On the one hand I am amazed that somebody actually noticed that employees with more control on the job are happier. On the other hand, I am amazed nobody thought of this.

I am certain none of you remember the industrial revolution, as it happened a while ago.  To my amazement and delight, internet to the rescue.  Really, you can learn about anything you feel like learning on this internet thing.

The great thing, I think, is that this 18th and 19th century period was full of inventions and improvements in the standards of manufacture that made the standard of living better for a lot of folks. The bad thing is the human toll.  Working women and children in particular had no laws to protect them.  People did not know about factories and production and what it would do to people. I remember reading a long time ago about how rebellious the first factory workers were, rebellious at the outset.  People had been living primarily on largely self-sufficient farms.  Nobody told them when they had to start work and end work and such.  So it really is not any surprise, given the fact that a relatively low alcohol content grog was the main drink available, that people went out for grog breaks as frequently as they could manage.  They concentrated poorly and required direction from a management that could probably only be seen as repressive, no matter what they said or did. Read more on Working For A Living — And Loving It…