Four day work week a good idea?

Derp_Diggler
Derp_Diggler Posts: 1,456 Member
in Chit-Chat
An article on alternet.org states the four day work week is a concept whose time has come. What say ye?

http://www.alternet.org/economy/5-reasons-its-time-4-day-work-week

Replies

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,224 Member
    I think its a hel of a good idea, I read up on it a while back with some companies trying it, and it was resulting is happier, more productive workers. The businesses don't even need to close the 5th day, just structure it so the days off are spread out. Many people would love a Friday or Monday off, others would jump at a Wednesday off for the 2 off, 2 on, one off, 2 on week...
  • ShannonS921
    ShannonS921 Posts: 194
    My dad worked four 10-hour days for 25 years and he still says it was the best schedule he could have ever had. He went in at 6 and got done at 4. Had his entire afternoon/evening and a three day weekend every week. I'd do it.
  • _Pseudonymous_
    _Pseudonymous_ Posts: 1,671 Member
    I that it is a fantastic idea. I know many places that do the same thing and they have an extra day to do things. It always seems like the weekend is too short and with an extra employees have another day to recover from their weekend going ons. Besides, what's two more hours a day? Once you get home from work there isn't really time to do much else but dinner anyway.

    Not that this applies to me, what with service industry work and such... but still!
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    I think it is a great idea. There is a huge imbalance between work and non-work life.
  • Mainebikerchick
    Mainebikerchick Posts: 1,573 Member
    I have to say it's a great idea in my opinion!

    Oh and I agree with Wheird!
  • latenitelucy
    latenitelucy Posts: 1,314 Member
    Today was the second day of my first 4 day work week. Mon-thur. Sooo glad
  • LadyRN76
    LadyRN76 Posts: 4,275 Member
    All for it, the article lays it all out pretty clearly.

    I don't think I have to tell this crowd people waste a lot of time at work. Because that's what they have. Time. They're not going anywhere for days so why rush? I'm generally my most productive on Friday afternoon, when things need to get done.

    Plus just add 2 hours onto each day. Still comes out to 40. And the company can save money (depending on what type of business it is) by not being open an extra day.

    People aren't meant to spend this much time at work. It robs them of happiness, making for less productive workers.

    ^^^^^ What he said....
  • michknd
    michknd Posts: 18 Member
    Back when I went to work, I did 4 10's & loved it. I did 6-2:30 so I still had lots of the day left once I got done for the day. :)
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
    I work 4 days a week and love it except long weekends.
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
    Should have gone to two and a half when women entered the workplace. Employers are double dipping and have been for decades.
  • LightKBH2O
    LightKBH2O Posts: 1,452 Member
    I have summer Fridays right now, meaning I only work 4 days a week and have Fridays off.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    I've been advocating this since the late 80s... Was speaking with a friend of a friend who said "I work 4 days a week, BUT I WORK 10 HOUR DAYS" I replied "I'd be willing to cut back to a 10 hour day to get one more day off" At the time I was a hungry young Art DIrector... and long hours were part and parcel of the job...

    But have always thought this makes sense for BOTH employer and employee think about it employers can have 2 people covering the same function, they would overlap 1 day of the week to update info and hand off projects... and employers would be able to run their business 7 days a week...

    I've thought that the ideal weekend would be... Day 1 veg, Day 2, have FUN, and Day 3 chores & errands (business would be running 7 days a week so dry cleaners, banking, etc... would all be open no matter what your day off was) PLUS employees gain back the time they would have spent commuting (NY metro area that could be between 2 to 5 hours a day in travel alone)

    Doesn't that sound civilized.

    Productivity falls off significantly around about the 40 hour mark.
    So, yes, employers would have 2 salaries to pay, but they'd...
    1) get much more efficient workers for their money and
    2) be operating more hours so they'd be making more income.

    Better for society because more people would be productive members of the work force.
  • digitalbill
    digitalbill Posts: 1,410 Member
    I have been working a 4 day work week for about 6 months now and, so far, I have zero complaints.
    The shop is still open Mon-Fri but, I work Tues-Fri and my co-worker has Mon-Thurs.
    We work our 10 hour days without a problem.
    Now.. here is the REALLY cool part:
    Lets say that, for some reason, I need to take Wednesday off.
    Well, I simply work on Monday and take Wednesday off instead. I don't get hit for a holiday or a sick day and I still get the stuff done that I need to get done.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    Back when I went to work, I did 4 10's & loved it. I did 6-2:30 so I still had lots of the day left once I got done for the day. :)

    How did that work - that's only an 8.5 hr day?

