
The Myth of the Overworked American - paulpauper
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2016/09/06/the-myth-of-the-overworked-american/#11c911a2591a
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throwawaysea
> The answer appears to be that the perception, the myth of the overworked
> American is based on our own self-reporting. Gallup Poll results show that
> just over half of Americans are satisfied with their work hours and amount
> of vacation time, meaning almost half are not. More importantly, only 43
> percent like their chances of promotion and only 41 percent are satisfied
> with their pay. This gives an awful lot of people an incentive to report
> that they are working really, really hard.

If I am interpreting the article correctly, the argument here is that
dissatisfaction with some aspects of our careers (such as prospects of
promotion) is causing us to claim we work really hard or claim we are
overworked, as an emotional response?

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Footkerchief
> Yesterday was Labor Day, which led to predictable stories about how American
> workers work so hard and are working harder all the time. USA Today presents
> a perfect example of this genre, with their Labor Day article touting that
> 55 percent of Americans don’t use all their vacation days, American workers
> get the fewest paid leave days in the developed world, and even how 41
> percent of American workers failed to take a single vacation day last year.
> Yet, hearing this sort of story over and over does not make it true; in
> fact, American workers are not particularly hard-working and are working no
> more today than they were a decade ago.

This article doesn't even attempt to refute the claims of the USA Today
article it references!

