diff --git a/src/restic/worker/pool.go b/src/restic/worker/pool.go
index e94b9fe20..d2afb3257 100644
--- a/src/restic/worker/pool.go
+++ b/src/restic/worker/pool.go
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
 package worker
 
-import "sync"
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"sync"
+)
 
-// Job is one unit of work.
-type Job interface{}
-
-// Result is something the worker function returned, including the original job
-// and an (eventual) error.
-type Result struct {
-	Job    Job
+// Job is one unit of work. It is given to a Func, and the returned result and
+// error are stored in Result and Error.
+type Job struct {
+	Data   interface{}
 	Result interface{}
 	Error  error
 }
@@ -22,12 +22,12 @@ type Pool struct {
 	done  chan struct{}
 	wg    *sync.WaitGroup
 	jobCh <-chan Job
-	resCh chan<- Result
+	resCh chan<- Job
 }
 
 // New returns a new worker pool with n goroutines, each running the function
 // f. The workers are started immediately.
-func New(n int, f Func, jobChan <-chan Job, resultChan chan<- Result) *Pool {
+func New(n int, f Func, jobChan <-chan Job, resultChan chan<- Job) *Pool {
 	p := &Pool{
 		f:     f,
 		done:  make(chan struct{}),
@@ -52,10 +52,9 @@ func (p *Pool) runWorker(numWorker int) {
 		// enable the input channel when starting up a new goroutine
 		inCh = p.jobCh
 		// but do not enable the output channel until we have a result
-		outCh chan<- Result
+		outCh chan<- Job
 
 		job Job
-		res Result
 		ok  bool
 	)
 
@@ -66,16 +65,15 @@ func (p *Pool) runWorker(numWorker int) {
 
 		case job, ok = <-inCh:
 			if !ok {
+				fmt.Printf("in channel closed, worker exiting\n")
 				return
 			}
 
-			r, err := p.f(job, p.done)
-			res = Result{Job: job, Result: r, Error: err}
-
+			job.Result, job.Error = p.f(job, p.done)
 			inCh = nil
 			outCh = p.resCh
 
-		case outCh <- res:
+		case outCh <- job:
 			outCh = nil
 			inCh = p.jobCh
 		}
diff --git a/src/restic/worker/pool_test.go b/src/restic/worker/pool_test.go
index 1b66c2ad7..7112b2beb 100644
--- a/src/restic/worker/pool_test.go
+++ b/src/restic/worker/pool_test.go
@@ -13,16 +13,16 @@ const concurrency = 10
 var errTooLarge = errors.New("too large")
 
 func square(job worker.Job, done <-chan struct{}) (interface{}, error) {
-	n := job.(int)
+	n := job.Data.(int)
 	if n > 2000 {
 		return nil, errTooLarge
 	}
 	return n * n, nil
 }
 
-func newBufferedPool(bufsize int, n int, f worker.Func) (chan worker.Job, chan worker.Result, *worker.Pool) {
+func newBufferedPool(bufsize int, n int, f worker.Func) (chan worker.Job, chan worker.Job, *worker.Pool) {
 	inCh := make(chan worker.Job, bufsize)
-	outCh := make(chan worker.Result, bufsize)
+	outCh := make(chan worker.Job, bufsize)
 
 	return inCh, outCh, worker.New(n, f, inCh, outCh)
 }
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func TestPool(t *testing.T) {
 	inCh, outCh, p := newBufferedPool(200, concurrency, square)
 
 	for i := 0; i < 150; i++ {
-		inCh <- i
+		inCh <- worker.Job{Data: i}
 	}
 
 	close(inCh)
@@ -39,10 +39,11 @@ func TestPool(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for res := range outCh {
 		if res.Error != nil {
-			t.Errorf("unexpected error for job %v received: %v", res.Job, res.Error)
+			t.Errorf("unexpected error for job %v received: %v", res.Data, res.Error)
+			continue
 		}
 
-		n := res.Job.(int)
+		n := res.Data.(int)
 		m := res.Result.(int)
 
 		if m != n*n {
@@ -55,14 +56,14 @@ func TestPoolErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	inCh, outCh, p := newBufferedPool(200, concurrency, square)
 
 	for i := 0; i < 150; i++ {
-		inCh <- i + 1900
+		inCh <- worker.Job{Data: i + 1900}
 	}
 
 	close(inCh)
 	p.Wait()
 
 	for res := range outCh {
-		n := res.Job.(int)
+		n := res.Data.(int)
 
 		if n > 2000 {
 			if res.Error == nil {
@@ -77,7 +78,7 @@ func TestPoolErrors(t *testing.T) {
 			continue
 		} else {
 			if res.Error != nil {
-				t.Errorf("unexpected error for job %v received: %v", res.Job, res.Error)
+				t.Errorf("unexpected error for job %v received: %v", res.Data, res.Error)
 				continue
 			}
 		}
@@ -92,7 +93,7 @@ func TestPoolErrors(t *testing.T) {
 var errCancelled = errors.New("cancelled")
 
 func wait(job worker.Job, done <-chan struct{}) (interface{}, error) {
-	d := job.(time.Duration)
+	d := job.Data.(time.Duration)
 	select {
 	case <-time.After(d):
 		return time.Now(), nil
@@ -105,7 +106,7 @@ func TestPoolCancel(t *testing.T) {
 	jobCh, resCh, p := newBufferedPool(20, concurrency, wait)
 
 	for i := 0; i < 20; i++ {
-		jobCh <- 10 * time.Millisecond
+		jobCh <- worker.Job{Data: 10 * time.Millisecond}
 	}
 
 	time.Sleep(20 * time.Millisecond)