Wow, it had been ages since I last worked until 6 in the morning. I'm a creature of the night, I've always been that. In days now past (but perhaps to return) even when I didn't work late or read as if there was no tomorrow I would walk late into the night, striding streets far and wide around my lair.
Then there was the period during which I had to come to work at regular hours. This wasn't because of the cool employees we had (most of which had whatever schedules they wanted so long as we could catch one another during the day and the work got done, which it did) but because of the former third partner we had which was a true PITA. At first he was really nice (there has to be a reason why we made him partner in the first place) but as soon as we started to have employees he turned into a kind of monster that would make a PHB look like your very best friend.
He would boss employees around as if they were inferior or infeodated beings, not understanding that we had a dream team of amazing people, all of which had other jobs the same day they left. He would keep dribbling about how the french work system has too much spare time for people (35h/week, 5 weeks off, many state holidays) refusing to understand that France also has one of the highest productivity levels (simply because people work better when they're fresh and have a more or less sane work rhythm) and that the people here were working extra hours for free when the situation called for it simply because they liked their job. And more to the point of this journal, he had all sorts of unsupported grievings against Open Source and my approach to work that he didn't have previously.
Now, I never even came close to agreeing with him on any of those points, but having someone breathe down your neck with such braindead considerations day-in and day-out will eventually have an effect on even the most stress-immune people (and I'm very immune to work pressure). So bad that six months after his leave was negociated, and two months after he was finally kicked out of the offices this is the first time that I feel good knowing that I've worked less, have been productive in the way in which I've clarified many things that are to happen next, and don't feel guilty that I'll come in to work late tomorrow because of that.
Morality: never let a full-fledged capitalist walk into your business, they don't understand how capitalist economy works.
Re:Lesson Taken
darobin on 2002-01-22T05:41:18
Hehe
:-) Honestly, I like France but I'm not the kind to brag about it or to think that it's better than "other way Foo" of doing things. However, I truly think that there should be an international treaty making working more that 45h and having less than 4 weeks a year illegal. It's simple slavery otherwise imho. Re:Lesson Taken
pudge on 2002-01-22T12:36:32
I sure hope you're kidding.Re:Lesson Taken
darobin on 2002-01-22T15:32:00
I'm afraid not, at all. Of course, this doesn't count working for fun or pleasure.
