Beyond the 4-Day Workweek
Originally submitted by: barcode 2x
Some corporations are in talks to reduce their workers' workweek to 4 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days. This saves on gas and travel expenses for the worker, and allows the business to close operations one more day out of the week. This is a very reasonable proposition for manufacturing jobs. But for office jobs, could it go even further? The nature of office work can be very solitary, confining workers to cubicles and desks. Why not eliminate the steno pool? Why require workers to come in at all when they could be doing the same job at home in their bathrobe? This is a major cultural shift we are experiencing now that the commute has become so expensive. But in the Open Source Age, the office can become virtual, the workplace itself can disappear, and the worker can have increased flexibility. More and more corporations may want their employees to work from home. This will allow for smaller offices, fewer cars in the rush hour commute, and perhaps even increased productivity. Employees could still clock in and put in the requisite hours from their remote home location, work from a more flexible schedule, nights, weekends, etc. When workers only have to come in periodically for meetings or to pick up materials, this has potential to be very profitable. Technology allows remote access to office computer systems, and so the worker can work from the home, from a park, a cafe, or even a neighborhood "work center", a local office for multiple businesses to share, equipped with wi-fi, etc. So a work center in Southfield could serve local employees who normally commute to Ann Arbor or Detroit. An authorized work center could service businesses nation- or world-wide. The center itself would have a social, diverse and open environment for increased face-to-face networking between professionals. A cafe, a gym, any number of amenities could be available. Workers could work alone at desks, or in common rooms with couches.
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Re:Beyond the 4-Day Workweek
Originally submitted by: barcode 2x
Furthermore, the Open Source nature of the world right now allows for a great deal of outsourcing of small jobs and duties for the small business. So the lawn care business who wants to create and maintain a mailing list could post the job online. There are a lot of Americans looking for work. So qualified temps can pick up freelance work from home. The lawn care database could be created in a matter of hours, instead of the weeks it might take the boss or regular employees, while they are keeping up with their other duties. Freelancers could put in bids for the job, and for an affordable rate, the small business could keep their website, their books, etc, in order.
Small business owners and workers have a 7-day workweek. It's love, devotion, and surrender for them. So why not share part of the load with an out-of-work American?
The Commute, Traffic, and You
Originally submitted by: barcode 2x
This week Jennifer Granholm has publicly recommended driving five miles per hour below the speed limit to increase your car's mileage by up to 30 miles per gallon. While she has resisted taking action to reduce the speed limit from 70 to 65 mph, she has suggested that drivers regulate their own speed to save money. However, she added, the highways are safer when everyone travels at the same speed. It's a choice. Traffic jams have struck me lately as one of the most self-expressive individual public forums in the ethical world. Look at a regular lane-merge bottleneck. Are you the kind of person who will zip ahead of the others and try to force your way to the front of the line? Are you the type to stay in the proper lane and wait? Are you the valiant soul who will drive down the middle of the street and block the cheaters? The people who zip to the front are generally the types who believe in taking charge of their own destiny while simultaneously depending on the kindness of strangers to let them in, even though the strangers have been waiting in line diligently and are essentially rewarding the bad behavior of the Zippers. The folks who wait believe in the struggle of the community. They are generally the maturer ones, the ones who recognize that This-too-shall-pass, and that we're all in this together. The Middle-Lane Vigilante has made the choice for the entire community. This crusader believes in balance and justice. When a traffic jam is emminent, very often you will see two trucks traveling side by side and moving very slowly to prevent the bottleneck ahead from piling up too fast. Me and my hybrid, we have begun to take the middle lane. We get misunderstood more often than not, and are viewed as reckless drivers, or goody-two-shoes. But for those seeing the big picture, the Middle-Lane Vigilante is doing a worthwhile experiment, each time. If we all allow a bit more space between cars, then the traffic will loosen up and begin to move a bit more. The stress level diminishes, and the dark cloud breaks up. The storm will end. How do you express yourself? How do you get ahead? Are you willing to bring everyone along with you? Everybody might make it this time. Which lane are you in?