Stop Glorifying Hard Work and Long Hours • Hacker News Board

Re: Stop Glorifying Hard Work and Long Hours

#241

Post by kamaal » Thu, Jul 11, 2013, 5:42 AM UTC

ripter wrote: post #116

ryguytilidie wrote: post #6

I just don't get it at all. Just this morning I quit a job partly because of the hilarious hours and how inflexible our executive team was about them. It's like there's some sort of shame in working a normal workday, eating dinner at a normal hour and having your own life. I really vow to never put my health and well being on the line for a job where if we hit the jackpot I might get like 50 k and every other time I…

When looking for a job, find out how many people in management have kids. They are likely to work normal hours and not expect you to work insane hours. At least that's been my experience.

The management is likely to go home and play with their kids while you grind your bones in office.

Re: Stop Glorifying Hard Work and Long Hours

#242

Post by linuxhansl » Thu, Jul 11, 2013, 8:30 AM UTC

That!

I work fewer hours than most of my peers and I get more done. The reason is not that I am exceptionally smart (I am not), but that I stay relaxed and avoid being burned out.

Re: Stop Glorifying Hard Work and Long Hours

#243

Post by semiel » Thu, Jul 11, 2013, 8:34 PM UTC

prodigal_erik wrote: post #240

semiel wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Any less and a society can't function I disagree with this. There is simply less work to be done than there used to be, what with automated factories and powerful computers. We've somehow turned this into an "unemployment crisis", when by rights it ought to be a huge boon that means everyone can work less.

There are diminishing returns. You could easily have eight people each working a one-hour shift on an assembly line once they all know the task, but writing code that way would be absurd--they'd waste almost all the time explaining how they intend to proceed with what they only just started on.

That's a pretty silly strawman. It would obviously be a better idea to work fewer months out of the year, or weeks out of the month, or days out of the week. How long a single session of work is is probably the least important variable.

Re: Stop Glorifying Hard Work and Long Hours

#244

Post by lectrick » Fri, Jul 12, 2013, 3:23 PM UTC

southphillyman wrote: post #208

lectrick wrote: post #87

Work smarter, not harder. I am going to create a startup soon and we're going to work out of my beachfront 2-bedroom FIOS-equipped apt for starters. The schedule will be: 9am-noon: 5 minute standup to spec work for the day, then code. Noon-2pm: Lunch but also surf, bike, boogieboard, suntan, volleyball, just do something fucking outside that involves physical activity. 2-5pm: Code. If you finish early, you get to lea…

I'd be interested in you blogging your experience with this.

I would, once I'm there.

Re: Stop Glorifying Hard Work and Long Hours

#245

Post by infinite8s » Fri, Jul 12, 2013, 7:05 PM UTC

rfnslyr wrote: post #24

muratmutlu wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you ever read Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh? Sounds very similar to your story, he automated his work using a script, I think he even stopped going into the office

I have not but I'll add it to my reading list. Funny you should say that. The way it worked at my place, is we had a few managers on each floor. Each floor has over 300 people. A lot of people had no idea who they report to, what they're supposed to do, they just kind of asked random people for work. One of the contractors was hired shortly before the hiring manager quit. He had an office. He came in every day, opene…

Wow,how does that the even happen? And how could that contractor in good conscience bill your company for his own personal work.

Re: Stop Glorifying Hard Work and Long Hours

#246

Post by sriramk » Sun, Jul 14, 2013, 7:15 PM UTC

NegativeK wrote: post #167

sriramk wrote: post #64

I've seen this promoted in subtle ways. At Microsoft, I once saw a VP talk about how a team had worked nights and weekends to make something extraordinary happen and how he was surprised to get emails from them in the middle of the night. I had a private chat with him later of how this encourages the wrong behavior - the key is that great work got done, not the fact that teams worked late nights or that they were on…

What was the VP's immediate response to the chat? More importantly, what was the VP's long-term response?

Immediate response - he admitted it was a mistake. Long term - I didn't stay to find out. I doubt anything changed, since this is so deeply engraved in company culture.