Liverpool welcomes the Fab Three

[JohnD]

Worker productivity is very much dependent on investment in equipment, and of course in training and development.

For example, five hard-working British workmen with shovels will not dig as big a hole as one easy-going German with an excavator.

Investment in British factories, steelworks and shipyards (in the days when we had any of them) lagged behind countries which grew more successfully.

You might recall investing lots of money in British Banks a few years ago. Our production of multi-millionaire traders and bank bosses leads the world.

 

[Micilin]

If Uk workers were are as productive as other countries , they could have Fridays off .

The example of the French is not that they are more productive despite their breaks and hours, but be because of them.

I can't imagine many employers here paying 5 days' for 4 days' of time spent at work, regardless of how much you got done in that 4 days (if not on a price, anyway, and certainly not on a permanent basis); they'd just expect you to flog your guts out for the fifth day too (we are one of only two countries in EU to have opted out of the 48 hr Working Time Directive, which in itself tells you something of our Masters' attitudes to "work-life balance").

Understood ,but the day off was just an illustration of the difference. You are right of managers value time over production

 

[Brigadier]

If Uk workers were are as productive as other countries , they could have Fridays off .

The example of the French is not that they are more productive despite their breaks and hours, but be because of them.

I can't imagine many employers here paying 5 days' for 4 days' of time spent at work, regardless of how much you got done in that 4 days (if not on a price, anyway, and certainly not on a permanent basis); they'd just expect you to flog your guts out for the fifth day too (we are one of only two countries in EU to have opted out of the 48 hr Working Time Directive, which in itself tells you something of our Masters' attitudes to "work-life balance").

Understood ,but the day off was just an illustration of the difference. You are right of managers value time over production

Effectively though, "the day off" is not far off the mark; according to Wiki, the French have an average working week of just 30 hrs, and the Germans, even less.


Most countries in the developed world have seen average hours worked decrease significantly.[19][20] For example in the U.S in the late 19th century it was estimated that the average work week was over 60 hours per week.[21] Today the average hours worked in the U.S is around 33,[22] with the average man employed full-time for 8.4 hours per work day, and the average woman employed full-time for 7.7 hours per work day.[23] The front runners for lowest average weekly work hours are the Netherlands with 27 hours,[24] and France with 30 hours.[25] At current rates the Netherlands is set to become the first country to reach an average work week under 21 hours.[26] In a 2011 report of 26 OECD countries, Germany had the lowest average working hours per week at 25.6 hours.[27]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_time#European_Union