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Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?

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161–170 of 271 posts

Re: Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?

#161
I work 4 days a week. 8hrs a day in Zurich. It's generally accepted at companies if you have a child.

I have previously worked 3 days a week in Berlin as it's the law to allow you to do so for 3 years after your child is born.

I think 3 days a week is definitely the most optimal as it's 4 days off 3 days on per week. Meaning the balance is in favour for your personal time.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?

#162
I've worked 20h weeks for the past 18 months. It's been great. I actually wanted to do 24h but they said they only allowed 75% and 50% part time. I was wondering how it would work to do a 4h day but it's actually a nice way to soft-start the "weekend".

As for how I negotiated it, I just told my manager I wanted to do it. He was like "well, if it's that or lose you, sure." Part time is not very common where I work, so approval had to go up to VP level but was not a problem. I'm paid 50% of what I was paid before, I didn't feel the need to negotiate this. Full benefits.

My nominal work week is 8h+8h+4h, but when we've had deadlines I've also done 4 full weeks and them 4 weeks off. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?

#163
My former employer mandated that everyone took days off every Friday of July. I happen to live ~2 hours away from the see and 10 minutes away from the lake and in a area with a lot of hiking to do, so that was cool.

Still, I can’t picture myself doing it all year around… maybe because I don’t have kids… I would prefer a shorter workday

Also, Friday off, but that it taken out of your own paid leave days!!

I guess this was a big deal 30-40-50 years ago when it was setup, especially for factory workers, but it’s 2022, come on!

Re: Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?

#164
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You wouldn’t get tired of the beach if you went every day?

Absolutely not. I would live in a beach house, and I would indeed spend many hours laying in the sand, swimming in the ocean, etc. But I wouldn't literally spend the entire rest of my life doing nothing else at all. There would be socializing with friends and family, traveling, and taking care of my affairs. I would also spend plenty of time on hobbies of all sorts. The key is that I would be living a life of complet…

Fuck yeah.

With you all the way in this, including the probably unachievable part. starts to shed a tear

Re: Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?

#165
post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

4 x 10 hours or 4 x 8?

This is an important distinction, but personally I think I prefer 4x10 over 5x8. Productivity will probably be better too.

I have 30 hours workweek and work 5x6, for the last 7 years. I also negotiated that I can leave at noon, and work the remaining hours, from where ever I am, when there is need (e.g. when I need to answer crucial things at evenings, weekends etc., which happens maybe once in a month). It is very good, I can spend more time with my son. I can go running when there is still sunlight outside. The problem is I could not go back to an 8 hour day.

I don't abuse this deal: When I really want to get things finished, or when there's something critical, of course it happens that I am still at work Friday 4PM. It works the other way, too: When there's something critical at home (and no planned interaction at work), I may not show up at all, and it is Ok.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?

#167
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You wouldn’t get tired of the beach if you went every day?

Absolutely not. I would live in a beach house, and I would indeed spend many hours laying in the sand, swimming in the ocean, etc. But I wouldn't literally spend the entire rest of my life doing nothing else at all. There would be socializing with friends and family, traveling, and taking care of my affairs. I would also spend plenty of time on hobbies of all sorts. The key is that I would be living a life of complet…

That's not capitalism to blame, that's just the free market.

I'm not sure any system will let you live this life without a significant investment back into it, first.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?

#168
A few years ago I got a "pro rata" pay rise which meant working 4 days for the same pay as 5.

I really loved the feeling of a 3 day weekend every week- it felt as if you were off work half of the time.

Eventually, somebody in the organisation decided that everbody had to work 100%, so I was given a 25% pay rise and told to turn up on Fridays.

In terms of work capacity, I feel like I delivered pretty much the same to the organisation at 80% as I did at 100%

Re: Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?

#169
post #27

Yes. I’m a contractor at a large IT integrator in Australia. It helps that my boss was (see below) a good friend. I think it was mid-last-year, I just realised I’d be mentally healthier if I worked 4 days a week. So I said, I’m going to start working 4 days a week. And he said, okay. Because he’s great. And it is glorious . You go from spending almost three-quarters of your life at work (71.4%) to just over half (57.…

just found your system...

thank you!!!!!

Re: Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?

#170
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You wouldn’t get tired of the beach if you went every day?

Unlike the two people who replied to you, I would 100% get tired of the beach within... 2 hours.

A tiny anecdote just so you know the other extreme exists. I've lived very close to a beach (200 metres or so) for about 1.5 years and never got tired of the beach. Barring day where I was unwell or out of town, I went for a walk or a swim every single day. All my current career goals are centered around eventually settling down near a beach!
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