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Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

cnn.com

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Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#121

Post by orangecat »

WillyWonkaJr wrote: post #36
cableshaft wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Especially for something like Social Security safety nets, which relies on a larger younger population paying into it. I'm not sure if Japan has an equivalent but I think they do.

This is a great argument for individual retirement accounts rather than using the young to pay for the elderly. In the United States, if everyone's social security tax were put in an index fund, then everyone would be millionaires upon retirement. There are solutions other than pleading with people to have more kids.

While I'm skeptical of the current state of Social Security, this doesn't quite work. The dollars in your account are useful only to the extent that there is stuff being produced that you can buy with them. If your population is mostly retired people, there's not going to be much stuff and prices will be bid up rapidly. So great, there's $10 million in your private account, unfortunately your home nurse costs $2 million a year.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#122

Post by pnut »

RiverCrochet wrote: post #75
reverendsteveii wrote: post #29

I feel like it's been a long time fretting over falling birth rates and this is the first time I've seen anyone float the idea that making life better for people might make them a bit more inclined to make more people.

I had an interesting discussion with my nephew about this post. He angers me with the way he talks about stuff, but I consider it an exercise in mental fortitude. Allow me to share his absolutely crazy and unreasonable thoughts on this: "Nobody really wants more people except certain religious sects, and that is only because it allows them to use sexuality to control people. Most modern capitalists would favor automa…

You might should read up on postmodern philosophy before you serve up your relative to the system, for deviating from your "one true narrative of history".

So arrogant.

Someone should have you committed for your personal opinions, which are also wrong, and see how you like it.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#123

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

So… five days?

Maybe government work is different from private industry work, but the folks at my company worked six days a week, with Saturday being a “half day” (only 8 hours). However, Saturday wasn’t an “official” office day, so casual attire was allowed, and the A/C was often turned off.

I hated going in on Saturdays.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#124

Post by liontwist »

wubrr wrote: post #92
encoderer wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fascinating. Is the loyalty reciprocated?

If the subordinates have to lie about taking time off, and intentionally accept lower pay for the benefit of their superiors - then no, it's definitely not reciprocated. I'd argue the subordinates are straight up being abused in this case.

[flagged]

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#125

Post by [deleted] »

jajko wrote: post #26
7thaccount wrote: post #2

That sounds....huge. I know many working couples where one would probably take that in a heartbeat. You lose some money, but gain more family time and sanity. Having Friday to finish chores and being able to enjoy the weekend unstressed is huge, not to mention clocking out early each day to be able to pick up your kid and not have to get back to work or whatever.

Not sure about rest of the world, but here in Switzerland mothers often take Wednesdays off - first years of school its not on Wednesdays, and then it starts with just mornings. Wife has it and she repeatedly claimed that she will never go back to 5 days workweek. Most employers, be it private or state ones have 0 issues with this setup. 20% less, maybe 15% net income less ain't that huge of a deal - if it is, someth…

[deleted]

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#126

Post by Hilift »

hunglee2 wrote: post #12

its got to help, but the main thing Japan needs to do is de-Toykoify the country. Urban density is probably the main causes for decline in fertility, and Tokyo is the worst example globally of runaway urban agglomeration.

Depopulation resulted in an oversupply of nine million housing vacancies outside the cities. Tokyo pays people a million yen per child to move out of the city. It looks like the population plateaued about 10 years ago and is trending down slightly. https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/cities/21671/toky...

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#127

Post by notatoad »

elijaht wrote: post #113
FigurativeVoid wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. It's nice if you have something you can get into flow on. The biggest issue with 10s is commute time. If you work 10s with an hour+ commute, that's just awful.

Wouldn't 10's be better for a longer commute? Need to do it 4 vs 5 days?

less overall commute time, yeah, but it means your day might be literally nothing but work and sleep.

probably not long-term sustainable.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#128

Post by teractiveodular »

FigurativeVoid wrote: post #4

Clarifying point: this is the Tokyo local government not a national policy.

And even in Tokyo it only applies to metropolitan (roughly, state) workers, not the ward (roughly, city) governments.

According to the data below, there's anywhere from 33k to 161k metropolitan employees depending on where you draw the line.

https://www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/tosei/hodohappyo/press/2024/01...

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#129

Post by dfxm12 »

Shorter hours for less pay feels like a trap for salaried workers, unless your duties are also very formally lessened. I know people who have been granted similar schedules, but their managers simply expected them to get the same amount of work done, but in less time, for less pay.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#130

Post by LAC-Tech »

RiverCrochet wrote: post #75
reverendsteveii wrote: post #29

I feel like it's been a long time fretting over falling birth rates and this is the first time I've seen anyone float the idea that making life better for people might make them a bit more inclined to make more people.

I had an interesting discussion with my nephew about this post. He angers me with the way he talks about stuff, but I consider it an exercise in mental fortitude. Allow me to share his absolutely crazy and unreasonable thoughts on this: "Nobody really wants more people except certain religious sects, and that is only because it allows them to use sexuality to control people. Most modern capitalists would favor automa…

Your over-reaction sounds far more reminiscent of mental illness or drug abuse than any of his actual opinions, which are fairly pedestrian in 2024 (for the record I don't agree with them).

No one is going to commit him over that grandpa, seriously.

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