How many hours of work would you honestly say you do each day? Not quite 8, you say? Well today is National Boss' Day, and instead of another crappy tie or "World's Best Boss" mug, get her/him something she/he really wants - get productive!
Productivity in the United States is continuing to fall, leading to high labor costs and many other issues we're not the type of site to really cover. The United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (say that 10 times fast) has a slew of data on labor productivity and costs, providing detailed insights into how productive we are as a nation.
(Number of hours per week needed to produce as much as a 40-hour worker in 1950)
"An average worker needs to work a mere 11 hours per week to produce as much as one working 40 hours per week in 1950." This according to Erik Rauch (of M.I.T. so we know he's smart). So what the heck are we doing with our time and our money? Apparently we're using it to buy more stuff, which may explain why The Atlantic says we're not making more money even if the United States is the most productive country.
But while our work days are getting longer, are we actually making productive use of our time? From the 765 (and counting) search results for "productivity" from Unplggd alone, we're guessing no. Then there's a good question that GOOD asks - does all this new technology make us more productive workers?
So let's get get down to business and get productive. In honor of National Boss' Day, skip the gimmicks, gag gifts, and wasteful crap purchases. If not for your own good or out of the goodness of your heart, do it for your boss on this very special day.
More Productivity at Unplggd
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5 Productivity Utilities We Use, Love, and Recommend
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Poketo Helps You Keep Track of Daily Tasks with Paper!
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Manage Productivity in 10-Minute Increments to GTD
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Attain Inbox Zero & Free Yourself Of All Of Those Emails
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iPad Apps You Recommend for Work Productivity? (Lifework)
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8 Ideas to Increase Your Evernote Productivity
Morning Routines
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Why We Can't Sleep At Night Or Wake Up In The Morning
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How To Kick Start Your Morning & Bathroom Routines
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Get Your Day Started Right With A Good Breakfast & Coffee
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Grump & Grouch: Optimizing Morning Routines
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Our 5 Favorite Anti-Monday Productivity Tools
(Images: MIT: Productivity and the Workweek (Erik Rauch); Amazon; Flickr member Zak Hubbard licensed for use under Creative Commons)
(Sources: The United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wikipedia: Boss' Day, MIT: Productivity and the Workweek (Erik Rauch), The Atlantic, GOOD)
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Sorry, but i did find your text quite confusing.
What is your stand on the subject? Are you making a critic on the productivity of the average american worker?
If so, i think you would need more data on how the "United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics" (lol, i thats a long name) measures productivity.
I hardly imagine the calculations it on 1950, to be even near the calculations involved on today, or in 2000.
In the end, what i mean is: "Can the productivity of 1950 to be even compared with today's?"
I couldnt find a "edit comment" tool on the site, hence the grammar error in my quest will remain.
Hi Avo - most likely somewhere along the lines of "We are as productive now in 11 hours as we were in 40 back in 1950, yet we're not making more money, so what the heck are we doing with our time if not being more productive with all of it?". That and some links to being more productive. Oh and "Happy Boss' Day!"
I think the problem is that we are being more productive. If my back of the napkin calculations are correct we're producing a total of about 155 hours of 1950's labor while only getting paid for about 80 hours worth of 1950's wages. Now, I'm sure that somewhere in here, people are finding a little more time to goof off at work (like me looking this up and posting about it), but I don't think it's enough to make up that difference. There are a few other flaws in the details of my statement, but it's generally true that the ratio of production to wage has shifted unfavorably from the worker. So with that in mind, happy boss' day indeed.
What kts911 said! Thanks! ;)
I'm at work and I ain't doing sh*t! :)
Oh wait, I am the boss. It's my day, that's right.