Socialism @beehaw.org 🦊 OneRedFox 🦊 @beehaw.org 11 mo. ago

It’s Time for a Four-Day Workweek

jacobin.com It’s Time for a Four-Day Workweek

Recent progress toward shorter hours among certain sectors of UK workers has set a starting point for a winnable demand for workers everywhere: a four-day workweek.

13 comments

I disagree. 3 day. Im not kidding here. we had a 5 day when one parent was not working. Two adults working 3 days each is a 6 day work week for a family and we used to have 5.
- I agree. Tue-Thurs is enough. I can get everything I’m tasked with done within that time and still have time to spare, but yet I have to basically fill the rest of the time with nonsense.
- It's time for a 2 day workweek. That'll be actual progress.
  
  I mean there is not evidence it would work but we have evidence a workweek of 5 days split between two people was economically viable. 3 days would be 6 days for a family so it should be able to work as well or better.
Worked well for me. Altho I'm just a small example. I run a mechanic shop where pay is directly tied to productivity, not time. About 6 months ago as an experiment, I started giving the techs off on fridays, making it mon-thurs. Turns out overall productivity didn't change; they got more done per day on the 4 day work week. So it ended up being an extra day off with no change in pay. They're happy with the longer weekend, and I'm happy with a day of peace and quiet to get paperwork done. I don't plan on changing it back anytime soon.
- You point out the “problem”. “Productivity” and “hours at work” are decoupled in your situation, but as a culture we generally don’t believe that to be true. We exalt the people that “burn the midnight oil” and “stay late to get things done” because we assume more hours equals more work getting done. Until we break that culture, a 4 day work week is not going to be widely accepted.
I've had it at my job for a year and a half, it started after the Great Resignation took like half of our good staff.

The main problem is that it's used as a scapegoat against any other improvement, e.g. hiring more folks, paying more wages, better benefits. Granted, I'd choose 4dww above a lot of those things, but it doesn't feel nice that there's a threat to lose it.
There is nothing I want more than a 4 day work week😫😫😫
- Universal basic income
  
  Both please
I'm so sick of institutionalized people saying oh yeah four tens! I like that! No you poor fool.
Maybe the realization that most office jobs are pointless will help... :)
Go for it, just let me keep my 6 day work week when I work.

You've viewed 13 comments.