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The Beginning of the End of the 9-to-5 Workday?
Time/Yahoo ^ | 12-21-2011 | DAN SCHAWBEL

Posted on 12/21/2011 6:07:22 PM PST by Darren McCarty

The traditional eight-hour workday may soon be the exception rather than the rule. New evidence shows that we're reaching a tipping point in terms of workplace flexibility, with businesses seeing the wisdom of allowing employees -- young employees especially -- to work odd hours, telecommute, and otherwise tweak the usual 9-to-5 grind.

One of the top 12 trends for 2012 as named by the communications firm Euro RSCG Worldwide is that employees in the Gen-Y or "millennial" demographic -- those born between roughly 1982 and 1993 -- are overturning the traditional workday.

The Business and Professional Women's Foundation estimates that by 2025, 75% of the global workforce will be Gen-Y. As early as next year, this group of younger Americans will already comprise 60% of the employees at companies such as Ernst & Young. And increasingly, companies creating workplace flexibility programs because it makes good business sense, not in the least because that's what their employees demand.

Gen-Y is spearheading this change because they don't want the same work environment their parents had. Between new technology and global workplace dynamics, companies are implementing flexible work arrangements for everyone, inclusive of Gen-Y. A recent Vodafone UK survey illustrates that 90 percent of employers enable work flexibility instead of sticking to traditional hours.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: diy; nosale; selfsufficiency; starvethebeast; work
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To: Darren McCarty

I work 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at a local factory and am mighty glad to be employed. It’s not the most fun job ever BUT I am done with it when I clock out and home before the kids get off the bus.

When we had dairy cows, we only worked partial days ... we could pick whichever 12 or 16 or 18 hours we wanted to work.;-)


21 posted on 12/21/2011 6:42:33 PM PST by Cloverfarm (This too shall pass ...)
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To: bigdaddy45
My boss sent me home with 1.4 million lines of C++ code. It came from SPARC Solaris on a Forte compiler. Code that was 20 years old. My task was to renovate the code and Makefiles so that it would build properly on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4 on X86 32-bit. I estimated 5,000 lines a day from some industry "fudge factors". Working at home, I ported all of it at the rate of 19,000 lines/day using my own computers at home. Nobody wasted my time yapping at my door or calling me into meetings. No time was lost commuting to/from the office. No time wasted for lunch. I grabbed a bite and ate the food in the time it took for another compilation phase.

That 1.4 million lines of code is part of a delivery of 2.4 million lines of code that includes C/C++/Ada/FORTRAN that is on the customer site now. Delivered with no defects reported by the customer. I'm sitting back at home for the holidays. My 3rd visit home in 2011. Less than 3 weeks home all year by New Year's Eve. Another porting task at home would be much nicer than having to rent a room in San Diego to keep going on the current tasking.

22 posted on 12/21/2011 6:47:43 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: Darren McCarty

I work from 7a-5p, Mo-Th. The early morning hours are worth the 3 day weekends.


23 posted on 12/21/2011 6:54:18 PM PST by Paradox (The rich SHOULD be paying more taxes, and they WOULD, if they could make more money.)
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To: Darren McCarty

I telecommute, and I’m very thankful for the opportunity (I have MS and couldn’t make it into the workplace everyday.)

That being said, there are advantage for my employer. I’m available morning, noon, and night, if a problem arises...plus weekends. Not really a problem for me because I’m home most of the time. And there is flexibility, I can take breaks when needed, and make it to doctor appts. etc. So it works for me and for my employer.

I know I’m much more productive from home than I’d be in the office. No distractions, so I get more done in a shorter period of time.

Last time I was hospitalized I worked while recuperating, from the hospital. I think that qualified me as the most “loyal” employee...I didn’t really do it out of loyalty, but out of boredom during the hospital stay, :)


24 posted on 12/21/2011 6:54:22 PM PST by dawn53
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To: Mariner; All

You are one of those people that is still stuck in the old ways.

I find it absurd that bosses insist everyone come in to do a job they could do at home while avoiding the highway traffic.

No one should have to “earn” this right. If you are hired, it’s a given UNLESS your work starts to suffer.

Some jobs can’t be done via telecommuting, but a lot can. I used to be a writer, and it was completely insane that I had to drive in to do that job all because my older bosses were stuck in the old ways. Heck, I have software that pulled up my work desktop on my home machine when necessary.


25 posted on 12/21/2011 6:55:40 PM PST by rwfromkansas ("Carve your name on hearts, not marble." - C.H. Spurgeon)
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To: Darren McCarty

Well not all of us are CEO’s. I can work from anywhere as long as I have my laptop and blackberry. I’m currently working from home.

My job does not require me to sit in a specific building with a supervisor looking over my shoulder.

Many parts of my job can be done at any hour of the day.

Not all jobs can do that, but mine can and does and it works just fine.


26 posted on 12/21/2011 6:56:01 PM PST by mom4melody
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To: cableguymn

My Christmas Wish is that you find a better job. You are doing a great job providing for your family. I am just sorry that you have an a hole in the White House causing you stress that you don’t need. Merry Christmas and God Bless!!!!!


27 posted on 12/21/2011 7:02:32 PM PST by napscoordinator (Anybody but Romney, Newt, Perry, Huntsman, Paul. Perry and Obama are 100 percent the same!!!!!)
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To: Darren McCarty

I love this, because it’s dead on. My first job out of college (in 2001) allowed telecommuting twice weekly and was a very flexible workplace overall. My most recent job allowed absolutely no working from home, no flex time, no flexibility whatsoever. Guess what? I worked about twice the hours for the first job...in exchange for the freedom, I worked harder, while “on vacation,” etc. For the last job, once 5:00 hit, I was done, and I never once even checked my email while out of the office.


