Yesterday, I posted about a an
article in Vice on the 4 hour workday. It seems as if on cue, the New York Times, published an article about the very
family un-friendly practices of Silicon Valley. Essentially, saying that at many start-ups parents and anyone not 25 yr old male coder is not welcome. Why???...
Because according to the NYT, parents have priorities in addition to their work. I would like to add that some young people have priorities in addition to their work as well. For many reasons, one including the inability to sit still for more then 30-40 mins. at a time, I've struggled when confirmed to an office. I'm a worker that likes to break up my day. Take a walk, think a bit and then come back to my work. But I digress...back to the issue at hand.
The policies of many companies in Silicon Valley, a leader when it comes to workplace culture, are not family friendly. They require workers to be at the office long hours. And it's not just in Silicon Valley.
The American workplace has always prized people who prioritize work over family, and European countries have long had more generous policies for working parents. But in the last two decades, that gap has widened significantly. Other developed countries have expanded benefits like paid parental leave and child care, while the United States has not.
The absence of such policies here creates obvious advantages for companies, reducing costs and increasing production. But for workers — most of whom have children, aging parents or both, and many of whom are single parents — the downsides can be enormous, whether they work in high finance or hourly labor. Many workers today — blue-collar and white-collar alike — believe they must choose between career and family.
As discussed yesterday in my diary and the comments posted there is an in balance between workers and the companies that employ them.
More broadly, some economists say, the lack of family-focused policies reflects the power imbalance between companies and workers in the American economy today. The share of economic output flowing to corporate profits has surged, while employee compensation has stagnated.
In Silicon Valley as with companies across the U.S. talented qualified people are overlooked because they are not 'culture fits.' The prevailing notion seems to be that one must be passionate about their work and happy to work long hours. Passionate or not, it can be a challenge for some people to work long hours. When I worked my longest hours under the most stress, I remember my health being horrible. Though, personal well being is not enough to show that shorter work hours are better. The NYT's suggests that workers may burn out before even reaching the finish line with of course economic consquences.
How do begin to change? Discussing and noticing the problem is a start. Companies taking the lead is another. Some Silicon Valley execs are leaving jobs that don't have family friendly policies and starting companies that do. Though, political policies must change. Seperating health care from work is a huge step. It will take others like mandating sick leave, longer maternity and paternity leave, mandatory vacation and strictly enforced work hour policies. Making these a reality is one of the most important things we can do in the coming years.