarters of the 1990-91 recession, to 8 per cent.
Labour market analysts expect unemployment to rise above 3m, or more than 10 per cent of the workforce, by this time next year. But they argue that the jobs market may be able to bounce back better than in the past.
More than half of workers in the Keep Britain Working survey were more pessimistic about job prospects this month than a month ago. Fifty-four per cent were more pessimistic, while 17 per cent were more optimistic.
“British workers are increasingly pessimistic about job prospects in the immediate future,” said Mr Reed. “But – and in contrast to parts of continental Europe – workers appear overall to be making common cause with their managers to help keep people working.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Filed under: news articles | Tags: article, lifestyle, society, vacation, work
Oh no…
What a world we live that this article, found at 50Plus.com, is pushing the “hip new trend” of working multiple jobs, not because someone needs to in order to get by, but because its a savvy thing to do.
At least the final line suggests this might all be quite ridiculous…
But what about the under 50 set that feels increasing pressure to network and build capacity at *all* times, just to have some chance of finding work after their contract expire, or their company lays them off to increase profit margins?
Not good.
——-
A new trend is to use vacation days from one job to work at another.
But is your time worth the extra cash?
Tired of travel buzzwords? Here’s one you might like the sound of: paycation.
This year, instead of spending on a trip or sticking close to home some people will use their vacation time from their main job to earn some extra cash at a second one.
Others will keep right on working and give up their holiday time altogether — if their company will pay out for those unused vacation days.
So what’s the scoop? You won’t find a lot of information or statistics about paycations — they’re essentially grouped in with “second jobs”.
In the U.S., the number of people who picked up second jobs rose to 5.5 per cent of the population in 2008, according to a post on Consumer Reports. More than one quarter of people working a second job are doing so to pay off debts, while more than a third are doing it for the extra money.
And where are the opportunities? Don’t get your hopes up too high — According to Consumer Reports, most of the secondary jobs are in health and education services, leisure and hospitality and retail. Many paycation opportunities are likely to be summer camps, working at a local restaurant or hotel or selling goods in a local shop.
However, with a week or two off work there’s an opportunity for professionals to make use of their skills in other arenas, such as:
- Teaching a class or course (whether it’s just a day or a week-long course)
- Picking up some freelance or consulting work in their field.
- Launching a home business, website or blog.
- Working on money-earning hobbies.
But is it worth your time? Here are some things to consider:
Pros
- Build your network. Networking is one of the “must do” activities for professional development, especially in a time when many people find themselves in a precarious job situation. A new position means you’ll come into contact with new people and form new connections that will be mutually beneficial later on.
- Focus on professional development. Develop new skills, learn about another business or industry and beef up your resume. There’s something to learn from any new job or experience you take, and you can apply job-specific skills and transferable skills to your current job.
- Build your portfolio. Skills are nice, but so is proof of what you can accomplish. Our regular jobs can box us into certain responsibilities and target audiences. In order to have a balanced portfolio of work, you may need to get beyond your regular job to show off other assets.
- Start something big. Picking up some consulting or freelance work can turn into a long-term money-maker as a home business or “on the side” work.
- And perhaps the most obvious benefit: Extra cash. For many people, it means a boost to their savings or an investment in home renovations. It might pay for a vacation later on, and help pay down some debt.
Cons
- Additional job stress. Taking a break from work (whether you travel or not) provides some much needed respite and relaxation which is good for your health. On the other hand, skipping your holidays won’t give you a break from the stress, which can contribute to job burnout.
- Chances are you’ll also have to deal with learning new skills and working with new people in a short period of time — which can cause tension.
- Fewer opportunities for stress management. In addition, you may find yourself with less time to spend on hobbies, fitness and other activities that are necessarily for managing stress and leading a healthy lifestyle.
- Personal sacrifices. More time working means less time with your family and friends. You can’t put a price tag on that time, or “buy it back”.
- The jobs aren’t good enough. Networking and professional development are worthwhile goals, but many paycation opportunities aren’t the high-level positions many people are seeking. Many people find greater fulfillment by giving away their time for free — and volunteer and service-oriented vacations are taking off as a result.
