Sleepless.... Globalization, ‘offshoring’ lead to interminable workday

[cyberpj]

Sleepless in Silicon Valley
Globalization, ‘offshoring’ lead to interminable workday

snip...

“It’s definitely a case of work creep — everyone in this industry is working harder right now because of e-mail, wireless access and globalization,” said Christopher Lockhead, chief marketing officer of Mercury Interactive Inc., a Mountain View-based consulting firm in 35 countries, including Israel, where Sunday is a normal working day.

“You can’t even get a rest on the weekend,” Lockhead said from his cell phone in the Dallas airport after sales meetings in Mexico. “The reality is that when you do business globally, somebody working for you is always on the clock.”

Some executives who ask workers to burn the midnight oil offer flexibility — longer lunch breaks, telecommuting privileges and complimentary dinner if you work past 6 p.m. Others dismiss complainers as spoiled or provincial — after all, customer service representatives in Asia have worked on U.S. schedules for more than a decade, so why shouldn’t Americans deal with time-zone challenges as the industry globalizes?

The staunchest advocates say whiners should find new professions. Richard Spitz, who leads the technology division of the recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International, says corporate clients want employees who embrace a 24-hour business cycle.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7781510/

[Cyrano]

1. Nothing new here. It used to be called slavery.

The only diffenence is that slaves were allowed to sing, and you're allowed to spend some time at McDonalds with your family.

(Yes, I know. Slavery was a thousand times worse. I'm just making a rhetorical point here.)