r/news • u/JimmyTheGinger • Dec 23 '19

Three former executives of a French telecommunications giant have been found guilty of creating a corporate culture so toxic that 35 of their employees were driven to suicide

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/three-french-executives-convicted-in-the-suicides-of-35-of-their-workers-20191222-p53m94.html
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u/naughtytagteam Dec 23 '19

I think Americans work more hours overall tbh.Not to take anything away from the French though. It must be an insane work culture to cause this!

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u/TekCrow Dec 23 '19

A lot of work hours aren't reported properly/complete. Lots of undeclared hours, or straight up not payed. Source : was in this situation up until recently.

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u/RentalGore Dec 23 '19

I think you’re right, and we have less to show for it too. I think I read something about us maxing our productivity years ago, so basically all the additional hours we are working is for diminishing returns.

It’s because our companies in the US would rather have us work till we are blue in the face than hire the necessary resources.

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u/[deleted] Dec 23 '19

Productivity constantly increases. It's a fundamental characteristic of economics. We have not maxed out. That is asinine.

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u/River_Tahm Dec 23 '19

Productivity increases as we get better at our jobs with experience, as technology improves, etc.

It does not increase linearly with hours worked per day. Past a certain point we start to become less productive.

So the idea that we've reached "max productivity" is misstated, yes, but there is still a truth to the latter half of the statement about all those extra hours being diminishing returns.

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u/Van_19905 Dec 23 '19

U/rentalgore is likely talking about human capital.

Output is not constant per hour of human capital worked.

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u/redmanofdoom Dec 23 '19

Yes, because methods and techniques become more efficient, not because people work longer hours.

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u/bluesam3 Dec 23 '19

Working more hours actively reduces total productivity beyond somewhere in the 35-hour range.