I have been very fortunate to follow many great leaders throughout their time in a growing business-management driven economy. Throughout this time I have reviewed, written, proposed, and defended thousands of arguments that have shaped my view of the management process without even realizing it. One argument stays fresh in my mind because it comes up nearly everywhere that I visit. The proposal and argument to work an eight hour workday instead of a ten hour workday has been on the proverbial table more often than it has been off of it. The results of the proposal and argument always remain the same. Eight is better than ten or twelve.
The proposal to work an eight hour workday contains the root structure that embraces the rhetorical triangle and is therefore highly effective in many different situations. The claim is always the same; “We should work eight hours each day.” The supporting reason undoubtedly boils down to the argument presenter’s stance on the topic. Either the presenter is a steward of the company and cites a specific productivity reason for an eight hour workday or the presenter is a steward of the family and cites a reason to have a better quality of life incentive for the employee. The grounds to support the claim and reason are always specifically employee oriented, productivity oriented, and climate oriented to paint a picture of stress and strain that plagues productivity after the eighth hour. The rebuttal is always a sea of stress related to the summertime heat or wintertime cold that highlights the need to work a ten or twelve hour day. The proposal and rebuttal is always loaded with facts, figures, and images that are typically researched and weighted toward the desired outcome just as is the same with any good argument.
The argument to work an eight hour workday not only has a direct effect on my personal quality of life but also has a direct effect on the level of participation and productivity that I see and measure from shop-floor level associates every day. It cannot be said that this or any other proposal argument has a resulting outcome that works in 100% of cases. I think that is a very important aspect to note because some factories and work-plans simply cannot be in support of an eight hour workday due to unforeseen logistical and work-condition issues. In the end my ultimate response to the proposal for an eight hour workday remains the same everywhere I go no matter how well the argument is presented. I see eye-to-eye with the rebuttal arguments and consider the facts just as I am expected to do with any argument. The proposal changes slightly in every situation but my response remains the same. I do and will always support the eight hour workday.
Response to Tom’s Great Proposal Argument
ReplyDeleteTom, those are all really strong issues to consider in establishing a career or just trying to bring home the bacon. I side with you on that argument. The typical 8 hour day may not work for some, but it’s more commonly manageable when you think about the balance of home and work life. From a company standpoint, production is the number one factor, although they’ll tell you it’s safety.
My employer gives each job/craft different schedules. The employee then chooses the job with the schedule that works best for him/her. Some jobs work 8 days straight for 10 hours with 7 consecutive days off. Others work 10 hours for 4 days with 3 consecutive days off. I’ve got the old faithful M-F, 8 hours times 5 days equals 60 hours in a week (that’s what it feels like).
My argument would be for the 10-2 shift five days M-F. Let’s sleep in, see the kids off to school, and go to work at 10am. Then work 4 straight hours, fully energized and completely productive. After that, go home and have a little peace and quiet before the family arrives. Instead of paying workers for 8 hours/day, (in which 3 of those hours are spent lollygagging, gossiping, and smoking), maximize production while minimizing manpower costs! It’s a win-win situation… if your wife has a great paying job.
Blog Response to Tom’s “The Great Proposal Argument”
ReplyDeleteTom, your blog attracted my attention right away. After I read your proposal for working an eight hour day rather than a ten hour day I knew I had to respond. Why, you may ask? Is it because I am for the eight hour versus the ten hour day? Yes, for the most part. I work for a large company that is production driven and “time is money” as the old saying goes, and this is true for every company that is in business to make a profit. Whether production suffers due to a longer day has to be considered too, and it is usually up to management to decide what works best in each situation. Since you are in management, you can see how any proposal argument for or against this popular topic works.
I have been fortunate enough to see an eight hour work day evolve in my department. We now have “flex time” which is just that, a schedule in which we can “flex” each day’s hours to suit our work and personal lives. Of course, there are some limitations and rules that have to be followed, but over all, we have been given the choice to work from six hours a day up to ten hours if needed (depending on our workload, personal time off needed, and so on), so that work time becomes flexible to meet our work and personal lives. This flexible work schedule has been successful for over two years now and I am truly thankful for it.
A well written proposal argument has been written at our company and it was successful in bringing about a different, innovative way to work the eight hour day. I guess that is how a practical proposal works.
Can I Get a Nap?
ReplyDeleteTom I can relate to your continuous exposer to the proposal of the eight-hour work day. I too have been in situations, whether it is in management or running my own company, where I had to determine the number of hours individuals worked on their shift. I have found that an eight-hour shift is typically two or three hours longer than most can stay focused, let alone a shift that would include more hours. In fact, look at some of our aviation control tower operators, most of them work eight-hour shifts, and apparently from time-to-time they need nap. That is probably not fair; I have actually had the privilege of working with some pretty outstanding individuals. But, I do appreciate how you bring out the point that both the employer and the employee have sustaining reasons for agreeing on an eight-hour work day. I wish I would have looked up your blog address sooner; your writing is very polished. I read through several of your posts, and I appreciate your structure, and the emphasis you put on a strong conclusion. Very nice, it motivates me to do better.
Tom, I would also have to agree with you on the eight hour workday. In my profession we work twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. There has been suggested numerous times to switch to either ten hour shifts or even twelve hour shifts. I have looked at statistics from several agencies who have worked all three of the different shifts. Those who have gone to either the ten or twelve hour shifts have seen noticeable increases in sick leave and a decline in morale. Another downfall is the number of traffic accident that the employees were involved in during the longer hour shifts. My employees are required to operate motor vehicle in performance of their duties. It has been shown that the agencies that worker the longer shifts are more prone to be involved in a traffic accident.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you pointed out that the facts always seem to favor the point of view of who is presenting the argument. Whether its management in favor of longer shifts or labor in favor of the shorter shifts. I have seen thought that the productivity does seem to decline when requiring employees work ten or twelve hour shifts when they are not in favor of doing so.
It has been my experience that employees working eight hour shifts are more productive and seem to enjoy their work more. I also agree with you that working the longer shifts does affect your quality of life. I too enjoy being home with my family.