4 Day Work Week

[OldWiseGuy]

Or maybe you can love your job, and your life?

That's me. Work is an important part of my life, but I play a lot as well. I am fortunate to have a job that is challenging, and affords many opportunities for creativity.

 

[rjs330]

I'm talking about less days and hours, not the same flexible hours.

The problem is work is a waste of time, if you believe life is about more than money.



Maybe they should wish on a star and get their perfect job?

It's not about people being unhappy, it's that peoples lives could be better. The economy should work for everyone, not just the richest. All should benefit similarly from growth, not only the rich. And maybe there's more to life than money.

Well you can always choose to work less hours. No one is forcing you to work 40 unless you apply for a 40 hour a week job. Are you wanting government to mandate a 32 hour a week workweek?

 

[blackribbon]

Is there any reason to, in principle, oppose a 4 day work week?

People didn't always used to work 5 days a week. It used to be 6 or 7 days and perhaps 14 hours a day.

Progress has brought freedom, and why should that stop?

Why not pursue a 4 day work week?

The amount of days we work seems arbitrary.

Can you live your life on pay check or salary based on a 32 hour work week? If so, I don't see why a person doesn't work a 4 day week. I work a 3 day week...three 12 hour shifts. I have less free time and work harder than I ever did work a 5 day a week job. I lose so much time out of each week recovering from each shift. I am seriously considering looking for a 5 day a week job again. It definitely would be easier.

 

[Paradoxum]

Can you live your life on pay check or salary based on a 32 hour work week? If so, I don't see why a person doesn't work a 4 day week. I work a 3 day week...three 12 hour shifts. I have less free time and work harder than I ever did work a 5 day a week job. I lose so much time out of each week recovering from each shift. I am seriously considering looking for a 5 day a week job again. It definitely would be easier.

My point is that jobs should pay a similar wage for 4 days work, for similar hours per day.

 

[Paradoxum]

Well you can always choose to work less hours. No one is forcing you to work 40 unless you apply for a 40 hour a week job.

Well, that's not true.

Are you wanting government to mandate a 32 hour a week workweek?

Yes. As working hours have changed in the past.

 

[Paradoxum]

That's me. Work is an important part of my life, but I play a lot as well. I am fortunate to have a job that is challenging, and affords many opportunities for creativity.

Lucky you.

 

[blackribbon]

My point is that jobs should pay a similar wage for 4 days work, for similar hours per day.

Why? A job is offered for what the employer feels like it is worth. The employee then decides if he/she agrees and either accepts that offer or looks elsewhere.

Do you think the stores should sell their items for what you want to pay ... I mean, I only have $4000 so the car dealership should drop the price of this car to what I can pay instead of charging what they believe the car is worth? That is basically what you are asking for...the job should pay what I want to work.

 

[blackribbon]

Well, that's not true.

Who is forcing you to work 40 hours a week?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Lucky you.

Indeed.

 

[Paradoxum]

Why?

Because people should have life which doesn't revolve around work, while also having a good living standard.

A job is offered for what the employer feels like it is worth. The employee then decides if he/she agrees and either accepts that offer or looks elsewhere.

And I'm saying that should change somewhat. Such a system is set up to give more power to the employer, and dis-empower the potential employee.

No one who isn't indoctrinated can think the current system doesn't give more power to the employer to take advantage of the employee.

Do you think the stores should sell their items for what you want to pay ... I mean, I only have $4000 so the car dealership should drop the price of this car to what I can pay instead of charging what they believe the car is worth? That is basically what you are asking for...the job should pay what I want to work.

In general no. But our Conservative centre-right government is considering stopping private energy companies raising prices.

Just because a company does something, that doesn't mean it's okay. I'm saying that companies should be considered dangerous, like government.

 

[blackribbon]

I don't know. I think part of being a grownup does and always has been surrounded with finding a way to make a living. It is part of the curse of Adam after he and Eve disobeyed God's simple commands.

Genesis 3:17-19
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”

Actually, God's model is for us to work 6 days a week and rest (completely rest..not go out and do activities) for one day.

I see you are not a Christian but this is a Christian forum so it is a valid argument.

Do you think kids should only go to school 4 days a week, too? ... and that their life shouldn't revolve around school?

