[Newsbot]

Title: Memo to boss: 11-hour days are bad for the heart
Category: Health
Posted By: kitty
Date: 2010-05-12 04:14:49
Canadian

[Heavy_Metal]

poor babies need to get to the hospital for an injection of cement so thay can HARDEN THE F*CK UP!

[saturn_656]

If I only had to work 11 hours a day I'd be bloody thrilled.

[commanderkai]

I can only imagine how unions will attempt to use this to get even more overtime pay.

[Yogi]

[quput on visa of course'ote="Heavy_Metal"]poor babies need to get to the hospital for an injection of cement so thay can HARDEN THE F*CK UP![/quote]


Really, HM? It has nothing to do with 'hardening up', and everything to do with 'smartening up'!


Virtanen said people may initially find working overtime rewarding and enjoy the extra money that comes along with it, but they should ask themselves if the long-term health effects are worth it.

We (society) have created a 'Frankenstiens Monster'. In the nearest city to me houses cost 350-400 K. To 'own' one, people have to work 14-16 hr days, 6 days/wk. Payments up to $2,400/mo. Trouble with that is that they are hardly ever home, and when they are, they are either sleeping or 'maintaining' the home' Hardly 'enjoying it'! The new truck in the driveway 60K. I never saw a truck in my life that's worth that price'! Work your ass off for 50 wks, and then 2 wks in the Carribean-'put on Visa', then 'back to work to do it all over again for another year.

If people refuse to pay the ridiculous prices asked, then prices will come down. It follows then that 'hours worked' will follow suit. People need to lower their expectations, and wants, and concentrate more on the neccessities.

[BionicBunny]

I think the article is more about preventing bosses or business owners from taking advantage of employees. And they will, mark my words they will. I see it alot. You can try to say no but sometimes businesses get creative in ways of firing you or reducing your hours when you are no longer in favour.

The article could also be in defence of any idea the government may have of raising the maximum work hours.

The question is, 11 hours a day may be alright to you but what about to a man or woman with family? Don't forget one hour of that 11 hours you won't get paid for since it's considered your lunch (or dinner). I'm working a place for my first time where I have an hour lunch added on to an eight hour day. Every other job I have previously worked has been 8 hour days but 30 minute lunches. I still twiddle my thumbs for 40 minutes.

And to chime in with Yogi, I have seen people work themselves almost to death (and at least one was successful at it). A 70 year old man died of a heart attack after 96 hours every two weeks. A family man had some sort of brain hemorrhage after working 14 hour days. I collapsed mentally and physically after 1 1/2 years while working about 126 hours every 2 weeks.

[Choban]

I work 11 hours a day, but only 4 days a week, on my working days I am subject to calls at any time while at home, nature of the beast, I get no overtime pay and holidays are based on how long I've been with the company.

Yogi is right though, people need to focus more on their needs and less on their wants, I could go out and buy a 50-60k truck, I bought a $1000 car instead. I could blow my pay on video games, nice clothes ect, I'd rather take my kids to the zoo or Callaway park.
Not to say I don't buy myself toys every once and awhile, I do, But I aim to have savings when I retire and work hard to make sure there is always a little to put away every month.

[BionicBunny]

Smart idea Choban.

I'm seeing over 65 year olds returning to the work force now more than ever because they can't live on their pensions.

[Yogi]

Choban Choban:

I work 11 hours a day, but only 4 days a week, on my working days I am subject to calls at any time while at home, nature of the beast, I get no overtime pay and holidays are based on how long I've been with the company.

Yogi is right though, people need to focus more on their needs and less on their wants, I could go out and buy a 50-60k truck, I bought a $1000 car instead. I could blow my pay on video games, nice clothes ect, I'd rather take my kids to the zoo or Callaway park.
Not to say I don't buy myself toys every once and awhile, I do, But I aim to have savings when I retire and work hard to make sure there is always a little to put away every month.

To be sure, it's a transition, but well worth it! Personally, over the last couple of years, I brought myself down from the highest tax-rate to the lowest.
I was at a point in my life that necessitated purchasing a new home 'for me'. I looked at a few new houses, and condos. It was while I was looking off the balconie of the last condo that 'it hit me'. " What the hell am I doing this for"? Really, I wanted to buy an old house out in the country and spend time renovating. 'Someday'! 'Someday' I would have to sell this condo, and then go find 'my house'. " Why not today"? So I did just that. An old house in a village, an hour from the city, 1/2 hour from most amenities. I was 'on the road' most of the time so what difference where 'I came home to'? Paid cash. No mortgage. Bought a lot of building materials. Discovered that my cost of living was waaay down. Enabled me to cut way down on income required/hours of work required. Bought an old 'beater' for my daily/winter driver, 105 K on my truck, which is 8 yrs old, but looks/runs like new, bought a little boat, a couple of gokarts, work on the house when I want, (about 1/2 way through total rebuild now), go fishing when I want, work when I want, 'pick and choose' the jobs I do take. Or I could have stayed in the city, working my nuts off until retirement!

[DrCaleb]

Heavy_Metal Heavy_Metal:

poor babies need to get to the hospital for an injection of cement so thay can HARDEN THE F*CK UP!

Yea, right.

It's got nothing to do with how tough you are. Your body simply can't handle that kind of stress for too long. We aren't designed for it.

I take a certain irony in this article, as after 10 years of 70+ hours a week, I developed heart problems and type 2 diabetes. Like Yogi says, what good are all the expensive toys if you can't enjoy them? That nice sports sedan is useless if you've had your legs amputated because of Diabetes. Is your new half million dollar condo wheelchair accessible?

