101–110 of 211 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I personally would be willing to have a 10% pay cut to work only 6 hours a day
Unfortunately, at least in the US, going down to 6 hours a day makes you a part time employee, at which point you lose a lot more than even 25% of your pay. Frequently benefits are pared down to the point of extinction, including health, vacation and holidays.
I would take a 10 hours day, 4 work days and a three days long weekend over a 6 hours workday routine. Edit 1: 9-6 is 9 hours -_-
9-6 is 8 hours + lunch, aka a standard work day.
My utopian society workweek is 4 days/8 hours. That extra day off would do far more for people than one or two less hours every day. So 4x8=32 hours, vs 6x5=30 hours. I would even bargain for 4 days/9 hours, or 4x9=36 hours. That third day is huge. It's the difference from having only enough time for some leisurely weekend activities, to having enough time to take a mini-3-day-vacation every week (short flights, etc.…
My utopian society workweek is 4 days/8 hours. That extra day off would do far more for people than one or two less hours every day. So 4x8=32 hours, vs 6x5=30 hours. I would even bargain for 4 days/9 hours, or 4x9=36 hours. That third day is huge. It's the difference from having only enough time for some leisurely weekend activities, to having enough time to take a mini-3-day-vacation every week (short flights, etc.…
I'd much rather do 5x6h, I suppose the difference might be if you have small children.
Now that I have kids and work an office job, I would much prefer a 5x6 to a 4x8.
My utopian society workweek is 4 days/8 hours. That extra day off would do far more for people than one or two less hours every day. So 4x8=32 hours, vs 6x5=30 hours. I would even bargain for 4 days/9 hours, or 4x9=36 hours. That third day is huge. It's the difference from having only enough time for some leisurely weekend activities, to having enough time to take a mini-3-day-vacation every week (short flights, etc.…
I'd much rather do 5x6h, I suppose the difference might be if you have small children.
> In a perfect situation this would have led to higher employment numbers and happier employees. What kind of hippie logic is this? Happier employees? I don't know ANYONE who would be happier if they got a 25% pay cut except for, maybe, single hippies who want to smoke dope all day and have no responsibilities. The average person, on the other hand, and particularly those with kids, would be devastated by a 25% cut i…
First of all, relax. Second: Pay was not cut. This was an experiment with a 30h work week with 100% pay. Unions would never agree to anyones pay being cut.
The benefits they were looking for in this case would not be higher employment. The main benefit would be reduced people on sick leaves because of work related illness (stress, depression, overwork infections) as well ass less staff turnover, possibly more efficient work and so on.
There were times after the '08 recession where factories (e.g. Volvo) cut work hours due to reduced production, and in agreement with the Union (to avoid layoffs) they agreed to 90% pay for 80% work.
I'd take 90% pay for 80% work any day. 10% pay cut, sure, but higher hourly pay, and I would live well off 90% of my salary.
I would take a 10 hours day, 4 work days and a three days long weekend over a 6 hours workday routine. Edit 1: 9-6 is 9 hours -_-
Would you take it if the 10 hour day was 8am-7pm with an unpaid hour for lunch, and the 6 hour day was 9am-4pm (with something approaching a 25% pay reduction.) 9-6 is 8 hours + lunch, aka a standard work day.
My utopian society workweek is 4 days/8 hours. That extra day off would do far more for people than one or two less hours every day. So 4x8=32 hours, vs 6x5=30 hours. I would even bargain for 4 days/9 hours, or 4x9=36 hours. That third day is huge. It's the difference from having only enough time for some leisurely weekend activities, to having enough time to take a mini-3-day-vacation every week (short flights, etc.…
I'd much rather do 5x6h, I suppose the difference might be if you have small children.
But as someone without kids, being able to take short flights or trips every week over 3 days would be awesome.
I guess ideally, since 5x6h and 4x8h are only two hours apart, a utopian workplace would offer its employees either option -- the people who chose 4x8h would make 2h more wages weekly.
> In a perfect situation this would have led to higher employment numbers and happier employees. What kind of hippie logic is this? Happier employees? I don't know ANYONE who would be happier if they got a 25% pay cut except for, maybe, single hippies who want to smoke dope all day and have no responsibilities. The average person, on the other hand, and particularly those with kids, would be devastated by a 25% cut i…
While a 25% pay cut sounds extreme, my wife took a 20% pay cut to work a 4 day week and she's never been happier. She has more time to do the things she wants to do.
Since I spend so much time working after hours, I'm not sure it would be such a good deal for me -- I'd still tend to work even on my "day off". Good thing I enjoy my job.
> In a perfect situation this would have led to higher employment numbers and happier employees. What kind of hippie logic is this? Happier employees? I don't know ANYONE who would be happier if they got a 25% pay cut except for, maybe, single hippies who want to smoke dope all day and have no responsibilities. The average person, on the other hand, and particularly those with kids, would be devastated by a 25% cut i…
I'm vouching this comment because you're bringing a valid point into the discussion but you need to tone the hostility down.
Responding to the comment itself: the idea behind reduced workweeks is that some jobs become more productive with fewer hours worked. But those are probably all white collar jobs.
I'd say there's something deeply, fundamentally broken in a society if the very thought of people being able to live while working less seems so anathema.