- More money for the government, not for you. Who else are you subsidizing with your extra hours? Taxes and other work-related expenses may eat into your earnings.
If you decide to try it
Thinking of giving it a shot? Here are some other steps to weigh in:
- Look at your current income and crunch some numbers. In some cases, that extra cash might alter your tax bracket — meaning you’ll pay more to the government. You might also incur additional costs above and beyond your normal expenses like travel costs. However, if you’re investing more into your RRSP or TFSA, you’ll see some pay-offs in the future.
- Review your current contract to make sure there aren’t any conflicts. Some companies prohibit their employees from taking on outside work in their field, and working for a competitor is definitely a no-no. Make sure your paycation job doesn’t violate the terms of your current contract, and that there’s no conflict of interest involved.
- Know what you’re getting into. Find out the details of what the time commitment will be, and what duties or projects you’ll be responsible for. Ask what will happen if the position runs over it’s projected time and you have to go back to work. (And get the details in writing too).
- Watch out for scams. Employment scams are popular in these tough times. Learn as much as you can about the company and the opportunity, and be sceptical of too-good-to-be-true offers. Be very cautious about when and to whom you give out personal information. (For more tips, see Avoid online employment scams).
- Be wary of the word “paycation” : it’s commonly used to promote travel clubs and network marketing businesses (e.g. setting up your own online travel agency). Many of these schemes involve selling travel through a website you pay to set up and maintain, as well as recruiting others and selling the business opportunity to them. (If you’re interested those offers, do your research and carefully evaluation any opportunities — especially whether or not they’re legal in your area due to travel industry regulations).
- Work your network. Finding a paycation position won’t be easy — unless you know where to look. Draw on your usual job search strategies, especially talking to friends and colleagues. Let people know you are open to a temporary opportunity.
Is a paycation worth pursuing or is it just another passing fad? Ignore the buzzword. Instead, weigh the benefits and pitfalls before agreeing to give up your time (or dismissing the idea altogether).
Source: Consumer Reports
Reposted from: euro|topics 03/03/2009
Svenska Dagbladet – Sweden
In view of the financial crisis the Swedish metal workers union has agreed with employers to accept a partial wage sacrifice. To avoid layoffs, working hours are to be shortened where necessary, and the time thus liberated used for continuing education. The daily Svenska Dagbladet comments: “The agreement can lead to workers being paid less over the long term, but it does not lead to pay cuts. Just because a worker receives less pay it does not mean he is suddenly being paid less for his work. What we are dealing with is a reduction in working hours. … Under the new agreement employees will not have to compete among themselves with lower prices for their labour. The deal will help companies avoid layoffs and it will help metal workers avoid unemployment. How long will it take for the rest of the labour market to follow suit?” (03/03/2009)
Reposted from Sympatico.ca; read the article in its original setting here.
Overwork inevitably encrouches on time intended for other things, sleep being the most common. The following article discusses how a lack of sleep leads to more than just occassional crankiness, but an generally unhappy outlook on life. It offers a few suggestions on how to achieve better sleep…
Poor sleep and unhappiness
Sleeping badly can lead to more than just feeling rotten the next day. A new study finds a link between poor sleep and overall dissatisfaction with life.
Have trouble sleeping? Dissatisfied with your life? The two just might be connected. In fact, people who experience ongoing sleep problems may be three times as likely to become dissatisfied with their lives later on, according to a new study from Finland.
The study, which looked at 18,631 same sex twins, measured sleep quality and life satisfaction in an interval of six years, first in 1975 and then in 1981. (To measure satisfaction people were asked about how hard they thought their life was, as well as feelings of loneliness, happiness and ability to experience pleasure or joy. Sleep was measured by both perceived quality and length of sleep.)
The researchers, from the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki, found that:
– Participants who reported dissatisfaction with life in 1975 were also likely to be dissatisfied in 1981. However, their sleep quality did not deteriorate over this period.
– People who said they slept poorly in 1975 were more than twice more likely to be dissatisfied with life in 1981.
