i mean, you wanna see some deeply unproductive time? try the days between Xmas and NYE. lmao. if it's not logistics/transport, people are fuckin' phoning it in big time.

the phenomenon of people quietly blowing off holiday weeks when their employer only grants them the specific day is not new. bosses "work from home" and that filters down: among those forced to be in the office, long lunches are taken. bare minimums are met. there is a general discouraging of scheduling meetings among colleagues, usually by making the assumption that someone critical will be out for the week anyway, so "let's table this until after the holiday/short week." sounds like the most reasonable and professional way to say, "that week isn't real so who cares"

just because this country is a shithole without worker protections doesn't mean those of us recognizing the adversarial nature of the workplace don't resist at each moment we can.

the biggest obstacles are rise-and-grind morons who run around at a frenetic pace trying to demonstrate how committed they are. or axe-grinders who look for opportunities to expose others slacking off, believing it will elevate their career. and sometimes it does, but many times it only makes silent, patient enemies by the truckload.