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

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

#331

Post by brendoelfrendo »

acuozzo wrote: post #256
FredPret wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Come up with a third space to rival the church of old and you’ll be hailed as a cultural hero for the next millenium. Starbucks has not cut it.

Jim Rouse thought it would be the shopping mall and designed my city of residence (Columbia, MD) with the shopping mall at its center. It was a decent bet for 1967.

American shopping malls of the mid-to-late 20th century were a decent bet, but I think they fail because a) they're very pedestrian hostile, b) they tend to be owned by a singular landlord that can enforce policies that discourage gathering, and c) they just kind of smack of artificiality. But bazaars, street markets, and other commercial areas have certainly been third-places since before long before it was a defined term. Heck, the ancient Greeks were quite proud of their agora.

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

#332

Post by cableshaft »

wkat4242 wrote: post #196
cableshaft wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One year a company did mandatory 'half-day Fridays' during the summer where the company closed after a half day on Friday. But in order to do that we had to work 9 hour days Monday - Thursday. That extra hour those four days felt torturous, so it meant four days of feeling awful just so I could leave a few hours early on a day in which most people (and myself) already weren't working too hard anyway. I hated it. This…

> One year a company did mandatory 'half-day Fridays' during the summer where the company closed after a half day on Friday. > But in order to do that we had to work 9 hour days Monday - Thursday. This is SOP at my work in Spain. It's fine for me, they're very flexible anyway. And I work from home so much that it doesn't really exhaust me.

I wouldn't have had an issue with it if I was WFH at that time, but I wasn't.

But I have been WFH the past six years and at this point I can't really handle going to the office for a full day anymore. Every once in a while I go into the office for something and after 4 hours I'm staring at the clock and itching to leave (even if I have work to do).

I usually duck out after about 6 hours, I say it's to beat the worst of the traffic (which is true, it's still pretty bad, I still have a 60-90 minute commute home), but also just because I feel super antsy by that point.

And my current office isn't terrible (but it's not good either). The one where I had to work 9 hour days that one summer was twice as sterile, with terrible dim flourescent lighting, and it was way too formal.

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

#333

Post by cableshaft »

EasyMark wrote: post #191
cableshaft wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One year a company did mandatory 'half-day Fridays' during the summer where the company closed after a half day on Friday. But in order to do that we had to work 9 hour days Monday - Thursday. That extra hour those four days felt torturous, so it meant four days of feeling awful just so I could leave a few hours early on a day in which most people (and myself) already weren't working too hard anyway. I hated it. This…

I always saw half time Fridays as just as bad as Fridays as a full work day. Now you’re just kinda making fun of workers with that. If I’m already doing the commute and the shower and the crap I have to do in the morning what’s the point?Might as well get some real work in and do a full day

Agreed.

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

#334

Post by makeitdouble »

gretch wrote: post #321
makeitdouble wrote: post #192

For context, while Japan has a reputation of a shitty place for work culture, a lot has changed. Not everything, but many more companies will allow for flexible hours for instance, full remote has stayed in many places, and more traditional place usually allow one or two days or remoting every week. There is a communal sense that growth is basically gone and better conditions are negotiable. Newer companies have been…

Why is it bad to be a teacher in Japan?

To put it mildly, it's a shitty job.

I don't think it's an easy job in most countries, but in Japan in particular the pay is low, hours are long and the expected work load is super heavy as it includes endless meetings, paperwork, watching extracurricular activities often including on weekends, seasonal events etc.

Some still enjoy it as a vocation, but on paper it's just mind crushing.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/3580/

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

#335

Post by BehindBlueEyes »

cavisne wrote: post #102
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.

The issue is in corporate jobs (including tech) Friday is a very relaxed day. If you are working a shorter week than everyone else, you end up doing the same amount of work in less time for less money.

This and...

I remember when in France, the work week went from 39 to 35, that was 35h work week paid 39 - no pay cuts.

