Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern workers (2013)

blogs.reuters.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 226 posts

Re: Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern workers (2013)

#61

Post by nealdt »

ptero wrote: post #9

> In addition to relaxing during long holidays, the medieval peasant took his sweet time eating meals, and the day often included time for an afternoon snooze. I have serious doubts about this. Maybe someone could provide additional insight. I doubt all time not working the fields was "relaxing during long holidays". It would likely be spent on other chores. Food was likely not plentiful (when it is, population explo…

Holidays - or time off - usually meant going on pilgrimages to important religious sites (still many routes around Europe that you can follow).

Wars also took place in winter when the peasants had time off!

Re: Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern workers (2013)

#62

Post by ctdonath »

crusso wrote: post #38
ptero wrote: post #9

> In addition to relaxing during long holidays, the medieval peasant took his sweet time eating meals, and the day often included time for an afternoon snooze. I have serious doubts about this. Maybe someone could provide additional insight. I doubt all time not working the fields was "relaxing during long holidays". It would likely be spent on other chores. Food was likely not plentiful (when it is, population explo…

I would not want to swap positions with the 14th century peasant I'd go further than that. I would not want to swap positions with a 14th century monarch.

Agreed. Whilst touring Neuschwanstein Castle and Biltmore Estate, what struck me: for all the luxurious art & fineries & service kings & tycoons enjoyed, what we consider basic necessities were hard to come by, if available at all, for even the super-rich.

Sitting here in my study, I: teleconference with my team continent-wide, practically have more [e-]books than Vanderbilt's 25,000 volume library, enjoy a constant 74°F interior year-round, drink clean running water (so much available I literally irrigate my lawn & flush toilets with it), instant light & power, and can have darn near any product delivered to my door within 2 days flat. I may not have live-in servants but that's more a matter of law than ability (thanks, OSHA & minimum wage). Other luxuries would be nice, but are mostly impractical indulgences. ...and all this is available to practically anyone willing to get up & go to work.

Given all that, a 14th century peasant would consider my life a permanent vacation.

Re: Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern workers (2013)

#63

Post by emodendroket »

glastra wrote: post #60
comment123456 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It never makes sense for the worker. But most of the time is more profitable for the one squishing the work out of the people if people are cheap enough. [edit] Parasites are always the most productive if you don't measure in absolute terms. The same happens among countries.

I never understood this. Pay people half the wage for half their time, hire twice the staff. Get a significant increase in value produced for the same money. I, for one, would accept half pay for half work. And I suspect others too.

There are more costs to an employee than just their wages

Re: Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern workers (2013)

#64

Post by dogma1138 »

qwr23qwer wrote: post #31
emodendroket wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, sure, but how many construction workers work only 150 days a year and have mid-day naps?

Work on oil rigs, fishing (Deadliest Catch guys?), underwater welding etc. are usually done for a couple months a year and taking the rest off, (at least from anecdotal data from folks I know). Construction work can be similar in places where harsh winters make it impossible to build anything during winter (frozen ground and all that). Farming can be similar.

Seasonal workers tend to migrate where the work is so most of them do work year round just not in the same place or even field.

You also need to differentiate between just normal rig workers and deck hands and highly skilled professionals e.g. underwater welders.

Re: Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern workers (2013)

#65

Post by Jaruzel »

> As for the modern American worker? After a year on the job, she gets an average of eight vacation days annually.

Is this true? In the UK, 'standard' holiday entitlement for most jobs starts at 20 days annually, and that doesn't include official days off such as Xmas, New Year, Easter etc.

Re: Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern workers (2013)

#66

Post by ctdonath »

barrkel wrote: post #47
crusso wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would not want to swap positions with the 14th century peasant I'd go further than that. I would not want to swap positions with a 14th century monarch.

I would, FWIW.

Why? No HVAC, electricity, running potable hot water, limited literature, long delivery times.

Re: Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern workers (2013)

#67

Post by glastra »

emodendroket wrote: post #63
glastra wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never understood this. Pay people half the wage for half their time, hire twice the staff. Get a significant increase in value produced for the same money. I, for one, would accept half pay for half work. And I suspect others too.

There are more costs to an employee than just their wages

All direct costs that I know of are proportional to the employee's wage.

Could you elaborate a bit and tell us what other costs you are thinking about?

Re: Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern workers (2013)

#69

Post by ghaff »

ctdonath wrote: post #66
barrkel wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would, FWIW.

Why? No HVAC, electricity, running potable hot water, limited literature, long delivery times.

To say nothing of the fact that let's see the first time he gets an infection or disease or needs surgery given no vaccinations, antibiotics, or anesthetics.

Re: Medieval peasants got more vacation time than modern workers (2013)

#70

Post by pjmlp »

lucozade wrote: post #40

Right. So that'll be the vast amounts of unpaid vacation that they were all enjoying. And I'm sure they were enjoying the extended vacations because of the strong contractual obligations that the landowners had to their serfs. The US do have an issue with the amount of vacation time that they have but it's close to infantile to compare it so naively to the Middle Ages. If you're going to compare it to Europe (which t…

> If you're going to compare it to Europe (which this is doing), how about comparing it to Europe in, say, the 21C?

Sure, between 20 and 30 days paid vacation depending on the country, illness isn't considered vacation and usually gets paid up to 6 months.

Oh then there is the paternal and maternity leave, up to two years, depending on the country.

Post reply on HN