Simplicity in the Work Place

     The work place, an environment that is taxing to the soul (for most of us). The average U.S. wage employee works a 40 hour work week, usually Monday - Friday. The law in France, a 35 hour work week, usually Monday - Friday. The difference? Efficiency. Between these two countries, economics aside, the difference in hours/week worked is just 5 hours, but the efficiency levels between the two countries vary considerably. Does the U.S. really need a 40 hour work week, when we have relatively the same production efficiency as France? It seems as though more and more individuals throughout the U.S. are conforming to this idea of working to the bone, leaving all else to the imagination. This is leading to serious Nature Deficiency Disorder within society. So which system is “better”, or more logical?

      Statistics aside, we can simply imagine what a reduced work week could produce. A 35 hour work week provides, 140 hours worked per month, and out of those hours it provides 530 additional hours per month for individual expression and expansion. As a society it seems as though we have left our imaginations by the wayside to shrivel and mute, while we have expressed concern towards actions that truly lead to absolutely zero benefit, besides that of materialism and conformism. This is a pandemic, again, economics to the side, France has managed to develop a successful and productive nation state, while operating on 35 hour work weeks. Knowing this, why hasn’t the U.S. changed? It is because we are trapped. Just like Anne Leonard makes clear in her book The Story of Stuff, the materialistic manner of our actions has begun to erode our very neurons. Is this over exaggerated? I do not believe it is. It is clear that a reduced work week would benefit our country in many ways, but first, people must reprogram their neurons to once again develop a sense of what is really important on this planet, living.

     That is why as of now, I am declaring a state of urgency for the entire United States of America. This paradigm has gone on long enough, and the ego must be deflated. You may disagree with me, but I believe that our current work ethics are leading us down the same roads of specific individuals in history, slaves. Simply reducing our work week hours from 40 to 35 just isn’t enough. For it to be successful and synergistic in nature, our consumption habits must change, our values must shift, the current paradigms must be transcended, and most importantly this must occur in a wholistic manner, as to keep from leaving a single individual in the “old age”. If all that is listed in the previous sentence occurs, the reduction in work week hours is completely probable. The only question is, are you a slave? Think hard and fast, because nature waits for no human.

      With this probable reduction is work week hours, another issue that is expressed is productivity. How with reduced hours are individuals able to stay productive enough to finish daily work loads? Again if this manner is addressed in a wholistic approach, the adaption of productivity levels would come naturally, as every individual is able to reduce their isolated workload, synergistically the entire system would support itself. As it is in France, and many other European countries, the weekly work hours are less than the U.S., and yet at the same time they are able to accomplish the same work load, if not more. This statement should develop some questions for you, unless your neurons are still muted, against the reasoning behind why the U.S. continues this irresponsible practice, that is unfortunately fueled by the very individuals most harmed by it. Productivity, when allocated responsibly, can be a very efficient tool, but when practiced irresponsibly can lead to dire consequences that experience repercussions far into the future. More efficient productivity equates to less necessary hours worked, that is all.

      Finally, I will address the most important reasoning towards decreasing work week hours, and creating simplicity in the work place. Sustainability. This term is tossed around today more than the plastic bottles we continue to drink water from. Humor me if you understand the analogy, but it is true. So how can sustainability be the most important reasoning towards why we should decrease work week hours? Well, think about it for a second. If work week hours decrease, the production rates will decrease, employees will have more time for their own lives, and less resources will be consumed in the long-term. Again, this shift must be wholistic for it to be successful, people must realize that growing an economy is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal for an economy at its roots, is to develop an economy that does not rely on growth factors, but instead relies on efficiency factors, and the overall well being of the systems within. Once this has been implemented, we will all be better off, you will see.

Onward,

Hayden