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Is the four-day workweek finally within our grasp?

nytimes.com

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Re: Is the four-day workweek finally within our grasp?

#251

Post by CountDrewku »

jcvhaarst wrote: post #142

Please people, step out of your USA bubble. I (Dutch guy) haven't had a more than 4 day workweek in the last 20 years. It is _your_ choice to "work" 5 days. The 40 hour workweek wasn't created for the worker's benefit, it was created because the owner of the factory saw that that was the most efficient. Paying people to work longer didn't give him benefit.

Speaking of bubbles I think you're stuck in a bubble that only applies to your career choice.

I highly doubt your emergency services just get the choice to work when they feel best.

Re: Is the four-day workweek finally within our grasp?

#252

Post by OldHand2018 »

throwaway803453 wrote: post #27

FWH has exposed how many white-collar jobs were only full-time in the ass-in-seat sense and how many employees should have Professional Meeting Attender as their job title. I used to be the guy who would champion efficient meeting practices. Now it's the last thing I want given that I can now work-out, make breakfast, do manual labor, etc., while listening to meeting. 4 day work week in grasp you ask ? For many I'd b…

> I'd never hire a full time employee who can work remotely. I'd employ a contractor who has to itemize their invoice.

That's a knee-jerk reaction that you probably already know has some serious problems ;)

People who are working 40 hours a week have no capacity to take on some important task with no notice unless they go past 40 hours a week. Which generally doesn't cost any extra money.

Hiring a contractor to work 40 hours per week is going to get really expensive really fast when you need them to suddenly ramp up beyond 40 hours on no notice. If you can even get them to do it!

If you're any kind of normal modern business, this is going to eat all your cost savings and probably even cause you to unnecessarily miss a lot of deadlines.

Re: Is the four-day workweek finally within our grasp?

#253

Post by pietrovismara »

missedthecue wrote: post #228
cherrycherry98 wrote: post #66

I always found this quote from The Wealth of Nations to be quite insightful and was one of those surprising moments reading the actual text: "It will be found, I believe, in every sort of trade, that the man who works so moderately, as to be able to work constantly, not only preserves his health the longest, but, in the course of the year, executes the greatest quantity of work."

I think that is just saying to work smarter, not harder. I don't think it's saying put in fewer hours. The "as to be able to work constantly" seems to be vital here.

I don't think so; it says "moderately". As in, this is a marathon, not a sprint. If you run too fast, you won't get to the end of the race.

Re: Is the four-day workweek finally within our grasp?

#254

Post by PeterisP »

Tarsul wrote: post #24
vitno wrote: post #16

4 day work weeks as a concept real clicked for me when put into ratios. It's a 50% increase in personal time and only a 20% reduction in work hours.

and less than 20% in net income lost (due to income taxes usually being progressive).

On the other hand, if large parts of your income are tied in near-fixed expenses (e.g. mortgage), then 20% more net income can mean doubling your discretionary spending, and 20% decrease - almost eliminating it.

Re: Is the four-day workweek finally within our grasp?

#255

Post by kitd »

p_j_w wrote: post #216
jacksonkmarley wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tried that with Teams just the other day, sadly no go.

Am I misunderstanding something here? This just seems like a bad suggestion from the get go. I have a hard enough time paying attention to a single meeting sometimes and forgetting some of the information. If there were two going simultaneously, I feel that my absorption of the relevant info would be close to 0.

Lol, look at this guy, paying attention to meetings!

Me, I'd be tempted to hook the microphone to the speakers and create a "crossover" meeting and seeing how long it took till someone noticed.

Re: Is the four-day workweek finally within our grasp?

#257

Post by selimthegrim »

midasuni wrote: post #210
loonster wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If no jobs exist at all those voters will bring in someone who will tax companies like yours and spread the wealth. And those companies will calculate the ROI for moving into a lower tax burdensome area. After the company leaves the people wont have a job or the tax revenue.

Which is why all companies move to Somalia rather than say California

I hear Hargeisa is nice these days.

Re: Is the four-day workweek finally within our grasp?

#258

Post by cherrycherry98 »

missedthecue wrote: post #228
cherrycherry98 wrote: post #66

I always found this quote from The Wealth of Nations to be quite insightful and was one of those surprising moments reading the actual text: "It will be found, I believe, in every sort of trade, that the man who works so moderately, as to be able to work constantly, not only preserves his health the longest, but, in the course of the year, executes the greatest quantity of work."

I think that is just saying to work smarter, not harder. I don't think it's saying put in fewer hours. The "as to be able to work constantly" seems to be vital here.

I provided the quote which I thought most concisely communicated his thesis in this passage. The immediately proceeding lines I believe clarify it:

"Great labour, either of mind or body, continued for several days together is, in most men, naturally followed by a great desire of relaxation, which, if not restrained by force, or by some strong necessity, is almost irresistible. It is the call of nature, which requires to be relieved by some indulgence, sometimes of ease only, but sometimes too of dissipation and diversion. If it is not complied with, the consequences are often dangerous and sometimes fatal, and such as almost always, sooner or later, bring on the peculiar infirmity of the trade. If masters would always listen to the dictates of reason and humanity, they have frequently occasion rather to moderate, than to animate the application of many of their workmen."

This is all from Chapter VIII: Of The Wages Of Labour.

Re: Is the four-day workweek finally within our grasp?

#259

Post by flipbrad »

CountDrewku wrote: post #249
flipbrad wrote: post #7

I started working a 4 day work week a few years ago and would not go back. The benefits to the employee are obvious, but consider those for the company: it gets a motivated, energised employee, and if like me they're a parent or for some other reason the employee has appointments (school, Dr etc), the employee often schedules them during the day off (or moves the day off to accomodate them), meaning the employee isn'…

Are you on a 32 hour or 40 hour week? I would not go back either but 10 hour days are exhausting. I go work out and eat when I get off work and then I pretty much have to go to bed.

9 to 5.45 or thereabouts. Leaves plenty of family / hobby time if you're working from home. Commute takes away from that.

Re: Is the four-day workweek finally within our grasp?

#260

Post by ericd »

willcipriano wrote: post #19

If you got no raise this year, working roughly two and a half hours less per week would bring your compensation back in line with inflation. If firms can't stomach wage increases this may be a valid alternative.

Shrinkflation comes to the workweek.
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