Priorities need to change.

[Heavy_Metal]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Heavy_Metal Heavy_Metal:

poor babies need to get to the hospital for an injection of cement so thay can HARDEN THE F*CK UP!

Yea, right.

It's got nothing to do with how tough you are. Your body simply can't handle that kind of stress for too long. We aren't designed for it.

I take a certain irony in this article, as after 10 years of 70+ hours a week, I developed heart problems and type 2 diabetes. Like Yogi says, what good are all the expensive toys if you can't enjoy them? That nice sports sedan is useless if you've had your legs amputated because of Diabetes. Is your new half million dollar condo wheelchair accessible?

Priorities need to change.

au contraire mon frere it indeed has everything to do with how tough your body is and how well suited and inoculated to stress you are.

with that said, yes it does do a number on your body, which is why you have to balance everything with a healthy life style, eat properly, EXERCISE, and you'll find that the body can take almost everything you can throw at it and more.

[bootlegga]

Choban Choban:

I work 11 hours a day, but only 4 days a week, on my working days I am subject to calls at any time while at home, nature of the beast, I get no overtime pay and holidays are based on how long I've been with the company.

Yogi is right though, people need to focus more on their needs and less on their wants, I could go out and buy a 50-60k truck, I bought a $1000 car instead. I could blow my pay on video games, nice clothes ect, I'd rather take my kids to the zoo or Callaway park.
Not to say I don't buy myself toys every once and awhile, I do, But I aim to have savings when I retire and work hard to make sure there is always a little to put away every month.

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

It's got nothing to do with how tough you are. Your body simply can't handle that kind of stress for too long. We aren't designed for it.

I take a certain irony in this article, as after 10 years of 70+ hours a week, I developed heart problems and type 2 diabetes. Like Yogi says, what good are all the expensive toys if you can't enjoy them? That nice sports sedan is useless if you've had your legs amputated because of Diabetes. Is your new half million dollar condo wheelchair accessible?

Priorities need to change.

My motto (and my wife's) is work to live, not live to work. I don't see any reason to work 80 hours a week to earn $150,000, when working 40 hours a week can get me $70,000 or so and still have a decent lifestyle.

[Strutz]

Not everyone who works overtime gets paid for it though. That's the downside to being on a set salary. Often extra hours are needed in order to accomplish work that must get done that you can't possibly do in only an 8 hour day. So you work longer days but your paycheque doesn't change. You just get to keep your job. Having only worked in the private sector (and mostly for smaller companies) I've had to endure this in a couple of jobs I've had. It might have felt more "worth it" if there had ever been a few extra bucks involved but I can't say for sure.

I do totally agree with Yogi though. The first line of my sig says it all for me. Things are only things. You want to judge a person's worth? Take away all their "things" and see what you got left.

[Yogi]

Here's the lyrics to a song that I have on cd. ( Yes. I bought it ) It 'haunted' me for years! A few years ago I decided to 'rewrite' the final verse so that it 'suited me' rather than 'being about me'. It doesn't 'haunt me' anymore! I think this really describes the situation of 'most' working folks today.

If I can figure out how to link to the song I will do so.

George Jones - A place in the country Lyrics
Album: One Woman Man

Send “A place in the country” Ringtone to Your Cell

For thirty some odd years he faced a grinder in the city,
hustlin' day in day out just tryin' to survive,
he bought his wife the finer things,
and sent his kids to collage,
that always took what little bit he tried to put aside,

But thru it all he had one thing
that seemed to keep him going,
a dream that someday he could leave this city life behind,
I watched his hair turn thin and gray,
but his dream never faded,
he told me all about it at least a thousand times.

Chorus:
He always wanted, a place out in the country,
where the birds sing, in the morning,
and the grass is emerald green,
a place where, he could feel the mornin' sunshine,
and sit out in the evenin',
where the air is, fresh and clean.

It took lots of overtime to keep his wife up with the jonses,
and more to get his son out of his run-ins with the law,
the more it took the more he gave, never once complaining,
I don't know how he ever stood the pressure of it all.

I never thought he'd make it, but he finally left the city,
and now he's got that special little place to call his own,
today I took a ride out in the country just to see him,
it wasn't hard to find because his name was on the stone.

Chorus:
He always wanted, a place out in the country,
where the birds sing, in the morning,
and the grass is emerald green,
a place where, he could feel the mornin' sunshine,
and sit out in the evenin',
where the air is, fresh and clean.

Chorus:
He always wanted, a place out in the country,
where the birds sing, in the morning,
and the grass is...

[saturn_656]

Strutz Strutz:

Not everyone who works overtime gets paid for it though. That's the downside to being on a set salary. Often extra hours are needed in order to accomplish work that must get done that you can't possibly do in only an 8 hour day. So you work longer days but your paycheque doesn't change. You just get to keep your job. Having only worked in the private sector (and mostly for smaller companies) I've had to endure this in a couple of jobs I've had. It might have felt more "worth it" if there had ever been a few extra bucks involved but I can't say for sure.

I do totally agree with Yogi though. The first line of my sig says it all for me. Things are only things. You want to judge a person's worth? Take away all their "things" and see what you got left.

I'm on a set salary. But that salary is for a given number of hours per pay period.

Anything exceeding this is OT. Anyone working extra hours for no pay needs to be considering other job opportunities.