this post was submitted on 05 May 2025
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Work Reform

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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.

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[–] TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world 108 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Want happier employees?

No. American corporations absolutely do not care about how happy their employees are. They only care about maximizing profits, and the best way to do that is to squeeze as much productivity out of their workers while also paying those workers as little as possible.

They know the workers aren't there to find fucking happiness. Few are so privileged. Most people go to work not because it makes them happy, but because they need the god damn money, to keep a roof over their head and to put food on the dinner table, and as everything gets more expensive, the workers need more and more money, to stave off homelessness and destitution. Happiness, Jesus Christ. What a luxury!

The purpose of capitalism isn't to make people happy. It's to make profit for owners. That's it.

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[–] MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net 81 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Want happier employees?

No, not really.
- The owner class

[–] elvith@feddit.org 15 points 2 days ago (2 children)

that's a bit unrealistic. The expected answer is "will this make line go up?"

[–] el_muerte@lemm.ee 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

No. Happier employees almost always do make the line go up in the long term, but most employers don't understand that, can't look further ahead than the next quarter, and think of an employee is happy it's a sign they must be slacking off.

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[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 49 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Lol. This country just voted to move in the opposite direction of this. We voted for less worker rights. Less power for the average person.

At this point, we'll need to start utilizing our 2nd amendment right if we want to get anything better than what we have. People died to give us the 40 hour work week. Looks like that's going to have to happen again for any further improvements.

Smarter countries did it without the bloodshed. America isn't that smart.

[–] Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 2 days ago (8 children)

My dipshit coworkers think trump will actually be good for unions. Mfers.

I'd like to add that 32 hour weeks is pretty much purely something that works for white collar work. It's considerably harder to implement in blue collar settings.

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[–] lime@feddit.nu 44 points 2 days ago (1 children)

four weeks? hell no, i'd walk from any interview that attempted to strip two weeks of vacation from me.

[–] Tja@programming.dev 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Exactly. The "wild fantasies" of Americans seem to be "below average" European.

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[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 35 points 3 days ago (87 children)

32hr workweek as a transition period down to 24 or even 20. 4 weeks PTO for new hires or something, add 2 weeks per year up to like 8 or 10, or even 12?

Fuck capitalism.

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[–] crystalmerchant@lemmy.world 28 points 2 days ago

Lmao they don't want happier employees they want more money

[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 26 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Want happier employees?

"No."

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[–] technomad@slrpnk.net 26 points 3 days ago (12 children)

And also pay us a fucking livable wage that's been adjusted for inflation and productivity gains over the years for fucks sake.

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[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 25 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Only 4 weeks? In much of Europe, 5-6 weeks is the norm.

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[–] Therobohour@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago (13 children)

Wait,you guys don't get that? Shit I'm.here in Northern Ireland and that would be less than standard. That's what we give teenagers,hell,most teens would not take that deal. When did America start treating the worker so bad? Like 1865?

[–] ToastedRavioli@midwest.social 26 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

America was built on treating the worker badly. Most of the first people that came here were either slaves or indentured servants. Chinese people got exploited to build the railroads, and then banned from being citizens in the country. Now we have prison slavery and wage servitude. There are a million and one examples, but exploiting the worker is as American as apple pie.

The only thing that has ever really improved in American labor is actual safety standards for work environments, equipment, etc. We do a great job of prioritizing that. But actual workers are viewed as expendable, and many of the largest employers are just meat grinders even if they offer half-decent benefits. Walmart is a good example of that

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[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

"But worker rights that is socialism! Socialism is evil because the soviets say they are that!"

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[–] Professorozone@lemmy.world 18 points 2 days ago

Don't forget the healthy dose of salary and humane treatment.

[–] danielquinn@lemmy.ca 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

4 weeks is still not on par with other civilised countries. Living here in the UK now, 5 weeks is standard. When I was in the Netherlands I was getting six.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 20 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Know what really hurts?

Running into foreigners in your own city who tell you about how they're on a multi-week vacation to America and they'll probably do it again to another country again next year. I've had that happen multiple times while out at bars in my city.