    Some of my colleagues switched to 4 days / week and like it.

    Personally I wouldn't like being stuck at my desk for 10 hrs a day, and I wouldn't like it in terms of my workout schedule as I'd have a lot less time in the mornings / evenings.

    I also currently work in a basement office with no natural day light. In the winter I would never see day light during the 4 days I'm at work as I'd be arriving for work and leaving work in the dark.
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    10 years of 4 10s and am dreading the switch back to 5 8s (switching to day shift makes it suck that much more) due to a promotion. :ohwell:
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,371 Member
    When I worked in local government in NSW Australia...We worked a 35hr week/9 day fortnight, not quite a four day week, but the rostered day off was wonderful.

    Currently working a 36.75hr week without an RDO much to my disappointment, but we do have the ability to purchase up to ten days annual leave per year. I use these for ad hoc days off. I save my standard four weeks annual leave to have in blocks and go away.

    Four day work week...more than happy to do it...
  • WhatAnAss
    WhatAnAss Posts: 1,598 Member
    I have a 4 day work week this week so.....I think it's a great idea!
  • vismundcygnus27
    vismundcygnus27 Posts: 98 Member
    I think it's a great idea. My mother had this schedule at her former job (10 hours a day, 4 days a week) and she really misses it.
  • michellesz
    michellesz Posts: 429 Member
    I have mixed emotions on this one with a child. My normal schedule is an 8 ½ hr day M-F schedule from 7:30-4:00 with a ½ lunch unpaid lunch = 8 hours. It’s an easy drive in & a great time to hit the gym for a great 1 hr workout from 4:15-5:15 or so & be home around 5:45 for a nice dinner & family time!!!

    Our district did a forced closure for the summer & we were required to work an 11 hr day minus 1 hr lunch or 10.5 hr day minus a ½ hr lunch M-Thursday to equal 40 hrs. I opted for the ½ lunch & worked 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. If I didn’t have a 5 year old, this is great & awesome to have Friday’s off but on the negative side, it was hard & unfair to get a 5 yr old child up before 6:00 a.m. to get to daycare before 6:30 a.m. to get to work by 7:00 a.m. This also meant I gave up most of my ½ lunch to walk as getting off at 5:30 p.m. made it extremely difficult in rush hour traffic to get to the gym before 5:45 & was difficult to even get a parking spot let alone get in a workout & to only work out for ½ hr until 6:15 so I could leave & get home which took twice as long in traffic around 6:45 or so.

    The evenings left for very late dinners, barely any time with my child who goes to bed around 8:00 p.m. & prep for the next day left late nights, less sleep & exhaustion. By Wednesdays I felt like I would fall asleep at my desk. Yes, it was nice to have a 3 day weekend but for now, I am happy to be back on a regular schedule with no stress driving in or back home, back to my workouts, energized as ever & most of all quality time with my daughter :smile:
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
    it's almost as good of an idea as a 3 day work week.
  • ItsMeGee3
    ItsMeGee3 Posts: 13,254 Member
    Sign me up!
  • sixout
    sixout Posts: 3,128 Member
    My "schedule" is a 4 day work week. It rarely happens.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    When I worked in local government in NSW Australia...We worked a 35hr week/9 day fortnight, not quite a four day week, but the rostered day off was wonderful.

    Currently working a 36.75hr week without an RDO much to my disappointment, but we do have the ability to purchase up to ten days annual leave per year. I use these for ad hoc days off. I save my standard four weeks annual leave to have in blocks and go away.

    Four day work week...more than happy to do it...
    This sounds very civilized indeed!
  • trojan_bb
    trojan_bb Posts: 699 Member
    4 10 hour days is even less productive than 5 8 hour days which is less productive than 6 7 hour days.

    The research is pretty clear that productivity declines over time in a given period.

    The increased efficiency gained by having an extra day off almost certainly does not negate the reduced efficiency of working 10 hours with a 1 hour lunch.
  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
    4 10 hour days is even less productive than 5 8 hour days which is less productive than 6 7 hour days.

    The research is pretty clear that productivity declines over time in a given period.

    The increased efficiency gained by having an extra day off almost certainly does not negate the reduced efficiency of working 10 hours with a 1 hour lunch.

    My experince does not show this to be true in all cases. I think some of the productivity depends on what type of work is being performed.

Categories