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Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

bbc.com

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Re: Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

#111

Post by browsercoin »

Fnoord wrote: post #103
browsercoin wrote: post #101

Slack should count as work too while commuting. I'd prefer emails but now you are de facto on call when you have Slack on your phone.

Problem is that not everything on Slack is... "productive"... (Though the same could be true for e-mail.)

I'm not talking about shooting the shit but video conference calls eating up precious data, panic support channels to fight fire....

I feel like companies use Slack exactly for this reason...it tethers your employees to a very intimate possession-your smartphone and it's far more invasive than a phone call or email and your are expected to respond immediately.

It has all the dynamics of any email or regular office conversation. Somebody has a grudge in the office and want to make you look bad for remote working? Call them and immediately hang up and tell managers 'so and so isn't responding in real time' or take a convo out of context where emoticons play a far more conflicting messages to the receiver. For example, somebody using a animated flashing parrot and mistaking it as a slight.

I feel like Slack has been more times counter-productive than advertised.

Re: Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

#112

Post by tomnipotent »

msiyer wrote: post #109
s73v3r_ wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the same time, it's also given women the ability to survive and exist in society without requiring them to be married or otherwise supported by a man.

If that is your argument, I would say men have done a commendable job. They supported women for centuries while building a society that would eventually let women not be dependent on men.

They never needed to be dependent in the first place. We're probably centuries behind where we could have been if half the population had been allowed to contribute from the start.

Re: Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

#113

Post by s73v3r_ »

briandear wrote: post #25
AndrewDucker wrote: post #2

Well, obviously. Doing things which are part of work counts as work is hardly an innovative statement. The question is, how did companies persuade people that they should work for free on the way into the office?

Most people who have answering emails as part of their job are not working for an hourly wage. The other aspect is that some of us actually like our work and want to succeed at it: we don’t see work as slavery or some kind of adversarial relationship with the “boss.” Many people actually believe in what the company is trying to do and actually care about the job. And the work has to get done at some point right? Most…

"The other aspect is that some of us actually like our work and want to succeed at it"

I like my work and want to succeed at it too. Do not insinuate that someone who values their time outside of work doesn't. That is demeaning and insulting to the rest of us who have lives outside of work.

Re: Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

#114

Post by [deleted] »

vesak wrote: post #90

If your employer tracks you by the hour, then of course email while commuting is work. Also thinking about a design while taking a shower in the evening is work. Also waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall asleep because work issues are bothering you is work. Why employers (in the knowledge business at least) track people by the hour is beyond my understanding.

[deleted]

Re: Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

#115

Post by OJFord »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #94
stronglikedan wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a consultant friend that bills shower time. Of course, it's not a separate line item due to the questions that would arise, but he does include it in the total billable time.

They must have a generous time allotment in which to bill.

You must have a generous time allotment for your showers...

Re: Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

#116

Post by psychometry »

msiyer wrote: post #109
s73v3r_ wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the same time, it's also given women the ability to survive and exist in society without requiring them to be married or otherwise supported by a man.

If that is your argument, I would say men have done a commendable job. They supported women for centuries while building a society that would eventually let women not be dependent on men.

Yes, great job, men! Seriously, is that comment supposed to be a joke or are you one of those red-pillers?

My point is: I'm not sure "supported" is quite the right word.

Re: Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

#117

Post by dzhiurgis »

stephengillie wrote: post #4

Please don't read/send email while driving. Use your bus/train time to study things that will help your career, at this job and the next. Don't just give that time away to your current employer for free - unless your employer is a charity. Edit: Even if you work for a charity, giving away your time for free may not be a good idea. ;)

It’s BBC mate, no one in London is commuting by car and rest of UK is mostly irrelevant.

Re: Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

#118

Post by phillc73 »

vesak wrote: post #90

If your employer tracks you by the hour, then of course email while commuting is work. Also thinking about a design while taking a shower in the evening is work. Also waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall asleep because work issues are bothering you is work. Why employers (in the knowledge business at least) track people by the hour is beyond my understanding.

> Why employers (in the knowledge business at least) track people by the hour is beyond my understanding

Because in some countries it is a legal requirement. Where I work, in Austria, there is currently a legal limit of 10 working hours per day and a total of 50 hours per week, except in exceptional circumstances. Therefore, all employees must log their working hours.

I found the process odd when I first moved here. However, over time I have come to appreciate the advantages. I have absolutely no pressure from my employer to work excessive overtime and there is no default culture of long working hours. After 14:00 on Fridays, every week, the office is 90% empty.

I hope this small example helps you to understand why employers in some locations have to track people by the hour.

Re: Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

#119

Post by ChuckMcM »

I disagree strongly with this statement in the article:

"There's a real challenge in deciding what constitutes work," said Dr Jain, from the university's Centre for Transport and Society.

"Work" is anything I would be doing while sitting at my desk in your office building. So if I'm doing that on a train or in your office they are both "work." And if my train ride takes 1.5 hours to the office and 1.5 hours home, I'll get on the train around 8AM and leave the office at 3:30 to arrive at the other end by 5PM and count that as an 8 hour work day.

On the other hand, if I am in my car driving, I don't think of it as work until I can actually concentrate on doing work.

Re: Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

#120

Post by devmunchies »

psychometry wrote: post #116
msiyer wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that is your argument, I would say men have done a commendable job. They supported women for centuries while building a society that would eventually let women not be dependent on men.

Yes, great job, men! Seriously, is that comment supposed to be a joke or are you one of those red-pillers? My point is: I'm not sure "supported" is quite the right word.

Why would it be a joke? Are you one of those man-haters?
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