Ford is such an enigma. He basically democratized the automobile and his policy of paying his workers more and making them work less is actually how he got so fabulously wealthy.
But at the same time he was also anti-innovation. The Model T was revolutionary for many reasons, but he literally thought it was the ultimate car and nothing more would ever be needed. His engineers would plead with him for many years to let new designs be manufactured or else Ford would go bankrupt. He also became a massive union buster and anti-worker guy and his goons were even involved in killing some strikers.
And let’s not get into his antisemitism and his love for Hitler.
His policy for worker being paid more and working less was nothing but optimisation. He needed reliable workers, so he paid them more for trained workers to stay, and reduced working hours to minimize manufacturing errors and induced costs. Worker’s well-being was coincidental.
I worked in the US for three years. Striking lack of work holidays, and everyone is obsessed with hours but not actual productivity. I saw a lot of screwing the pooch 4 hours of the day.
If you want to compete with a country working 996, it is fairly easy. Work less than 40h/week.
Even Ford who was nothing if exploiting workers to the max noted 40h as a max.
More recent data: https://carreersupport.com/employee-productivity-vs-hours-worked/
These guys are such assholes.
Ford is such an enigma. He basically democratized the automobile and his policy of paying his workers more and making them work less is actually how he got so fabulously wealthy.
But at the same time he was also anti-innovation. The Model T was revolutionary for many reasons, but he literally thought it was the ultimate car and nothing more would ever be needed. His engineers would plead with him for many years to let new designs be manufactured or else Ford would go bankrupt. He also became a massive union buster and anti-worker guy and his goons were even involved in killing some strikers.
And let’s not get into his antisemitism and his love for Hitler.
His policy for worker being paid more and working less was nothing but optimisation. He needed reliable workers, so he paid them more for trained workers to stay, and reduced working hours to minimize manufacturing errors and induced costs. Worker’s well-being was coincidental.
The money is like the most powerful drug. I don’t know why it makes you anti-Semitic, but a lot of the other stuff is chasing the dragon.
I worked in the US for three years. Striking lack of work holidays, and everyone is obsessed with hours but not actual productivity. I saw a lot of screwing the pooch 4 hours of the day.