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A pilot scheme to trail the four-day workweek in Britain deemed a success (2022)

economist.com

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Re: A pilot scheme to trail the four-day workweek in Britain deemed a success (2022)

#81

Post by notahacker »

lostlogin wrote: post #13
snehk wrote: post #5

The takeaway for employers: People putting out as much work in four days as they did in five. That must mean that the previous requirement was too low and should be increased.

This assumes an awful lot about the type of work done. Many jobs are about being present between certain given hours. Good luck getting 5 days work out of a nurse in 4 days.

Which is, of course, why a trial of self selecting companies mostly in the knowledge work sector dropping down to 0.8FTE doesn't tell very much about the rest of the world

Re: A pilot scheme to trail the four-day workweek in Britain deemed a success (2022)

#83

Post by MrBuddyCasino »

jpswade wrote: post #15
unxdfa wrote: post #14

If they blasted middle management, management and process consultants, HR and ancillary corporate fluff staff into the sun we’d get 6 days of work done in 3 days and never have to suffer a Monday or Friday again. But that doesn’t create jobs or indicate growth to investors. Shaking the wrong end of the stick as always.

If this were true, those roles wouldn't exist to begin with. Do you think perhaps there's a reason why those roles have come to be?

> If this were true, those roles wouldn't exist to begin with.

Oh sweet summer child.

Though to be fair, HR expansion was triggered by the constitution replacement called the civil rights laws and the associated need to shield against discrimination lawsuits, so there is a real need for that.

Re: A pilot scheme to trail the four-day workweek in Britain deemed a success (2022)

#85

Post by ornornor »

luckylion wrote: post #35
moomin wrote: post #21

Honestly, people keep running trials like this and time and again they have the same results and then no-one does anything. Because, just like the whole WFH thing, these decisions aren’t made by the numbers, but by the personal preferences of employers.

Why would all employers say "I don't want to make more money if it means having to change this one thing"? And if they do, they'd surely be outcompeted by those adopting these policies.

This is happening every day in most businesses.

How much waste is incurred from not listening to frontline workers who know about problems/bottleneck and instead enact policy from clueless higher ups, or the proverbial “the beatings will continue until morale improves”, or the “strategic” decisions based on politics/the CEO’s gut feeling…

Just as people are very good at voting against their interests, businesses are very good at enacting (or keeping) policies that go against profitability/retention/efficiency.

Re: A pilot scheme to trail the four-day workweek in Britain deemed a success (2022)

#86

Post by whywhywhywhy »

lbriner wrote: post #54
logifail wrote: post #39

I'm still not really seeing how the 4-day-week, at 5 days pay, is delivering the (almost magical) 20%+ productivity boost that its proponents seem to claim it does. I'm sure almost all people feel better when given the option to work fewer hours for the same money ... I know I would! How does that translate into increased productivity, though?

People realise that their dead time at work is now removed due to the day off so they need to start working smarter. They are more energised, happier, get to do things in their extra day that would otherwise be preying on their minds until the weekend etc. It also forces you to consider anything that stops you getting your work done quickly enough and have more reason to get rid of it. Not sure how it works with a Fi…

This all relies on self driven people, people who see work as the antagonist in their lives will eventually just settle in to delivering the less than before.

Same as how some people are just as productive WFH and some don’t seem to work at all from home without constant questioning and pushing.

Right company and right team it could work but just a few not on the same page and you’re going to have a lopsided team where resentment will fester from both sides.

>forces you to consider anything that stops you getting your work done quickly enough

Significant percentage of the workforce just doesn’t think this way and never will.

Re: A pilot scheme to trail the four-day workweek in Britain deemed a success (2022)

#87

Post by p2hari »

barryvan wrote: post #4

Although I'm in Australia, I work for a UK-based edtech company (Wonde) that operates a four-day workweek -- having joined just over three months ago. I know that I can only contribute anecdata, but from my perspective I've not seen any reduction in output. Indeed, I've seen fewer meetings, and meetings defaulting to thirty minutes, rather than sixty. I've also seen more async communication -- not once have I receive…

> I love that I [..] can (shock!) go out to lunch with my wife during the week while the kids are at school

But slowly this also applies to schools. The teachers would want 4 day workweek. and then the kids would also love to have 4 days instead of 5 days. This would start happening across. The restaurants, grocery shops everywhere and people who come on off days need to be compensated accordingly and then the various other fall outs. :)

Re: A pilot scheme to trail the four-day workweek in Britain deemed a success (2022)

#88

Post by whywhywhywhy »

t344344 wrote: post #36

On paper it seems nice, but in reality it will just decrease salaries and people will have to work two jobs for the same money. Better to support work from home. It should be considered misogynistic and "anti green", if employer demands work at office.

>"anti green", if employer demands work at office

Tough to argue an environmental stance when it’s heating/lighting/carbon emissions for deliveries and couriers to 50 buildings vs 1.

Re: A pilot scheme to trail the four-day workweek in Britain deemed a success (2022)

#89

Post by dkdbejwi383 »

t344344 wrote: post #51
parineum wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Misogynistic?

Women are more likely to stay at home with kids. They need more flexibility. One of main arguments for four-day week.

Is it not misogynistic to assume only women are capable of looking after children?

Re: A pilot scheme to trail the four-day workweek in Britain deemed a success (2022)

#90

Post by logifail »

kibwen wrote: post #79
logifail wrote: post #39

I'm still not really seeing how the 4-day-week, at 5 days pay, is delivering the (almost magical) 20%+ productivity boost that its proponents seem to claim it does. I'm sure almost all people feel better when given the option to work fewer hours for the same money ... I know I would! How does that translate into increased productivity, though?

Think about it in reverse: imagine that you increased the workweek to six days. Do you think productivity would increase? Now imagine that you increased the workweek to seven days out of the week, giving workers no rest days whatsoever. Would you expect productivity to rise or fall as a result of working people to absolute unending exhaustion? Since ancient times we have known that there is a tradeoff between days of…

> Do you think productivity would increase?

How are we planning on measuring productivity of our hypothetical worker, and what kind of job does she do?

If she's stacking supermarket shelves, or picking and packing in a warehouse, or repairing cars, or caring for the elderly, then I think most people would assume her weekly output is basically some fairly standard "unit output/hour" figure, multiplied by the hours she works in that week.

If she works fewer hours, her output decreases.

If she works more hours (subject to limits, and assuming breaks, weekends, and vacation), her output increases.

Here on HN we don't seem to tend to think about (or hear from) people like her, though...

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