SOCI 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Netflix, Scientific Management, Megatech
Lecture 11/16/17
❏Why do Americans work so long so hard?
❏Sharone: Engineering overwork
❏The problem- looking at big tech firms (amazon, microsoft, google, etc)
❏Employees of big firms work about 67 hours a week- more than 5 days a
week
❏This creates a lot of tension and stress for those with families
❏Not steadily like this, goes into 3 different phases (the product cycle)
❏1: 10% of the year- Milestone Zero- everyone comes to work, lazy
around, makes decisions about work, not much stress
❏2: 50% of the year- writing of code, planning projects
❏3: 40% of the year: Crunch Mode- fixing bugs, finding out
mistakes, working about 75 hours per week in order to fix mistakes
and make shipping dates (Total crisis atmosphere)
❏5 hypotheses
❏1. Fun/family atmosphere: some companies can get people to work more
hours and be overworked by making the company supporting/ “better than
home”/ fun
❏The problem: no one actually uses the fun facilities, everyone is
usually secluded and talks to each other through emails instead of
actually communicating
❏Environment is competitive and harsh
❏2. Normative control: doing things because you feel like you should due to
duty or moral- when the workers identify with the firm
❏Workers work for the “greater good” of the firm
❏The problem: workers saw each other as individuals who are
competing against each other
❏3. Desire for higher incomes
❏The problem: the workers tell sharone they’re not working for the
money, they work for the bonuses as a SYMBOL of achievement
❏4. The work itself is fun: when workers work here, they go into the
mental state of flow- so focused on what they’re doing that they forget
problems, what time it is, etc.
❏The problem: the workers did not want to work these long hours
and they work the longest at the most boring phases (phase 2 & 3)
❏5. Competitive self-management: workers themselves have the “freedom”
to decide when and how much they work
Document Summary
The problem- looking at big tech firms (amazon, microsoft, google, etc) Employees of big firms work about 67 hours a week- more than 5 days a week. This creates a lot of tension and stress for those with families. Not steadily like this, goes into 3 different phases (the product cycle) 1: 10% of the year- milestone zero- everyone comes to work, lazy around, makes decisions about work, not much stress. 2: 50% of the year- writing of code, planning projects. 3: 40% of the year: crunch mode- fixing bugs, finding out mistakes, working about 75 hours per week in order to fix mistakes and make shipping dates (total crisis atmosphere) Fun/family atmosphere: some companies can get people to work more hours and be overworked by making the company supporting/ better than home / fun. The problem: no one actually uses the fun facilities, everyone is usually secluded and talks to each other through emails instead of actually communicating.