28 posted on 12/21/2011 7:04:32 PM PST by LittleSpotBlog
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To: Darren McCarty

We’re self-employed, you do whatever needs to be done whenever it needs to be done or you go broke.


29 posted on 12/21/2011 7:28:59 PM PST by tiki
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To: Darren McCarty
"those born between roughly 1982 and 1993"

They don't do anything anyway. Who the hell cares if they don't come to work? Most older workers wish they wouldn't. You can get more done.

30 posted on 12/21/2011 7:30:42 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Stop BIG Government Greed Now!!!!)
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To: Darren McCarty

Typically, it’s the over 60 crowd that I see married to the 9-5 workday, or even the 5 day, 50 weeks out of the year work week. No one really wants to work that way. We’ve been enjoying an extended vacation here, since my wife accrued 400hrs of vacation time which has to be used before the 1st of the year. She sold the maximum 200hrs back to the company for cash, and took 5 weeks off. That’s the 21st century way of doing things.


31 posted on 12/21/2011 7:57:13 PM PST by Melas (u)
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To: Darren McCarty

I like this post. As a business owner, I’m manning up.

Just pray you’re not in my area, providing Systems Analysis and Project Management. I saw your schedule, You’re a slacker :)

I got the 1 am call this week on the death of a client. I worked until 10pm - But had other appointments. So I had a full 20 hour day, and a car FULL of coffee cups.


32 posted on 12/21/2011 7:57:38 PM PST by Celerity
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To: Darren McCarty
sorry, but... 9 to 5 is NOT an 8 hour work day unless you work through your lunch hour

EIGHT to 5 is an 8 hour work day... i should know, i used to work 8 to 5 till the boy slithered his way into office, now i work 9 to 5 due to cutbacks

33 posted on 12/21/2011 8:17:42 PM PST by Chode (American Hedonist - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: Darren McCarty

I’m 59 and just coming off of an almost 2-year contract. about 16 months of that was 90 percent work-at-home. It’s great to start the workday at 4:00 a.m. or 5:30 some days and to hold telephone meetings supplemented by online meeting software. I have worked between 3:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. depending on the circumstances. I’ve had meetings at 7:30 p.m. I’ve written reports on the weekends. And in general I have not exceeded 40 hours in any but 3 or 4 weeks in the two years.

The flexibility is an enormous benefit as my kind of work is not always linear.


34 posted on 12/21/2011 8:36:31 PM PST by jimfree (In Nov 2012 my 11 y/o granddaughter will have more relevant executive experience than Barack Obama)
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To: caltaxed

Like you I haven’t experienced the 8 hour workday and I don’t get paid for overtime. Thanks to our nation’s free trade my company’s Chinese competitors have free access to my US customers and benefit from slave labor, zero environmental regulations, government subsidized capital, and export subsidies. At the same time any attempts I make to export are met with a mountain of red tape.

No fear because my government sends a parade of OSHA, EPA, labor and IRS people in every year to make sure the company and it’s workers are obeying the millions of regulations we have no time to read. On top of that my customers pay in advance for their Asian goods while demanding extended payment terms and liberal return policies from thei US suppliers. Of course the high volume, high profit production runs go to Asia while te low volume tricky to make specialty products are given to the remaining US suppliers. If we make a mistake our customers take a big deduction. If our Chinese competitors make a mistake tey get more prepaid orders.

One day we will close and 400 non union US middle class workers will draw unemployment. Isn’t free market global capitalism grand?


35 posted on 12/21/2011 9:12:23 PM PST by Soul of the South (When times are tough the tough get going.)
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To: napscoordinator

Part of the problem is the cost of fuel (and taxes) I am paid a flat rate for what I do. Fuel goes up and I can try to get a better rate but there is 500 other out of work guys with vans willing to do it.

I have been building my own customer base so hopefully I can tell um to pucker up and kiss my behind soon :)

Thanks!


36 posted on 12/21/2011 9:18:27 PM PST by cableguymn
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To: I cannot think of a name

We didn’t work for the Chinese or the Indians. You will. I’m sure they’ll be very “flexible” with your time.


The entire world may need to rethink the 40 hour work day when all the factories are fully automated. China and India will not be immune. What happens when there is simply not enough work to keep workers doing things? Something is going to change, it could be a much smaller work week for most of the work force that is not in the service industry.


37 posted on 12/21/2011 9:29:49 PM PST by Gen-X-Dad
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To: Darren McCarty

Salary means “get it done”, not “9-5”.


38 posted on 12/21/2011 9:31:23 PM PST by ctdonath2 ($1 meals: http://abuckaplate.blogspot.com/)
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To: Darren McCarty

Good luck with that telecommute when someone in Peoria or Mumbai is happy to the job for a half or a tenth of your wage.

Be indispensible.


39 posted on 12/21/2011 9:50:53 PM PST by Atlas Sneezed (Author of BullionBible.com - Makes You a Precious Metal Expert, Guaranteed.)
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To: rwfromkansas
"I used to be a writer"

So tell us, what are you now"?

Isn't it true that he who has the business, the signature on the check, gets to make the rules?

I pay folks between $50 and $100 an hour.

If I say jump, they better damn well say "how high".

We're making money, they're making money.

If you don't do it MY way, get another job somewhere else.

Period.

40 posted on 12/21/2011 10:21:41 PM PST by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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