Work Hard, Until When?

Friday, November 13, 2009

Technology makes all the people I know work harder and longer. - Wareen Bennis

"What is the meaning of hard work for you?" I asked some friends. "Hard work means coming to work most mornings and go home most nights, but remain healthy and optimistic" Didi said the businessman. "Work that relies on self power, especially the physical, to achieve a goal or desired outcome," said Elly college lecturer. "The hard work is required to achieve maximum results," said the soldier Wawan. "The way the work which must pass before people are able to work with smart and creative. People can not find intelligent ways if he had never worked hard," explained the Court employees.

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Have you ever counted how many hours is usually the time you have used to work for a living to live in a week? The answer may vary, depending on the type of job or profession that you run. Try to imagine the following professions: lawyers, doctors, notaries, pilots, judges, prosecutors, farmers, traders, managers / ekskutif, consultants, advertising models, actors and soap operas. Which among those who think you work hard to support most of his life? What about the private employees and civil servants in general? Who hours on average per week the longest? What about school teachers, factory workers, porters, and workers at the centers of modern spending on their way home after 9 pm? Which is the most sweat?

There is the assumption that people who have to work more than 45 hours per week is the blue-collar workers who had learned. They work long hours, and work processes rely more on physical skills / muscles, so that all minimum wages. They are educated, professionals and the leading university graduate who became managers at a young age, are people who should have a short working time of being able to work smarter. Especially with the development of information technology is very impressive in the last decade, the group learned that the brain works is assumed to rely on working time would require a relatively minimum, less than 40 hours per week. Because, not people who are smart with the latest technological devices should not have to work hard as their ancestors (and our) first?

The problem is, our lives at school and then watch another reality. As BusinessWeek reported last October 2005 issue, in the American context of the "slave labor" was pretty amazing. More than 31% of workers male college graduates in the United States commonly work 50 hours or more a week in office, up from 22% in 1980, when information technology has not advanced as today. National Sleep Foundation reported that approximately 40% of American adults sleep less than 7 hours on weekdays. And since the 1926 Henry Ford had pioneered work five days a week, and since 1970 in the United States applies work time 40 hours a week. Then how to explain the tendency of educated American workers today who actually spent time working as factory workers in the 19th century, the average work 60 hours per week?

American workers are not alone. In China, the senior managers with U.S. $ 2000 income --- the exchange rate USD 9500, - means USD 19 million a month --- generally work 6O hours, six days a week. Although approximately 20 hours including overtime counted, but they do not get the additional wages of the extra work. Generally, hard workers were admitted had no choice but to stay late and thought it was it was their duty, so do not need to pay extra. Mentioned that at least three cities in China, 51% of people who work overtime during the day did not receive additional wages --- a thing that does not happen to their counterparts in Japan and South Korea. In the case in China's Labor Law has set hours of work 44 hours a week, within five working days, with two weeks annual leave, regular holidays, and overtime wage of at least one-half times the normal wage. The fact that such rules could not stem the growth of the "slave labor" in the country bamboo curtain. Only civil servants, such as school teachers, who spent 40 hours a week working with earnings of about U.S. $ 200 a month.

Another thing that is also interesting to be listened to is a report on the number of hours working woman in America and Europe are represented by 15 European Union countries. In 1984, the United States approximately 58% of women who spent a career working for more than 40 hours a week. The numbers increased in 2004 to around 62%. While in Europe, only about 36% of women who spent a career working in over 40 hours a week, in 1984. And in 2004 the number dropped to about 29%. Does that mean a career woman in America to work harder these days, while their counterparts in Europe have more time for other things outside of work? There was no further explanation about this. What is clear, in an interview, an intelligent American woman and phenomenal Oprah Winfrey once claimed that he used to work 14-15 hours a day, and if the only work 12 hours a day, he felt that something was missing that day.

Exposure data mentioned above shows that the assumption is not correct to say that only people who do not title and ***** are required to work hard to provide for his life. In fact, the most educated people in advanced countries like America, as well as those living in developing countries like China, just keep working hard to support her life. The assumption that with the advancement of information technology workers will be more relaxed in their work should also be sued again. Because in fact the most literate undergraduate and master the latest information technology alone does not work more relaxed than those who are relatively blind information technology.

So, work hard in the sense of work longer than the current work rules formally --- eg, five working days, 40 hours a week --- with the ability themselves to meet the needs and desires of everyday life, seems to have a tendency dammed difficult. More and more workers feel that's how it should be, especially when they want a career and a better life. The hard work seemed to be the only way. This is certainly not too need to question if we have jobs we enjoy, working in accordance with the best talent and our potential, and the work that gives the best results, both to us and to the community and the environment in which we serve. Like Oprah Winfrey who found the "place" is unique in this world, he might do his job without feeling the "worked".

The problem is, what if the work we have today is not the job we want? How about the work we have today is a job that does not fit with the talent and potential of our best? What if our current job is a job that does not foster a sense of pride in ourselves? What if our work is tekuni current job does not promise a better future? Of the last four questions I will answer with a question: how long you are willing to work hard for the type of work that bad?

Tabik Mahardika!

Source: Work Hard, Until When? by Andrias Harefa.