[noonespecial]

We should call it what it is. When a company forces you to work more than the hours indicated in your job description when you signed on without additional compensation this is called stealing.

From now on, in place of "long hours" or "overtime" we should simply state... "Yeah my company had a big project due so they stole about 20 hours each from us last month", or "Our employer steals from us all the time, they call it 'being a team player' or something...". In fact, mention theft at every opportunity when discussing required extra hours. It works for the RIAA and music, it should work for the cube dweller too.

[allenbrunson]

i can certainly understand your frustration, but two wrongs don't make a right. if you use inflammatory language, you are only going to harden the position of the people on the other side.

a better tactic is to try to get employers to empathize with their employees. if they fully understood the anguish they are causing, they would be less likely to continue such policies. if that doesn't work, vote with your feet: work somewhere else.

it's a sad thing about getting angry: you yourself are negatively affected by it far more than those you are angry with. it's better to remove yourself from a negative situation than it is to flail around in it, making yourself feel worse.

[pchristensen]

You're using the RIAA as a mode of how to be successful and happy?

It's not stealing since you're still getting paid. It's just that the more hours over 40 (or whatever you expected), the lower your hourly pay goes. If you feel like you're working more hours than you agreed to, bring it up with HR or your boss or whatever. They should either lower your hours or increase your pay. If they won't do either, you should find a better job. Life is too short to feel cheated every day at work.

[blogimus]

Its not stealing because the music label is still being paid. I bought 1 CD from Sony and copied 9 others. Its just that their price per CD is lower.

[pchristensen]

Well, if you're working 400 hours a week and only getting paid for 40, you've got serious problems.

If you're getting fixed compensation, make sure you know the expected hours before you accept the offer. If they ask you to work more than that, renegotiate or refuse. If you're getting paid by the hour, then you're being compensated so no worries. Don't be afraid of the labor market - it's good times right now.