Meanwhile, I've barely crossed state lines in my entire adulthood because it's hard to even get a 3-4 day extended weekend.

America sucks y'all.

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[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 16 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Your premise is flawed in the first sentence - "Want happier employees?" No American employer cares about that in the least. Being happy at being allowed to keep their job and keep showing up to collect your meager pay is about all you can expect.

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[–] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 15 points 3 days ago

Eh... They'd prefer to double down on the happiness beatings.

[–] abff08f4813c@j4vcdedmiokf56h3ho4t62mlku.srv.us 15 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Also worth mentioning from the article,

I work fully in the office. But I think remote work is better for work-life balance. I don't have the option to work remote

Well, why not? Covid showed how great this can work .. but so many companies went back to 20th century norms as soon as the pandemic ended*

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[–] dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I just want to say that I work for an amazing boss in the UK as a software developer and a few months ago we all got pay rises and a reduction in hours. We now work 33 hours a week instead of 37.5. We get 4 weeks holiday and an extra day added after each year of work up to a total of 25 days (five weeks).

We can be sick without being moaned at and they truly do put us first and the work second. I’ve had a lot of jobs before I sorted my life out (like 50+) and I swear I have PTSD from the old ones in that I can’t believe how nice my boss is as every other have been for corpos who somehow manage to get some other poor idiot to treat you like shit whilst paying you minimum wage and expecting maximum effort.

You can see that having 50 jobs meant I was not really one to take the bullshit and I would just lose the job for giving them my thoughts.

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[–] tauren@lemm.ee 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

But companies don’t want happier employees. With that title this article will never break out of the echo chamber and reach employers.

[–] Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 days ago (4 children)

I worked for an employee owned manufacturing company for near ten years. The philosophy of our company was, "the essence of life is relationships".

The founder of the company was the only religious person I knew who actually followed it's teachings, he sold his stock to the company for less than it was worth until we were 100% employee owned. The stock price then shot up from $200 a share to $6k a share in ten years.

The company understood the importance of working ideas from the bottom up, (involving the lowest ranking employees just as much as the highest ranking). We understood the importance of company culture, and even had teams of people to make sure the needs of our employees were being met.

We had a supervisor who by all accounts was a fine supervisor on paper, however he rubbed every single employee the wrong way, he was a cunt if i may. With the support of all of us, we were able to, I don't want to say get rid of him, it sounds cold, but his name came up on our (truly anonymous) survey one year the company asked him to resign, and he did.

The owner passed away in 2018, and shit got squirrely from there, i left during the pandemic. CEO and highest ranking positions then changed hands to folks not there at the founding of the company, I felt the culture shifting and left due to personal reasons. The stock has since tanked.

I dont understand why these companies don't see the importance of uplifting their workforce.

I'll never find and employer like that again i think. It was a magical decade. Of course my stock is tanked now, im to be cashed out this year.

The ladder has been pulled right before my time my whole life so this osnt new. I went from having enough for a down payment on a house, and now i wont even beable to afford a car lmao.

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[–] match@pawb.social 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Do companies want happier employees?

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[–] mrodri89@lemmy.zip 13 points 2 days ago

4 weeks vacation is too small.

Make it 8. Rest is fine.

[–] lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com 11 points 2 days ago

That goal is too modest. We shouldn't settle until Keynes prediction of a 15-hour workweek is fulfilled.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 11 points 2 days ago

Start paying people enough that they can actually live instead of struggling just to keep their heads above water.

[–] burgerpocalyse@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago

i dont WANT happier employees i want MONEY!

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 9 points 2 days ago

Pay enough for them to afford two kids, a house and a car without dual-income and don't have them work so many hours they can't enjoy them.

[–] UncleGrandPa@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago

Unfortunately the leading point of view from employers

Is that if an employee is happy with their job... THEY ARE NOT WORKING HARD ENOUGH.

They feel that ONLY those who hate their jobs .. are efficient

[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 7 points 2 days ago

Okay i agree now what

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