New study says Germans are the laziest workers

[Drake Tungsten]

That Korean figure can't be real...

[Ecthy]

I see no Korean figure in that list.

[Drake Tungsten]

Koreans who top the workaholics table with 2,447 hours.

[Ecthy]

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph


That's good conditions and explains your eagerness to work more than 70. As long as you don't permanently hurt your health, that is. You can't buy it back for no money, you know. A gastric ulcer is a nasty thing, and it's not the worst that can happen.

I get +25% for overtime (exceeding 20 hours/month) and +50% if it's on Sundays. Not quite as good, but for me it's ok.

Ulcers only happen to managers and type A personalities. I'm a long way from either. I get to do my work and go home without a thought. I am getting a bit sleep deprived, but it isn't too bad.

It's been a very good year, overtime wise -- I just passed my total pay for 2002, and it's still only the third quarter.

If this keeps up, I'll be able to buy a house by this time next year.

[DanielXY]

With the dutch I guess the legal prostitution has some impact on the numbers...
Since its legal its taxed and official and all.
I bet a prostitute is more productive in getting the gdp numbers up than some factory worker

[Q Classic]

koreans are nuts. the older generation has this psychotic work ethic.

wait for this younger generation to become dominant. you'll see that not only will the economy move almost entirely over to computers and digital things, but also that the work figure will be cut in half, to be replaced by "time playing StarCraft III".

[The Pioneer]

I work for a japanese company here in Germany (5 years now), this text only talks about the hours. I have seen the japanese work and believe me the word efficiency is not in their vocabulary. Besides every single co-worker that I showed the text said that this is because we are more efficient and clever. They (we) were all proud of the fact.

Anyway, it's also true that overtime here in Germany is not welcomed because of the great costs that the companies have to bear, if they have to pay out. I have a limit on my overtime that I entitled to and I can only take it in form of a day off or maybe shortened work day.

So long....

[TCO]

Originally posted by Victor Galis


No, you'll need more worker to acomplish the same thing since you can't work them 40-50 hours a week.

Think about it in terms of supply and demand. Draw a curve.

[Japher]

Pioneer: That is how most excepmt worker here in the US work. I worked 10 hours last Sunday, and because of which I took 3 hours off yesterday, and am about to go home early today too.

Efficiency and cleverness has nothing to do with not being able to meet timelines due to company wide shut downs for a whole month in the middle of the year. It screws us, so we won't use them... If we do it I am sure other people do it, and that has to hurt the economy, or at least make it not as "efficient" as it could be.

[realpolitic]

Thank God Germans have lot some of the ambitiousness.

[Victor Galis]

Originally posted by TCO


Think about it in terms of supply and demand. Draw a curve.

Yes, you need 400 man hours to do a job and it has to be finished this week. If you can work people 40 hours a week, you need 10 employees. If you can only work them 35 hours a week, you need 12. (Assuming of course the shorter work week doesn't increase morale and consequently productivity by like 20% (There will be some productivity increase)).

[Dinner]

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
It's been a very good year, overtime wise -- I just passed my total pay for 2002, and it's still only the third quarter.

Here in California you get hosed by taxes when you work over time and so does your employer so there is a disincentive towards overtime.

[TCO]

Originally posted by Victor Galis


Yes, you need 400 man hours to do a job and it has to be finished this week. If you can work people 40 hours a week, you need 10 employees. If you can only work them 35 hours a week, you need 12. (Assuming of course the shorter work week doesn't increase morale and consequently productivity by like 20% (There will be some productivity increase)).

1. If the businesses could get more work out of 12 35-hourers than 10 40ers, they would already do so. Since they don't, it is obvious that this is a less efficient situation for most jobs. (But not all, for some it is better to have shorter hours, for instance airport terminals in minor cities.)

2. Given that you are constraining there ability to hire in the most effecient way, the facotr cost of labor increases. This means that the total output will be lower.

3. Also, in parallel, there are other things like severance benefits etc. which decerease labor flexability and make businesses lesswilling to hire. This displaces the least efficient workers as well.

P.s. You did not follow my advice. Look at it in terms of microeconomics, son. Draw some curves. This is 101.

[Dr Strangelove]

I've gotten one vacation day off this year. One. That was to go to a medical conference that I have to go to as mandated by state law.