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Ask HN: Would you rather work 4 days per week for 80% salary?

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Re: Ask HN: Would you rather work 4 days per week for 80% salary?

#101

Post by bradlys »

patrick451 wrote: post #99
bradlys wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The offices are usually based in the areas where the founders live. The founders typically live in expensive locations because that’s where the funding is. You’re setting yourself up to be a second class citizen from the get go unless the founders move. You may as well just ask for people founding businesses to be remote first to begin with. That’s an easier ask than asking people who are founding businesses to setup…

Do you support the All Lives Matter movement? Frankly, so much is thrown into the "white supremacy" tent these days, the fact that you mention that outs you as an intolerant leftist.

It’s a strawman argument. All lives matter isn’t a movement - it’s divisive rhetoric used to disenfranchise black lives. What has come out of the all lives matter movement? Are all people suddenly going to be lifted out of poverty from it? Are there any specific goals of the all lives matter “movement”? Nope. There aren’t. It’s rhetoric and you’re playing into the game of a politician... but ok. Think you’re smart and that I’m intolerant or something - I’m sure that works well for you.

Ain’t no one showing up to AIDs walks or walks for the cure and saying, “but you know, all viruses/cures matter, guys. Let’s walk for all.”

Re: Ask HN: Would you rather work 4 days per week for 80% salary?

#102

Post by taurath »

Sn0wCoder wrote: post #41
taurath wrote: post #9

In software, there's quite a few other questions to answer first. Will you be on call? Whats the culture around "off-hours" contact? How often if ever does crunch happen? Will the company pay more after 32 hours? What percent of my time is expected to be in meetings vs getting things done, and how much do you expect to be done? I have worked at places with all fridays off during the summer. We did all our releases on…

I agree with your assessment. I am on call for a week once every few months. Sometime it’s light and still get work done other time all we do is field calls and put out fires. Normally we work 40 hours, sometimes more sometimes less. Saying I was only going to work 32 hours and not be available 1 day a week would not work very well. I suspect the employer would win by paying you less but the employee would end up wor…

One workplace had an official 7.5 hour workweek, or 37.5 hours. That made it super common for people to take half days or full days off on fridays. We got everything shipped, and salaries were competitive but not absolute top. It was nice, and lots of A tier people working in comfort.

Then new management came in and started forcing everyone to crunch every week until almost all the engineers left.

Re: Ask HN: Would you rather work 4 days per week for 80% salary?

#103

Post by des1nderlase »

throwaway3699 wrote: post #43

Let's say you hire two engineers, both at 50% salary. They will be strictly worse than a single engineer on 100% salary. To make it worthwhile for a small company you're looking at more like a 50% discount for 4 days work. Not a good deal imo.

With my 10+y of industry work, 7y as EM, I'd choose 2 engineers in most cases.

Re: Ask HN: Would you rather work 4 days per week for 80% salary?

#105

Post by paulcole »

patrick451 wrote: post #98
paulcole wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Uber cosmopolitan politics shoved down everyone's throats. What’s a specific example of this?

- Management proselytizing Black Lives Matter. - Official company polls asking if I have been vaccinated. Particulars of my health status are none of their business. - Mandated diversity, inclusion, and equity training. - Statements from the C-Suite about the Derek Chauvin trial.

Wow man sounds awful. I’d hate to know that my boss is against cops killing people.

Re: Ask HN: Would you rather work 4 days per week for 80% salary?

#106

Post by sjs382 »

Unless your goal is a simple reduction of hours, you may be able to negotiate fewer days without compromising on salary.

For example, I work what is called a "9/80" schedule. I work 9 hours, M-Th and on Fridays, I alternate between a day off and working 8 hours. This gives me a 3 day weekend every other weekend, while still putting in 80 hours every two weeks.

Re: Ask HN: Would you rather work 4 days per week for 80% salary?

#107

Post by rajandatta »

YES - absolutely. I think the personal and societal benefits to health and well being stand out. Less so perhaps if you're younger with lesser responsibilities to families and elder care.

I've tried other arrangements - longer hrs/day in return for 1 day off every 2 weeks. Worked well and the benefits are such that at this stage 80% of salary for fewer hours would be a good arrangement.

The real danger is the unstated but practical assumption that you're on the book for fewer hours and lower pay but in real life expected to continue to do 50, 60, more hours week because of culture and events.

Re: Ask HN: Would you rather work 4 days per week for 80% salary?

#109

Post by HomeDeLaPot »

beforeolives wrote: post #78
HomeDeLaPot wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone who would like to take a pay cut for a 3-day weekend every week would disagree. Doesn't make OP's actions wrong—just different perspectives, I guess. (What if someone convinced your company to give you a raise and require you to work Saturdays?)

> What if someone convinced your company to give you a raise and require you to work Saturdays? I would personally take a raise + extra work. But I would never presume that I have things figured out to the point where I make a website and starting contacting companies so I can push my personal preferences as the clearly superior model for people I've never met in my life. Which is what OP is doing. That's what doesn'…

That's fair, but also norms won't change until someone does decide that they've figured out something better. We only have the 8-hour workday that we take for granted today because people advocated for it in the past. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-hour_day

Re: Ask HN: Would you rather work 4 days per week for 80% salary?

#110

Post by patrick451 »

bradlys wrote: post #101
patrick451 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you support the All Lives Matter movement? Frankly, so much is thrown into the "white supremacy" tent these days, the fact that you mention that outs you as an intolerant leftist.

It’s a strawman argument. All lives matter isn’t a movement - it’s divisive rhetoric used to disenfranchise black lives. What has come out of the all lives matter movement? Are all people suddenly going to be lifted out of poverty from it? Are there any specific goals of the all lives matter “movement”? Nope. There aren’t. It’s rhetoric and you’re playing into the game of a politician... but ok. Think you’re smart an…

"All Lives Matter" is not divisive, it's superlatively inclusive. People who say that, myself included, are opposed to unjustified killings by the police regardless of the victim's race. If you think that being opposed to the police using unnecessary force against Hispanics, whites or Asians means I've "disenfranchised blacks", that's just more evidence of your intolerance.
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