About job completion rates going up from more focused time, that's part of it but I bet the longer weekends help too. Less burnout means people come back ready to work, not just from having longer blocks in a day. The change probably works for a mix of reasons, not just one thing.

My friend saw those joints in person... he sold his nail gun the next day and started saving for proper chisels.

That social pressure when it fails in front of everyone is the worst part. Cold beans taste even worse with an audience.

Totally get that. Feels like it lost some of its soul.

When I asked for a raise at my old job, I pulled numbers from PayScale and Glassdoor. I made sure to list my wins from the past year before handing over the printouts. My boss said the facts helped her make a case to upper management, and I got a 5% bump. It didn't feel awkward because I framed it as wanting to stay fair with the market. What sites did you use for your data?