Icelandic work ethic

So, I "work" at a "company" that has in fact no full time employees. And that is not unusual here in Iceland, where plenty of people do freelance work with several different groups of people, or have several side jobs besides one main job. This has its disadvantages, certainly, in terms of meeting schedules or deadlines because, well, it is a bit like herding cats. People are really busy with several different agendas. But it also has a distinct advantage, because an American worker, stuck within the inner clogs of a large corporation, will often resort to tactics that eat away at a company from the inside. An Icelandic employee is empowered enough not to need to do such things. 

Comments

Anonymous said…
haha, I'm probably the archetype for this, teach at 3 schools, write music by commission and sing at funerals. No need for sabotage, I never get bored at least...
March 21, 2009 at 7:38 PM
Ko-Leen said…
I actually know a lot of people who do just have one job and it seems that much less work gets done. In Canada there was some sort of fear of your employer, I do not see that here. In Iceland I see a lot of a 'you should be happy I even showed up'. Maybe a different kind of sabotage.
March 24, 2009 at 5:49 PM
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