Workers waste away hours and life

Someone told me what he believed to be a deceptively simple yet clever trick for office jobs: drink lots of water. The benefits are two-fold. Not only do you have to walk over to the watercooler, pour the water and carefully cradle your styro-foam cup as you walk back to your desk, but you also need to pee more, providing an ingenious excuse for walking all the way to the bathroom. Funny thing is, I thought that was MY special trick. It turns out to be oddly and pathetically common.

As reported July 11 in a Reuters article, Americans admitted in a recent survey to wasting an average of over two hours each day at work. These hours were spent socializing, surfing the net and "spacing out." Common reasons for wasting time were not having enough work to do and being underpaid. Younger workers were especially likely to waste time.

Paradoxically, we as a country work more and longer hours than almost any other industrialized nation. Due to cultural differences and labor controls, Europeans enjoy longer vacations and shorter daily hours. Our added hours have helped make us an economic superpower, but at what point do these extra hours add diminishing or even negative returns as workers become tired, disgruntled, or simply run out of work to do? And what do these extra hours cost us in terms of hobbies, a social life, and family time?

These concerns were highlighted for me by two concurrent events: a recent trip to Italy and my impending graduation (May 2006). Italy is a stereotypically lazy country, featuring common train strikes, a daily siesta from 1-4 pm and a love for the "dolce vita." I noticed something else, though, that is completely missing from most American communities, especially in the smaller, non-tourist areas: families, friends, and neighbors out on the town in droves late into the evenings. Aside from bringing a sense of community, this nightly activity also contributes to a sense of safety. Of course I don't think Americans can or should completely adopt the Western European way of life, but in our quest for a more balanced lifestyle, we should recognize the benefits of societal priorities on unstructured relaxation and community.

In contrast, many Americans, especially with the demands of dual-income families, come home and are too exhausted to do anything except vegetate in front of the television and struggle to put the kids in bed, only to wake up early the next morning for another packed day. Doctors warn that we don't get enough sleep and are overly stressed, leading to a variety of health problems. Generational mixing is limited, as every age group not only has its own hang-outs, but a lack of diversity in most neighborhoods makes it seem as though some suburbs are geared toward young professionals, others toward middle-aged families and yet others toward the elderly. American employers seem convinced that the way to maximize worker productivity is to give longer hours, but I don't believe that this is always the answer. Aside from the societal tolls, workers may become tired and be less productive, give up and decide to actively waste time, or even worse, employees may run out of work and at that point companies are pointlessly wasting wage money while concurrently lowering worker satisfaction.

I know as I dive into my final year at Tech, I will resurface at graduation all too soon and be forced to face a career decision. There are so many things I want to learn and do, and I am becoming more convinced of my fear that over-specialization, although economically efficient, renders most office jobs unfulfilling. Where does one fit in this society when she loves a mental challenge, wants to work with smart people, and wants to excel, but at the same time loathes the thought of giving her life and her youth to shaving costs for a corporation? People who want this option should not necessarily expect to get rich, but should at least have a place where they can make a living and have their talents be put to good use while maintaining a balanced home-life. We don't need three cars and a 4,000 square foot McMansion, but we do need a sense of community.