ReformedCharacter wrote:Comments here about the public sector make me think of a conversation I had with a friend (I'll call him Paul) a couple of nights ago.
Paul is a musician and some years ago he had a job working for his local council doing musical workshops with some of the local youths, I can't remember the exact details but I think they were 'troubled' or had been involved with low level crime, dealing cannabis, that sort of thing.
Anyway, Paul was made redundant and the council kindly offered him another part-time job. His new job, for which he had no experience, was to sit in front of a computer and answer calls and emails from social workers who needed help with processing their reports and 'paperwork'. Several years ago I was talking to Paul and he said 'I get tired and go to a 'special room' at work and have a nap'.
Since Covid, Paul 'works' from home. I said to him 'that must be nice, not having to commute' and he said 'Yes, I get up and log in at 8.30 and spend an hour and a half answering queries and sorting things out. Then I might go for a swim or up to my allotment. Then I check to see if there's any more work and carry on for a bit if it's busy'. I said something like 'That must be good, if you can get away with it' and he said 'Yes, I'm an expert with the system now and all the social workers thank me for sorting out their problems so quickly, but I missed a meeting the other day because I forgot about it and was at my allotment, I just said that I had to pick up a prescription'.
RC
In fact he may well be no less productive now than when in an office. He now knows that he can do the work in half the time and has an incentive to do so. As Northcote Parkinson said. ‘Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.’ or words to that effect.
Dod