This is an old idea
from several years ago. It's guess it's about 10-12 years.
The idea started out
as a thought experiment, and went at that time also through several ideological
filter as in why it would be good, or preferable in one sense or another.
However, at the end of it I'd prefer having it less dependent on ideology and more
dependent on the three general questions that do concern public health,
workforce health, and living conditions for a near future that affects the
current and upgrowing generations.
As much as I'd like,
there is no real way for me as a geographer to patent ideas, but at the same
time sitting and not telling about them is equally bad, if not worse, since
then there is no possibility to spread the idea for debate and see what other -
dear, respected to me people and everyone else think about it.
So here it is.
As of now I really
try to keep the ideas short and concise - which for those knowing me - is
really, really hard.
And also since I'm
short on time you'll have to live with me not having references.
Two jobs combined into one for better health in the
near future?
Today we (as in
basically very large parts of the industrialized, rapidly industrializing and
semi-industrialized world are facing the following issues:
- Current generation (20-65?) and those growing up will with high probability need to work longer until they can retire for several reasons. And as sad as it seems the new span for retirement might be somewhere between 69-75 years.
- Even if public health overall is getting better, there are still and will be questions on how big parts of the workforce collective will manage to that age retaining maximum health, mobility, life happiness and enjoyment and motivation for doing things?
That
considering that the current and soon to be retirees (between say ca 55 - to 67
years in Sweden) can fairly often be tired and physiologically and
psychologically worn or even worn-out.
So the central
question is:
How do we manage to
work until somewhere between 65 - to 75 years of age, without getting too
worn out, keeping good health and mobility, and being still happy and
fulfilling life? Movement is important!
Well after some
(fairly long thought) I have the following idea:
Todays jobs are kind
of static in what we do. They have the upside of niched specialization, but
computerization has brought quite many to be very sedentary (sitting) at work,
and at the same time stress is tearing through society - which isn't a good combination.
Others that work more physically seem to need to exert themselves all to more
while competing with robotization and rationalization and thus wearing
themselves out physically - not only risking it. I'm keeping things simple here
- of course we do have the whole issues with sweatshops, education and so on,
not denying that.
What if it would be
possible to reform society so that those who want can basically have two
matching part-time jobs that together would form a by todays standard a
full-time job with a full time wage, but these two jobs have to differ from
each other: One has to be more physical and the other more intellectual in
order to give the worker/employee maximum variation and stimulation over the
workweek or workmonth (that's for scientist and medics to decide).
To illustrate, say
the following possibilities would exists:
IT-programmer +
Daycare center/Kindergarten teacher
Car/Vehicle Mechanic
+ Traffic operations leader
Office worker +
gardener/hipster bazaar salesperson ;)
I'm not at all sure
it the best divide is 50% + 50% or if it is 40% to 60%. That would translate
into either 2.5 day + 2.5 day of work or respectively 2+3 days.
Also, this is
independent of if future society has 8 or 6 hours work/day.
The main point would
be that whilst it would indeed take more time to get better at ones work
compared to today, it would give a more overall and varied load.
If this is a OK idea
I hope the consequences are:
- Better overall health and mobility.
- Easier to detect on-set of health related problems early on and thus prevent them, thus also lowering medical costs and enabling medical coverage for more people (effectivization). And lessening suffering and pain.
- A possibly bigger pluralism or work places and jobs?
- Longer life-spans?
Now the downsides
are:
- The educational system has to have space and resources for a doubling of professions for each individual. However it all depends also how such a system is set up and what schools to look like and how they work.
- This isn't probably suitable for everyone, but maybe for sufficient number of peoples?
- This doesn't eliminate stress of course, but might be a coping strategy and if well constructed be able to lower stress levels (I imagine)?
So, that's the idea.
As a bonus, one
could perhaps use a model found in some (at least that I know about) swedish
state-owned workplaces combined with a japanese (as I've heard) idea relevant
for primarily the elderly among the workforce and retired people:
When nearing retirement, a worker/employee
would scale back on the main work and get more free time to, and when already
retired they could still (and get a little payment of course) work with things
that are mobile and good for keeping mobility and health up some smaller part
of the week. The example I've read about involved working in tending park and
green areas just a couple of days, getting payed on-top of the pension and thus
might be win-win for both the individual and society.
