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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?

#271

Post by nightvoomer »

cm2012 wrote: post #265
irrational wrote: post #212

My company typically gives everyone half days on Fridays from Memorial Day to Labor Day (and most people only put in a token amount of work - if that - on those Fridays - no meetings are allowed to be scheduled on any Friday of the year). This year, in addition to that, they gave everyone every Friday off for the month of July. And... the company still functioned just fine. We run on sprints and we finished just as m…

No code changes from Nov to Jan seems crazy to me. But if it works good for you guys.

This was standard protocol in my org at Microsoft as well. The time was suppose to be spend reviewing tech debt/the years oncall issues and come up with plans for them.

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

#273

Post by irrational »

cm2012 wrote: post #265
irrational wrote: post #212

My company typically gives everyone half days on Fridays from Memorial Day to Labor Day (and most people only put in a token amount of work - if that - on those Fridays - no meetings are allowed to be scheduled on any Friday of the year). This year, in addition to that, they gave everyone every Friday off for the month of July. And... the company still functioned just fine. We run on sprints and we finished just as m…

No code changes from Nov to Jan seems crazy to me. But if it works good for you guys.

That is the time of year when the vast majority of our business occurs. The systems must be as bug free as possible, so no changes are allowed unless a bug pops up that is mission critical. If that were to happen it would involve huge meetings with tons of conversations and dozens of eyes looking at it, even if it is a simple change on one line of code.

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

#274

Post by seoulmetro »

irrational wrote: post #212

My company typically gives everyone half days on Fridays from Memorial Day to Labor Day (and most people only put in a token amount of work - if that - on those Fridays - no meetings are allowed to be scheduled on any Friday of the year). This year, in addition to that, they gave everyone every Friday off for the month of July. And... the company still functioned just fine. We run on sprints and we finished just as m…

That just sounds like your company has too many employees. But also if they haven't discovered this themselves, good on them for paying for extra, unneeded jobs.

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

#275

Post by [deleted] »

mlyle wrote: post #224
anonAndOn wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would I pay you more than I have to if I know you're desperate and have few (or none) other options? Mind if I pay you in scrip?

I don't believe in your good faith desire to discuss. I've said above I believe there should be a minimum wage, but that it's a crappy lever for the groups that you describe and that there are better ones for different subgroups (social safety nets, reducing the supply of labor by shortening work week). Instead, I get a bunch of strawmen that have nothing to do with what I said.

[deleted]

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

#276

Post by mlyle »

anonAndOn wrote: post #267
mlyle wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe in your good faith desire to discuss. I've said above I believe there should be a minimum wage, but that it's a crappy lever for the groups that you describe and that there are better ones for different subgroups (social safety nets, reducing the supply of labor by shortening work week). Instead, I get a bunch of strawmen that have nothing to do with what I said.

You've presented a group home as a possible solution for the severely mentally handicapped. Presumably great for the few who can get it. What you have not addressed is the extreme imbalance in power for many employers at the expense of employees. If there is no floor on what someone can get away with paying, then it is reasonable to expect the marginalized or powerless to be fully taken advantage of. Even today, some…

> What you have not addressed is the extreme imbalance in power for many employers at the expense of employees. If there is no floor on what someone can get away with paying, then it is reasonable to expect the marginalized or powerless to be fully taken advantage of.

???? I have stated throughout this entire conversation that I believe there should be a minimum wage. I do not know why you continue to argue with me as if I have not. Your messages have nothing to do with what I am saying. I have pointed this out to you now three times.

You haven't confused me with trcarney who said far above that there shouldn't be one, have you?

I just don't think the minimum wage is a solution to many of the problems you cite. It will not generate more employment income for the severely disabled, etc.

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

#277

Post by mjfl »

I've been looking for a job where I'd only have to work 3 days per week. Then my life would be only 3/7 work and 4/7 rest, which would be great for my work life balance. I also prefer a bay area salary, because of my high rental costs. Does anyone know where I could find such a job?

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

#278

Post by [deleted] »

cm2012 wrote: post #265
irrational wrote: post #212

My company typically gives everyone half days on Fridays from Memorial Day to Labor Day (and most people only put in a token amount of work - if that - on those Fridays - no meetings are allowed to be scheduled on any Friday of the year). This year, in addition to that, they gave everyone every Friday off for the month of July. And... the company still functioned just fine. We run on sprints and we finished just as m…

No code changes from Nov to Jan seems crazy to me. But if it works good for you guys.

[deleted]

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

#279

Post by DwnVoteHoneyPot »

mixedCase wrote: post #188
DwnVoteHoneyPot wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're still looking at the best case scenario (ie. a person willingly entering into prostitution), while blind to the worst. The are reason why unions, minimum wage, unemployment insurance, universal healthcare is so common around the world.

How do any of those things fix slavery? Or are you using a different definition for "willing" more akin to "would strongly prefer to".

I don't understand your questions exactly, but I was differentiating between "I do prostitution because I don't mind it and I make lots of money" vs. "I have to sleep with landlord because my minimum wage job doesn't pay the rent".

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

#280

Post by taneq »

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.

I don't understand this. Doesn't your full time employee itemise their time? Don't you do timesheets or something? Does the full time employee not have deliverables that you track with deadlines that they need to meet?

"Hours of work" is a terrible measure of productivity. I'll take an employee who gets the job done in four hours, goes to walk the dogs, and then spends the afternoon coming up with neat improvements, over a "hardworking" employee who spends 15 hours trying to get the job done.

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