[ancornwell]

I couldn't agree more. There was an article in the WSJ last week about the benefits of sleeping on the job. I'm sure it was read because it seriously clashes with the NY state of mind, but I saw some pretty supportive comments on Twitter from Californians and New Yorkers alike. I would never want my office to be in France where you get to work at 11, go to lunch and have a few bottles of wine from 12-4, and then take off at 5. I'm glad Sarkozy raised the retirement age to 62 though. I just don't want a culture swap, but it looks to be one of the many directions our melting pot could take. My french roommate used to put the eggs in the cupboard! Crazy!

If I saw one of my employees put the eggs in the cupboard and then take a nap in my New York office, my brain would implode.

I'm not suggesting to operate like a sweatshop and I'm aware that manufacturing power in the United States is quite volatile right now, but even when people focus on those right-brain activities, the earth still spins and capitalism still exists. Some of my best work is produced when my fatigue becomes delusion :D

[ugh]

You are funny.

I must say, those French are damn impressive. They work only ten hours a week (probably eight because – honestly – you just know that they will take fridays off) and still manage to be the fifth largest economy in the world. Isn’t that something we all should try to imitate, not scoff at?

[ancornwell]

Sarkozy is trying to change social opinion of "careers" and "work" in France to keep pace with other countries. France is a very old country which also makes it even harder to bring change. I think there are a lot of people in France who pick up the slack for others. Kind of like the Israel...

If there is a country we should imitate, I think it would be Israel. Now that's ambition, dedication, and of course, resilience. I think Tel Aviv has the highest concentration of tech startups in the world also.

Why would you think French people only work ten hours per week? My French roommate never understood sarcasm either. He also kept putting the damn eggs in the cupboard even after I told him he would get sick.

[ugh]

Pssst, the stylistic device in your comment is called hyperbole, the one in mine is called sarcasm.

[Dritan]

The 10 hour a week I think is derived from the work schedule of French people which you mention in your previous post.

I don't think Israel's economy should be of any particular interest to the U.S, it's like a huge elephant trying to imitate a nimble rat. However, maybe if the U.S stopped giving away billions to Israel every year, it could put more of its own people to work.