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The rise of the pointless job

theguardian.com

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Re: The rise of the pointless job

#401

Post by mamon »

baxtr wrote: post #373
ctime wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never once seen this in my life (I typically have over 100k miles of airline travel per year) and have been traveling for work in the US since 2000. I don't understand how this scenario would play out, does he just grab a bag at random and hold it over his head? Read off the tag? Most people I know would be incensed if someone else were to grab their bag off the luggage belt. You might be confusing this with cur…

Similar to people who pack your groceries into bags at cashier. Have only seen this in the states, nowhere else

In my country I've seen it mostly as a charity before Christmas: some teenage volunteers would ask you if you want them to pack your groceries, expecting a small donation in return.

Re: The rise of the pointless job

#402

Post by intended »

kleiba wrote: post #369
ouid wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those signs say stop on the other side and are used in conjuction with someone on the other end of the construction holding up the opposite sign so that a single lane can be used to handle traffic in two directions. That job would need to be automated with a traffic light.

In Germany, no-one is holding stop/slow signs at any construction site. This job is universally done by portable traffic lights.

But then again, it’s Germans.

Re: The rise of the pointless job

#403

Post by intended »

kleiba wrote: post #369
ouid wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those signs say stop on the other side and are used in conjuction with someone on the other end of the construction holding up the opposite sign so that a single lane can be used to handle traffic in two directions. That job would need to be automated with a traffic light.

In Germany, no-one is holding stop/slow signs at any construction site. This job is universally done by portable traffic lights.

But then again, you are talking about Germans in Germany. Order is baked in.

Re: The rise of the pointless job

#404

Post by briandear »

gtvwill wrote: post #384
rayiner wrote: post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Packing your own groceries is work and boring though.

If packing your own groceries fills your definition of work and doesn't just come under "shit you just do to get something from one place to another because you need it in your life". You REALLY need to get out and perform a variety of jobs. Like damn you gotta be about as useless as tits on a bull if you think pulling the food your going to eat that is NECESSARY FOR YOUR SURVIVAL off a bench and into a bag is work.

Except while I am putting things on the conveyer belt I can’t exactly be bagging at the same time. In France, checkout lines are slower because you have to run from one side of the checkout belt, to load, then to the other side, to bag and then you have to pay; meanwhile people are waiting. That “useless” job increased efficiency since bags can be filled while I am attending to the transaction. Unless you buy just a few things at a time, it’s a huge timesaver.

Re: The rise of the pointless job

#405

Post by IkmoIkmo »

Thlom wrote: post #242
WJW wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is visited the USA just once (in 2003), but there was an old man that took my bag off the end of the luggage belt at the airport and handed it to me. I could easily have picked it up myself, but he was there for those 30 centimeters of bag travel. I remember being amazed about it and remarking the pointlessness of that job to my coworkers.

I'm always a bit taken back when visiting the toilet at clubs and some restaurants when I'm in the UK as there's a gentleman sitting by the sink handing out towels and stuff. Very strange and utterly useless. Not sure if he's paid by the club or lives of tip, but it makes me really uncomfortable. I just want to take a piss and wash my hands, not have an awkward conversation with a towel handler.

Public bathrooms don't clean themselves like private bathrooms. Particularly in high-volume places (large restaurants, pubs) it can get nasty very quickly. Think sex, drugs, throwing up, people passing out or going to sleep or just acting stupid with feces. Definitely not a useless job.

But it is one of those weird things that survives long past the point of sense, they should just be paid a wage and be employed rather than work on this weird charity-basis. It's a bit akin to waiters in the US working on tips, whereas the rest of the world just pays them a normal wage. The clubs bank on guys with 10 beers in em to both be drunk enough and close to bursting enough to pay for the service.

Re: The rise of the pointless job

#406

Post by briandear »

marcosdumay wrote: post #265
ouid wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those signs say stop on the other side and are used in conjuction with someone on the other end of the construction holding up the opposite sign so that a single lane can be used to handle traffic in two directions. That job would need to be automated with a traffic light.

A smart traffic light that can count how any cars enter and exit the zone. It's perfectly possible to automate, but it may not be the best ROI around.

That also breaks down when they need to fully stop traffic from both sides so a equipment can be moved. How do you tell the automated lights to stop everything automatically when those instances are irregular.

Re: The rise of the pointless job

#407

Post by cabaalis »

baxtr wrote: post #373
ctime wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never once seen this in my life (I typically have over 100k miles of airline travel per year) and have been traveling for work in the US since 2000. I don't understand how this scenario would play out, does he just grab a bag at random and hold it over his head? Read off the tag? Most people I know would be incensed if someone else were to grab their bag off the luggage belt. You might be confusing this with cur…

Similar to people who pack your groceries into bags at cashier. Have only seen this in the states, nowhere else

I was a bagger for a while. For me, it was an entry level thing at the grocer. You would be responsible for organizing (not stocking) the shelves and sometimes cleaning. The highest paid people except managers and the owner were the cashiers. This was 20 years ago.

Re: The rise of the pointless job

#408

Post by briandear »

OtterCoder wrote: post #329
dantheman wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Work should create value and in fact most of these make work jobs destroy it by slowing things down or requiring more meetings etc. There is always valuable work that can be done. It can be improving the maintenance or cleanliness of places, etc.

Shout-out to the Civilian Conservation Corps. We should bring that program back.

We could bring back Workd War II and create even more jobs — assuming that’s what we are trying to do in an America with 3.9% unemployment.

Re: The rise of the pointless job

#409

Post by gonzo41 »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #172
Filligree wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do. Wars. Wars are worse.

They do help reduce economic inequality, nothing like a good war to flatten wealth.

Yeah look at Alepo. But the average Syrian didn't really have all that much anyway.

The west will never fight a war like WW2 ever again.

Re: The rise of the pointless job

#410

Post by gonzo41 »

geodel wrote: post #78
amelius wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads." --Jeff Hammerbacher

The best minds of previous generations were fighting wars or leading battles. I personally do not think either of those activities is specifically better or worse.

They still are.
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