After adjusting for other factors that may have played a role (such health problems, smoking and/or drinking habits, and physical activity level), researchers found that poor sleep independently tripled the likelihood of life dissatisfaction.
Sleep directly affects the brain, emotions, and mood
And while the findings indicate that bad sleep quality may lead to dissatisfaction with life, the reverse is not true, the researchers say. Rather, something about sleeping poorly in and of itself may affect “the brain, emotions, and mood,” they wrote in a report about the study.
The study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology , January 15, 2009. (To read more, click here.)
The risks of a sleep-deprived lifestyle
These findings are only the latest to indicate how sleep affects our health, performance and sense of well-being. A sleep-deprived lifestyle, for example, has long been associated with mental alertness and cognitive abilities. Poor sleep can also impair the immune system, and even increase the risk for obesity and diseases such as diabetes, experts say.
And not surprisingly, there is also a strong link between sleep deprivation and traffic accidents.
So how much sleep is enough? It depends on your age. Experts say that infants generally require about 16 hours a day, while teenagers need, on average, about 9 hours. For most adults, 7 to 8 hours a night is thought to be best, although some people may need as few as 5 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day.
Older people tend to sleep more lightly and for fewer hours, although they generally need as much sleep as they needed in early adulthood.
8 tips for better sleeping
If you’re one of the 9 of 10 Canadians who report having sleep problems*, here are some tips for getting a good night’s sleep.
Set a schedule and stick to it.
Go to bed at a set time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Disrupting this routine may interrupt your inner ‘circadian clock’ and lead to insomnia. While ’sleeping in’ on weekends may seem like a treat, it can make it harder to wake up early on Monday morning because it re-sets your sleep cycles for a later awakening.
Watch what you eat.
The general rule is: Don’t eat for at least 2-3 hours before your regular bedtime. Eating too much may make you less comfortable when settling down for bed. It is best to avoid a heavy meal and spicy foods too close to bedtime.
Watch what you drink.
Avoid drinks that contain caffeine, which acts as a stimulant. This includes coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, diet drugs, and some pain relievers. Alcohol tends to keep people in lighter stages of sleep, robbing them of deep and REM sleep. Note: Smokers also tend to sleep lightly and often wake up early because of nicotine withdrawal.
Get regular exercise.
Try to exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day. Keep in mind, however, that while daily exercise often helps people sleep, a workout too soon before bedtime may actually interfere with sleep. (In addition to making us more alert, our body temperature rises during exercise, and takes as much as 6 hours to begin to drop. Since a cooler body temperature is associated with the onset of sleep, it is better to finish your exercise at least 5 to 6 hours before going to bed.)
Establish relaxing rituals.
Leave the day’s stresses behind with a warm bath, reading, or another relaxing activity. Avoid arousing activities before bedtime like working, paying bills, engaging in competitive games or family problem solving.
Make your room sleep-friendly.
Select your mattress, pillow and bed linens carefully for maximum comfort. Maintain a sleep-friendly temperature in the bedroom, usually between 18-21 ° C (65-70 ° F). (Extreme temperatures may disrupt sleep or prevent you from falling asleep.) You may also wish to consider using blackout curtains, eyeshades, earplugs, “white noise,” humidifiers, fans and other devices. Install soft lighting in your bedroom and bath. And when reading in bed, consider using a book light.
Don’t just lie there.
Generally it takes about 20-30 minutes to fall asleep. If you still can’t get to sleep, don’t just lie in bed. Instead try reading, watching television, or listening to calming music until you feel tired. The anxiety of being unable to fall asleep can actually contribute to your sleeplessness.
Rise with the sun.
If possible, wake up with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning. Sunlight helps the body’s internal biological clock reset itself each day. Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for people having problems falling asleep.
Note: If your sleeping problems continue, consult a doctor. Most sleep disorders can be treated effectively.
*According to a Harris/Decima poll, which was commissioned by Sunbeam, via an online panel (eVox) among a sample of 745 adult Canadians. The margin of error is +/- 3.56 per cent.
Sources: American Journal of Epidemiology, January 15, 2009; U.S. National Sleep Foundation; National Institute on Ageing; National Institutes of Health.
