[Avodah] Using Company Time

[Liron Kopinsky]

>
> 1- The difference between a po'el and an uman -- how much are they paid
> to work certain hours, and how much is it by getting the job done. Most
> modern professins are somewhere in between -- if you aren't making a
> deadline but you put in some overtime to try, you're okay. Putting in
> the time but not getting work done or getting the work done on time but
> chatting on Avodah/Areivim for 6 hours out of 9 would both typically be
> grounds for dismissal. Our current employment agreements are therefore
> somewhere in the middle. Again, IMHO.
>
LK: I think there is an big difference between working hard enough to not
get fired vs. working hard enough for your employer to be happy with you vs.
working hard enough to get a big promotion. If we are halachically obligated
to work b'chol kocheinu, that's not simply making sure "you're okay".

>
> 2- Contracts vs expectations, today vs the gemara. In the days of the
> gemara, hand labor in the orchards meant not having the time to get out
> of the tree for minchah. Few of us are in those kinds of jobs. Also,
> there is usually a gap between the terms in the contract and the
> informal understanding of our business culture. How much to each of
> these -- the norm at the time the halakhah was codified, the norm today,
> and the contract you signed -- each play into my obligations toward my
> boss.
>
LK: This is where I am seeing a big conflict in halachic sources. On the one
hand a worker is patur even from full benching or a proper mincha if they
are supposed to be working, but at the same time the mishna in Bava Metzia
(brought down l'halacha by the Rambam) states that a company cannot force
their workers to work early/late if it's not minhag hamakom. Today, the
minhag is for sure not to work non-stop from 9-5 with no work later, however
I'm sure most (non-union at least) employers would be happy if you worked
100% the whole time.
I have heard in the name of R' Heineman that government employees are only
obligated to do 4 hours of actual work in a day, but have to verify this
(and hopefully get more information on this subject as well from him.)



> 3- Does it make a difference if it's an issue of geneivas akum?

 LK: Why would it make a difference if it's geneivas akum? The main story
brought (even in the shulchan aruch) about how to behave in business is
Yaakov Avinu working for Lavan.
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