Now I get that the economy/job market isn't like it was then, what with all the layoffs to protect shareholder from growth dropping from +9% to only +5% (arbitrary example from one company).

But I am baffled at how quickly employees seem to have internalized the idea that reduced hours require reduced pay before even getting a chance for any negotiations. With all the value that's being produced, we're just accepting that it continue to be unfairly distributed, and that workers see no benefit (or barely) from the increases in productivity.

I'm sorry, if a pay cut is required, or condensed hours are required, it's no social progress, just lip service at best to exploit people more under the guise of flexibility.

I'd prefer having fridays officially off instead of being stuck at my pc not doing much work. If I'm already not working most fridays, why is it such a big deal to just make it official, get paid the same and not have to warm a seat poitnlessly?

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

#336

Post by dysoco »

cableshaft wrote: post #31
MBCook wrote: post #3

I wish these stories would say if the hours are changing or not. 32 hours, 4 days a week seems better to me. But if all you do is take 40 hours and make it 10 hour days I’m not that much happier.

One year a company did mandatory 'half-day Fridays' during the summer where the company closed after a half day on Friday. But in order to do that we had to work 9 hour days Monday - Thursday. That extra hour those four days felt torturous, so it meant four days of feeling awful just so I could leave a few hours early on a day in which most people (and myself) already weren't working too hard anyway. I hated it. This…

> But in order to do that we had to work 9 hour days Monday - Thursday.

We actually work 9hs here in Argentina (1h is for lunch, although you're probably still at the office and discussing work-related things anyways so...)

Is the common thing in the US to work 9-5 (8hs) with lunch included? Or do you guys just not take lunch?

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

#337

Post by mattkrause »

orangecat wrote: post #109
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.

It's actually that life is too good for childless people, especially when they're wealthier. Take a DINK couple with high paying jobs, say an engineer and an attorney. Without kids they can have a nice house or condo, regularly take great vacations, and still be saving enough to have the option of retiring in their 40s or 50s. But with kids, that mostly goes out the window. The societal expectation is that you should…

I’m skeptical that most daycare spending is driven by prestige-seeking or social pressure. Some undoubtedly is but the “standard” options are crazy expensive.

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

#338

Post by BehindBlueEyes »

neycoda wrote: post #286
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.

Too many people in the US are living paycheck to paycheck on hourly wages, many with two people in the household working full-time. This is becoming normal. A 4-day workweek will hurt them.

not if they get to work 4 days and get paid 5

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

#339

Post by coliveira »

dukeyukey wrote: post #326
coliveira wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You forget that every young person will become old later (if alive). That's what they consider when looking at the future.

Old people have had a lifetime of experience and opportunity to build themselves up for old age. Young people have had nothing, and without that opportunity, they'll be reduced to (metaphorically) cannibalising the next generation.

What a simple minded and reductionist way of thinking...

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

#340

Post by makeitdouble »

Rendello wrote: post #315
apt-apt-apt-apt wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good to know about the obviative case, that there's a name for these type of things. When writing docs in code recently, it struck me as a little odd that pronouns can be used as a shorthand when referring to a singular and a plural, but can't be if they have the same plurality. E.g. "When the name and errors exist, and it is non-empty and they are capitalized, ..."

Speaking of Japanese, I learned from that friend that they don't use 2nd or 3rd person pronouns that much at all, preferring to repeat the person's name. For third person it's strange to my ears, but it was very surprising to hear my name repeated in second person! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_pronouns

Yes. 2nd and 3rd pronouns tend to be harder to use in social contexts.

You usually convey a bunch of info and intent when referring to someone (how close you're to that person and their social position relative to you), and pronouns don't easily cover that range. It can be done but requires more finesse.

That's perhaps why pronouns are so tainted (You=anata has become the most stereotypical way to call one's husband)

The better choice is usually to omit the subject and just imply who you're talking about. Using their name is the second best alternative.

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