this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2023

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Work Reform

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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.

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All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.

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Higher wages for underpaid workers.
Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
Better and fewer working hours.
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People who work from home all the time ‘cut emissions by 54%’ against those in office (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 2 years ago by MonsiuerPatEBrown@reddthat.com to c/workreform@lemmy.world

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[–] whitecapstromgard@sh.itjust.works 40 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This is such a no-brainer that I'm surprised the climate crowd are not advocating more aggressively for it.

[–] ringwraithfish@kbin.social 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

Something like 70% of greenhouse gasses are produced by 100 companies globally. This is like using a cup to empty an Olympic sized pool: yes, it does something, but not enough.

We need to maintain focus on the big producers and affect change there first and foremost.

[+] treefrog@lemm.ee 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] ringwraithfish@kbin.social 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This article talks specifically about energy usage, not consumption of products. Work from home likely wouldn't have an impact in consumed goods.

I'm a WFH employee, and my company has no plans to change it. I'm all for WFH. I brought up the issue of 100 companies producing 70% of greenhouse gases because to me this article lines up with the idea of us reducing our individual carbon footprint, which we've found out in the last few years was just a coordinated effort by the fossil fuel industry to deflect their responsibility to us.

All of these efforts are good. WFH is good, renewable energies are good, EVs are debatable (depending on where you stand on how the rare materials needed for the batteries are sourced) but overall better than gas and diesel. But at the end of the day, if your tub is overflowing you need to turn off the tap first before you pick up the mop.

[–] whitecapstromgard@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 years ago

What are those companies doing? They are selling stuff to people.

[–] Ni@kbin.social 33 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I think work from home and also the adoption of the 4 day work week will be critical to tackling the climate crisis

[–] Phoenix3875@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Four day work will cut the emission even more. Just saying.

[–] irmoz@reddthat.com 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Isn't that also what they're saying?

[–] Ni@kbin.social 4 points 2 years ago

Yes!

[–] cooopsspace@infosec.pub 2 points 2 years ago

It's also the 20% payrise we all absofuckinglutely need.

[–] Luvs2Spuj@lemmy.world 15 points 2 years ago

But think of the commercial property prices!

[–] MrBusinessMan@lemm.ee 14 points 2 years ago (2 children)

But at what cost? Employees are less productive without the watchful eye of a skilled manager.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 22 points 2 years ago

Another MrBusinessMan banger 😄

[–] WindowsEnjoyer@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 years ago

Employees don't work from home!!1!11!1!1!!

[–] cricket97@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago

individual civilian emissions are so inconsequential in the grand scheme of things that it makes me laugh when people talk about shit like this. A vast, vast majority comes from industries, not individuals driving a car to work.

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

Tell that to my desk chair hahaa pass the crudité.

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Fuck, just let us live our lives.

[+] DasRubberDuck@feddit.de -12 points 2 years ago (4 children)

And then there is the guys in the factory and the warehouse who can not be afforded this "luxury". The doctors and nurses, the school- and kindergarten-teachers who need to be at a specific place to do their jobs. This proposal simply does not work for everybody. The whole "work from home debate" seem to focus on a particular kind of jobs and disregards that all those jobs only exists, because manufacturing takes place in China. I'd love to see a change of focus, from product price to quality and sustainability of industry products to go along with qualified manufacturing jobs returning to Europe. And in that context we can hopefully stop shifting the exploitation of workers to Asia along with the Jobs and exploit our own workers again. NO! Of course, not exploit them as much anymore.

[–] retrieval4558@mander.xyz 22 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'm one of those people who needs to be at a specific location. That has nothing to do with WFH for other people, and I think the option should be broadly available for jobs for which it's possible. There is no one solution that addresses all possible situations.

[–] DasRubberDuck@feddit.de 1 points 2 years ago

I'm not saying working from home should not be available for anybody who wants to do it, sorry if I sounded like it. I just wanted to emphasize that it is a solution for a specific subset of employees. I see a big potential to alienate a big chunk of people if we don't put this in context.

[–] GetAwayWithThis@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You are right but massive WFH adoption where possible would mean less commuters, less idling in trafic. Maybe even leaves space for some downsizeing of the car based infra we have, to be replaced with bike friendly or more walkable spaces/roads.

The manufacturing jobs are a tough one. It would be nice to see a shift, but not only by bringing the jobs back, but also by lifting up the exploited workers in Asia for example. It might just level the market to be competitive? I have no idea hoe it would look like, just a thouhht.

[–] DasRubberDuck@feddit.de 7 points 2 years ago

The manufacturing question is a tough one, because changing this requires taking short term profits away from companies and exchanging them for a long term better future. That's a tough idea to sell. But I guess I'm derailing the discussion a bit with that point.

Letting people work from home is an easy decision in contrast. That's just about changing some insecure managers minds. You can usually do that with numbers. Same goes for 4 day work weeks. Both of those are inevitable because companies who adopt it will have a competitive advantage in terms of acquiring talent in the next 10 years.

[–] GentlemanLoser@ttrpg.network 6 points 2 years ago (2 children)

IDK what to tell ya dude. It's an option for a lot of people. Sorry you work in a warehouse i guess?

Also don't look in your neighbor's bowl unless it's to make sure they have enough.

[–] Lazz45@sh.itjust.works -1 points 2 years ago

Its not specific to warehouses. This is how most of the industrial sector operates. This is where all the products and their precursors come from every single day. Reducing production reduces supply (in term sky rocketing price) and literally every single part of the supply chain of almost all products are actively strained.

Again I agree with the other commenter that it doesn't mean it shouldn't happen for office workers, just that everyone who spouts this off completely forgets about a VERY LARGE and IMPACTFUL portion of the labor market

[–] DasRubberDuck@feddit.de -3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Sorry you work in a warehouse i guess? [...] Also don’t look in your neighbor’s bowl unless it’s to make sure they have enough.

a. I don't.

b. That's my point. Improvements in the workplace are great. I just wanted people to be aware that this change is not applicable for a big part of the workforce. I was trying to make sure people saw that their neighbors bowl would still be empty so to say.