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World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back

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Re: World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back

#41

Why would they want to return? One you do an “upgrade” in your life, i.e. like remote work, quality family time, it’s difficult/impossible to go back. The same is true for many other life “upgrades” like fiber internet connection, smart devices, smartphones, color TVs and so on

Most companies.

Re: World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back

#42
post #28

It's the one thing I miss most from working for Dutch companies: being able to take a 20% pay cut and work 20% less. Theoretically, that should be a great deal for my employer: the extra rest, and just the way productive work is usually spread out across the week, means that my productivity definitely was not down 20% compared to now, so I was cheaper per hour. Yet even that culturally seems to be a hard sell in a ma…

You get healthcare 7 days a week but only work for 4. Salary is only one component of compensation

> You get healthcare 7 days a week but only work for 4. Salary is only one component of compensation

Thinking of healthcare as compensation is what got America into the healthcare mess it's in today.

Re: World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back

#43
post #28

It's the one thing I miss most from working for Dutch companies: being able to take a 20% pay cut and work 20% less. Theoretically, that should be a great deal for my employer: the extra rest, and just the way productive work is usually spread out across the week, means that my productivity definitely was not down 20% compared to now, so I was cheaper per hour. Yet even that culturally seems to be a hard sell in a ma…

You get healthcare 7 days a week but only work for 4. Salary is only one component of compensation

We should also restrict food and housing access to the days you work.

Re: World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back

#44

I've had 4 day workweeks at two different times in my career. Once in my 20s, when I worked 10 hours days to get an extra day off. Didn't matter since I worked close to that anyway, and often more. The day off was flexible, so I chose Wednesday whenever possible. Two "weeks" of two days each worked great for me. Best schedule I ever had. Another place, the salary was slightly lower (but not much due to the way they d…

I work in construction and often get the 4-10 hour days work week, but only temporarily. I once convinced my boss to let me take Wednesdays off instead of Fridays. Those 2 day work weeks we're sooo perfect for me. I hope one day I can make it permanent thing.

Re: World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back

#45
post #28

It's the one thing I miss most from working for Dutch companies: being able to take a 20% pay cut and work 20% less. Theoretically, that should be a great deal for my employer: the extra rest, and just the way productive work is usually spread out across the week, means that my productivity definitely was not down 20% compared to now, so I was cheaper per hour. Yet even that culturally seems to be a hard sell in a ma…

You get healthcare 7 days a week but only work for 4. Salary is only one component of compensation

Health insurance isn't THAT expensive. This is ridiculous

Re: World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back

#46
post #27

When was a mathematician, I worked as hard as I could until I was mentally exhausted. I actually calculated how much I worked per week over a period of two years. On actual "hard thinking", like working through logic, I spent about 7 hours. There was another 7 hours writing and clarifying topics, and another 6 hours or so on classes, seminars (sort of like meetings, but productive). That gives a total of 20 hours per…

I read somewhere that the 9-5 workweek was first implemented before the emancipation of women. whether it’s true or not I do not know, but it’s an interesting artifact to consider

Actually, it was the 1800s lol, though in the 1920s it became common

https://www.spiceworks.com/hr/workforce-management/articles/...

Re: World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back

#47
post #28

It's the one thing I miss most from working for Dutch companies: being able to take a 20% pay cut and work 20% less. Theoretically, that should be a great deal for my employer: the extra rest, and just the way productive work is usually spread out across the week, means that my productivity definitely was not down 20% compared to now, so I was cheaper per hour. Yet even that culturally seems to be a hard sell in a ma…

In the 90s my girlfriend worked for the American office of a Danish industrial design company that closed at noon on Fridays. They claimed it was how everyone in Denmark worked, but I had no way to confirm it at the time.

It isn't.

Re: World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back

#48
post #2

Four day work week sounds amazing. I doubt we'll see massive adoption anytime soon, but having that extra day every week really gives you time to enjoy life rather than just running around doing chores, preparing for the week to start again. Maybe someday!

Check out https://4dayweek.io built by u/philmcp

Re: World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back

#50
I think it's worth considering that, in the US, the ultimate leap from 5 to 4 day work weeks would require a change in labor laws to mandate full-time status and overtime pay cutoff at 32 hours/week. Close to 60% of US workers are hourly. I can't predict all of the ramifications from that kind of change, but I have to imagine it would largely benefit workers. I wish we had a major political party that was at least willing to start the conversation. We all know this "40 hours" nonsense is just historical happenstance, not some ideal or even well-reasoned number, let alone balanced in the interest of the overwhelming majority (working people).
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