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Why do people waste so much time at work?

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Why do people waste so much time at work?

#21

Post by bgilroy26 »

justincormack wrote: post #19
exizt88 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they have 8 hours of work time and finished their tasks in 6, does that mean they have exhausted their usefulness to the business? Why not spend these 2 hours doing some small miscellaneous tasks?

Often lack of infrastructure, or communication about what needs doing. Traditional businesses are poorly documented, and not transparent, so knowing what you might do and how is often extremely difficult.

>Communication about what needs doing

i.e. Lack of leadership

Re: Why do people waste so much time at work?

#22

Post by _pmf_ »

erikb wrote: post #17
Foomandoonian wrote: post #12

"We must do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a living. We keep inventing jobs because of this false idea that everybody has to be employed at some kind of drudgery because…

Let's say we all agree that the global amount of resources are enough to support all of us without work, just for simplification. Then what about distribution of these resources? I feel many people work to fight over that distribution, not just to produce. E.g., there might be no $1000/h lawyer who would think that they produce even $100/h worth of resources. But they might still work 80h/week (or make the impression…

> Then what about distribution of these resources?

The point is that this is an entirely separate question.

On a global scale, it's hard to find a worse distribution scheme than the currently used scheme, so any arbitrary distribution is better than the current one (in which the powerful take increasingly more).

Re: Why do people waste so much time at work?

#23

Post by dylanjermiah »

Foomandoonian wrote: post #12

"We must do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a living. We keep inventing jobs because of this false idea that everybody has to be employed at some kind of drudgery because…

What's an example of a proposed technological break through which can do the work of the adult population?

Re: Why do people waste so much time at work?

#24

Post by niklasni1 »

nicky0 wrote: post #15
exizt88 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they have 8 hours of work time and finished their tasks in 6, does that mean they have exhausted their usefulness to the business? Why not spend these 2 hours doing some small miscellaneous tasks?

Laziness

Laziness is just another word for having your priorities in order.

Re: Why do people waste so much time at work?

#25

Post by justincormack »

bgilroy26 wrote: post #21
justincormack wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Often lack of infrastructure, or communication about what needs doing. Traditional businesses are poorly documented, and not transparent, so knowing what you might do and how is often extremely difficult.

>Communication about what needs doing i.e. Lack of leadership

Partly. But there is usually no method of discovery either. In a software company there is an issue tracker and you can just go and fix bugs if nothing else, that doesnt exist in a traditional company.

Re: Why do people waste so much time at work?

#26

Post by _pmf_ »

exizt88 wrote: post #14
sitkack wrote: post #5

Because if they got their job done and left they would be fired. If they got their job done, they would be given more work. So one takes the maximal amount of time to do a task given the requirement that they be in the office for 8+ hrs a day.

If they have 8 hours of work time and finished their tasks in 6, does that mean they have exhausted their usefulness to the business? Why not spend these 2 hours doing some small miscellaneous tasks?

> Why not spend these 2 hours doing some small miscellaneous tasks?

Because managers get a malus for allowing too much non-accountable hours for their managees.

Re: Why do people waste so much time at work?

#27

Post by jotm »

Foomandoonian wrote: post #12

"We must do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a living. We keep inventing jobs because of this false idea that everybody has to be employed at some kind of drudgery because…

"Cool story bro. Say that again when you can't pay your rent or even buy some food." - Me.

I think everyone should experience that for a few weeks, it changes your perspective on many things.

Re: Why do people waste so much time at work?

#28

Post by antocv »

dylanjermiah wrote: post #23
Foomandoonian wrote: post #12

"We must do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a living. We keep inventing jobs because of this false idea that everybody has to be employed at some kind of drudgery because…

What's an example of a proposed technological break through which can do the work of the adult population?

Computer. Before it was a work title, a person, now its just a thing on your desk.

Re: Why do people waste so much time at work?

#29

Post by [deleted] »

dylanjermiah wrote: post #23
Foomandoonian wrote: post #12

"We must do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a living. We keep inventing jobs because of this false idea that everybody has to be employed at some kind of drudgery because…

What's an example of a proposed technological break through which can do the work of the adult population?

[deleted]

Re: Why do people waste so much time at work?

#30

Post by chippy »

dylanjermiah wrote: post #23
Foomandoonian wrote: post #12

"We must do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a living. We keep inventing jobs because of this false idea that everybody has to be employed at some kind of drudgery because…

What's an example of a proposed technological break through which can do the work of the adult population?

1 drone replacing 50 soldiers on the ground?
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