When the capacity utilisation (the ratio of machines at work at factories in an economy) reads 85% or more, the industrial production is supposed to be overheating. That means the industrial production is healthy only when at least 15 machines out of 100 are idle. If a factory is producing at full capacity, it cannot increase production any more and additional order may be taken by its competitors. Under the full utilisation, a breakdown of one machine may cause a big loss for the company. It is needless to say that running all the machines all the time will wear machines down more quickly and increase the chance of breakdowns... So some machines have to be left idle and take a rest.
When I heard this concept for the first time many years ago, I felt we were actually treating machines better than humans. A machine can be more easily repaired or even replaced with a new one when it is broken down. But one human being cannot be replaced by someone else upon his/her death. Why don’t we care much about human utilisation but mostly behave like slave drivers to others and ourselves?
After working full-throttle for many years, I have recently started to feel that I can work at 60% utilisation of my capacity. The relatively low utilisation ratio would not only allow me to handle urgent orders that come in time to time but also enable me to work for much more years. Then I may be able to work until death, hopefully at 80 something. Then I will be free from the worries about how to finance my life after retirement…
1 件のコメント:
You are entirely correct. I work about 50 hours a week, and I am continually burnt out, but I do it voluntarily. I don't know any other way to work. I think, though, working at 60% capacity is probably too little for me; about 75% would allow me time for creativity, yet the urgency to get it done, which I also need.
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