Western Civilization and the Modern Work Ethic.

In the United States, particularly Modern Western Civilization instills in us, an established work ethic. We believe it is for the greater good. There are some variations; here in the states it is not uncommon to think of overtime as mandatory. (Working overtime if you're salaried is part of the job.) Or Friday as a day to relax, (unless you have a deadline). Not all bad, but I have heard that in some European establishments, (not country, so as not to assume everyone in a particular nation does things the same way,) it is customary to award reduced hours in place of monetary compensation, when giving raises or promotions.

For the most part The ideal work week model is:

40-45 hours.

More than that is Overtime.

Less than that must be excused

Those allotments are divided into 4-5 'shifts'

Typically in the middle a period of rest is allowed in the middle.

if breaks are allowed they are brief and considered extraneous.

holiday pay is rare. vacation time is usually no more than two weeks out of the year, if it is paid, and sometimes it is combined with sick time for a cumulative assessment.

Without examining all the variations as separate models, ask yourself the question: how viable is this? It doesn't work at all in some professions; actors, authors, musicians. But if you're not working within this model of efficiency, you're considered lazy.

Also, ask yourself the question: who benefits?
Another might be: what is my ideal?

True most of us if given the opportunity to give up the struggle of seeking employment, following a work schedule, and answering to somebody else, we would. This isn't even about what we would do if we won the lottery, or inherited a fortune. [Assuming the reader of this blog works a steady job, or is trying to,] ask yourself why it is you should work in excess of 50 hours a week, skip lunch, sometimes even take work home with you, all for the benefit of the company.

Who made it so the very few benefit so greatly from the constant supply of willing workers. Got arthritis, becoming slow? You're fired, (laid off) and with no benefits, because we found someone else who is willing to work for half your payrate, and no benefits.

On top of everything else, employers are acting more and more in the interest of the profit margin than their staff. Time can be siphoned off of a regular week and banked, to allow the business to lay off their workers as seasonal. These practices are supposedly illegal, and in use, in the United States today.

Corporate entities are constantly using unethical pratices like producing life insurance policies on their own employees that benefit the corporate entity, not the individual. This is also practiced in America.

The only question left worth asking is; how much is too much? Are you already victim to one of these, or other business practices that hurt your bottom line, put you further into debt, or else put a strain on your relationships, and lower your standard of living?

How much is too much?