Ask HN: Why don't we have 3 day weekends yet?

#1

Post by 5350-uiop-1130 » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 5:57 PM UTC

After covid, and the temporary transition to remote (for some), it seem that switching from 5 days to 4 days would be an arbitrary decision, with very little real impact. (Of course I'm referring to jobs done in typical 5 day week).

For those who say it would lead to a decrease in productivity. Well that is only relative to the 5 day week. And the 5 day week, only exist because of some archaic reasons. It is not some law ingrained in the universe.

And beyond that we can see that increases of productivity has not led to increase of leisure time, maybe the opposite.

And we know many people who work barely a fraction of the week, yet need to maintain this kind of presenteeism. It seems absurd. Will we be trapped in this irrational mindset forever, or just until a certain generations dies out?

Re: Ask HN: Why don't we have 3 day weekends yet?

#2

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 6:00 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Why don't we have 3 day weekends yet?

#3

Post by bjourne » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 6:33 PM UTC

The few times during the 20th century the working class had a realistic change to enact such a change it prioritized higher wages instead. Now it doesn't have enough power anymore and reduced working hours isn't a very popular idea anyway.

Re: Ask HN: Why don't we have 3 day weekends yet?

#4

Post by seibelj » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 6:39 PM UTC

I work 70 hours a week. Surely you wouldn’t outlaw my ethic?

And if a run a company, surely I could require my employees to work 5 days, 40 hours?

The solution is to let business owners switch to 4 day weeks and then let the free market sort it out.

Re: Ask HN: Why don't we have 3 day weekends yet?

#5

Post by TedShiller » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 6:40 PM UTC

Because it’s a bad idea

Re: Ask HN: Why don't we have 3 day weekends yet?

#6

Post by lofaszvanitt » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 6:40 PM UTC

More time you have without purpose the more idiotic people will be. Less hours spent working daily though might lead to more creativity.

Re: Ask HN: Why don't we have 3 day weekends yet?

#7

Post by toomuchtodo » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 6:41 PM UTC

Soon!

https://www.4dayweek.com/

Re: Ask HN: Why don't we have 3 day weekends yet?

#8

Post by toomuchtodo » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 6:42 PM UTC

seibelj wrote: post #4

I work 70 hours a week. Surely you wouldn’t outlaw my ethic? And if a run a company, surely I could require my employees to work 5 days, 40 hours? The solution is to let business owners switch to 4 day weeks and then let the free market sort it out.

The free market would grind every last human into powder if it could. Labor regulations exist because you can’t trust humans to be various degrees of moral, decent, and empathetic.

If labor regulations ratchet the work week down, you’d be free to offer 32 hour work weeks to employees, and pay them for overtime beyond that. Productivity has exploded over the last four decades (across various economies, developed and developing), it just hasn’t been shared equitably with labor. This effort contributes towards correcting that. Unions in the US brought about the 8 hour day and weekend, for example.

https://www.pbs.org/livelyhood/workday/weekend/8hourday.html

High level, humans exist to live, not to work. The work is a means to economically support one’s life.