I’m not even sure if this particular ‘manager’ was ever introspective enough to recognise hypocrisy or selfishness; I think she was just being reactionary – driven by fear and paranoia. So many people are at work aren’t they?

I have a very mercenary approach to working nowadays – I rent my time and the necessary amount of effort to complete the job to my satisfaction in exchange for my pay. That’s it. When I’m at work I treat people in accordance with the standards that I set for the rest of my life.

Thanks for the link to your other post, I found it really quite interesting. Have you seen Jason Calacanis’ “120% Solution” post yet? http://calacanis.com/2008/12/04/the-120-solution/

Using the term “work ethic” to describe driving (or seducing) people into appallingly long work hours to the neglect of family and community and even self is disgusting.

That manager, who ranted at you when you were sick, who complained that you were being inconsiderate to them and then used the word “ethic” to defend their actions is nothing more than a selfish hypocrite. They are a filth-stain upon the planet’s surface.

That pretty much sums up all the issues I’ve had with Australian managers in the nearly three years I’ve been working here — they want you to turn up on time, shut up, put your head down, and work, work, work. Don’t question anything, don’t attempt to change the status quo, don’t bother using your brain.

The 4 day working week thing will require a bit more thought, but I think it will be something I want to work towards. We’ll see — a lot of things floating around in my head at the moment about which direction in life I want to take.

However, the Fairfax story about staff turnover is lazy. They quote numbers and then make assertions without bothering to even try and support them. Typical of the “Nouveau Fairfax”…

P.S Your unsubtle tagging did not go un-noticed