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Vive La Loafing!
theodp writes "Bonjour Paresse, an anti-corporation slacker manifesto whose title translates as 'Hello Laziness,' has become a national best seller in France and made a countercultural heroine of its author, who encourages workers to adopt her strategy of calculated loafing in response to dimming prospects of success for rank-and-file employees. Could a translation find a Silicon Valley audience?"
On the title of a very famous French book called Bonjour Tristesse (Hello Sadness).
John.
Insightful?! Not sure the French are complaining about the Americans being more successful, they're actually sitting on the beach going on about how productive they are...
...)
A much more informed view of "Europe vs. USA" can be found in a recent Economist. There's a multi-page special on the subject that boils down to:
1. USA has higher GDP/capita than EU, but
2. USA and EU have similar GDP/capita growth rates (in fact the same if you eliminate Germany which is having to cope with unification). How about the US tries merging with South America?
3. GDP/work hour is similar in USA and EU
4. US citizens have higher disposable income than EU citizens because US citizens work 40% more hours, i.e. EU citizens have same productivity as US, but work less hours, hence lower GDP/capita. Or to put it another way EU citizens have traded GDP/capita for leisure time, US citizens work much more and hence buy more stuff (TVs, cars,
So there's no fundamental difference in GDP/work hour or productivity between the two federations. Europeans just take more time off, which might have a lot to do with the better health and better life expectancy in the EU. US citizens work like crazy and hence can afford houses stuffed with electronics, appliances and multiple cars.
I assume that you are a US citizen, perhaps you'd like to spend some of your disposable income buying the article here.
John.
Is here.
John.
This is old hat. Guy Debord's Internationale Situationniste was daubing "ne travaillez jamais" on walls back when it was formenting the Paris student riots of 1969. And they meant it, man ...
Job title: Eletromechanical tech. I was working during a hiatus in my school career to raise money to pay for tuition, not as an intern. The jobs were not ones that required a degree (i.e. technician jobs, not engineer jobs). I had way on the ball more than the other guys.
And, no I'm not bitter. I was being funny.
I think this post has gone to +5 faster than any other post that I've made, so I seem to have touched a nerve. The truth is that this work experience, as well as others, has taught me a lot.
Looking back at my young self, I have to laugh. I expected to be a)noticed then b) appreciated then c) rewarded for being more diligent and hard working than the other guys. Well, the plan fails at step A. Very few bosses notice when anything happens unless it is bad and requires their attention. People don't go to boss school and learn how to run an efficient organization. By in large, bosses are consumed with their own day to day concerns and as in the dark as anyone else as to how make things run better. They'll piss away all the staff time and let the place turn into an unsafe stye, then deal with accidents and curse the slow response time when crunch time comes.
The lesson is: when you are the situation of having to manage yourself, then you are also in the position of having to manage your boss. Bosses love to have somebody tell them what needs to be done, as long as it doesn't sound like your are telling them what to do. I call this "Boss Management", and key is bringing things to the boss's notice. This is how the older, wiser me would handle this situation today:
Me: Hey Dick, I noticed we have a lot of down time around here.
Dr. Dick: Yeah, but right now there isn't any work to do until until we present to DOE next month.
Me: Well, sure, but there's still better ways we can use our time than just sitting around and waiting. We can improve the safety and organization of the lab; I've noticed for example there's only one first aid kit and it's nowhere near where anyone is going to have an accident. We can get things organized and ready for crunch time. We can build things that are useful or spend our time on projects that would sharpen our skills. Hell, you know you're going to give a VIP tour, and the place looks like a pigstye. There's no reason we can't keep the place spruced up rather than running around at the last minute. Plus a well organized lab will make a better impression.
Dr. Dick: OK, why don't you go ahead and do it.
Me: Great, but I think this would be better coming from you. The guys would take it more seriously. Why don't you write a memo suggesting the tech staff put together a plan to use slack time more effectively. You can use some of the suggestions I made.
Dr. Dick: I don't know, I'm really busy now.
Me: OK, I'll draft it for you, and if it looks OK it can go out over your signature.
The things to remember is that you can't expect bosses to notice things or to have a plan to make things better. You're the one with the ideas, so you package them up nice and sweet and tie it up with a bow and let the boss rubber stamp it. It gets the job done, spreads the work fairly, and it gets you noticed and credited with making things better.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.