 

[blackribbon]

And I'm saying that should change somewhat. Such a system is set up to give more power to the employer, and dis-empower the potential employee.

No one who isn't indoctrinated can think the current system doesn't give more power to the employer to take advantage of the employee.

How do you propose to do this? The company is owned by the employer. It sets the wages it is willing to pay and a potential employee has the freedom to accept that offer or walk away. If the offer isn't high enough, no employees will work for them and they will have a staffing problem. If the offer is very generous, then plenty of people will want it and the employer can pick the cream of the crop from the potential employees.
The employee already has the power to accept a job or walk away. That is a lot of power.

What other powers are you wanting to give to the employee?

 

[*Starlight*]

Because it might be true?



You seem to be extremely negative of work itself. Men strongly attach their self worth to their work. Physically and mentally men are built for work. It's what we do.

I'm a male, and I agree with Paradoxum here, so what you're saying seems to be an overgeneralization. I'm definitely not "physically and mentally built for work". I consider work to be a necessary evil. Even when working on something I enjoy, I'd rather do it without the implied threat of bad things happening to me if I don't do well enough and lose my job.

Staying home all the time is boring. It's fine as a weekend treat, but it wears thin after a few weeks of being out of work. Man was made to work in some capacity.

But it's not either work or doing nothing at all. You can do all kinds of stuff.

Read books. Write a book. Play a sport. Volunteer. Learn a new language. Go traveling. Play an instrument, draw, sing. Learn programming and create a video game. Get yourself some Arduino and build electronic devices. Tinker with your car. Make friends. Spend time with family. And literally hundreds of other ways to spend time in a productive way.

There are just so many possible things to do. Work isn't life, it's something that gets in the way of life. So I think the best way for society to progress is to make sure that people have to spend as little time working as possible. I believe that technological advances in automation, as well as experimenting with new political ideas like basic income and a shorter work week, could be a way to achieve that.

 

[bhsmte]

I'm a male, and I agree with Paradoxum here, so what you're saying seems to be an overgeneralization. I'm definitely not "physically and mentally built for work". I consider work to be a necessary evil. Even when working on something I enjoy, I'd rather do it without the implied threat of bad things happening to me if I don't do well enough and lose my job.



But it's not either work or doing nothing at all. You can do all kinds of stuff.

Read books. Write a book. Play a sport. Volunteer. Learn a new language. Go traveling. Play an instrument, draw, sing. Learn programming and create a video game. Get yourself some Arduino and build electronic devices. Tinker with your car. Make friends. Spend time with family. And literally hundreds of other ways to spend time in a productive way.

There are just so many possible things to do. Work isn't life, it's something that gets in the way of life. So I think the best way for society to progress is to make sure that people have to spend as little time working as possible. I believe that technological advances in automation, as well as experimenting with new political ideas like basic income and a shorter work week, could be a way to achieve that.

Are you saying people wh hire you and pay you should not expect you to perform the job to at least a minimum standard to keep it? In my experience some people have a good work ethic and some dont and that is reality. Many people who i know, maintain a rigorous work schedule and still are able to acomplish and do many things outside of work. Probably because their personal motivation, involves both work and their personal life.

 

[juvenissun]

Is there any reason to, in principle, oppose a 4 day work week?

People didn't always used to work 5 days a week. It used to be 6 or 7 days and perhaps 14 hours a day.

Progress has brought freedom, and why should that stop?

Why not pursue a 4 day work week?

The amount of days we work seems arbitrary.

Yes, arbitrary. Then why not go back to 6 work days?
If you are the boss, you may make it to 2 work days.

In fact, in the next year, I will only work one day per week (with a full salary).

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I'm a male, and I agree with Paradoxum here, so what you're saying seems to be an overgeneralization. I'm definitely not "physically and mentally built for work". I consider work to be a necessary evil. Even when working on something I enjoy, I'd rather do it without the implied threat of bad things happening to me if I don't do well enough and lose my job.



But it's not either work or doing nothing at all. You can do all kinds of stuff.

Read books. Write a book. Play a sport. Volunteer. Learn a new language. Go traveling. Play an instrument, draw, sing. Learn programming and create a video game. Get yourself some Arduino and build electronic devices. Tinker with your car. Make friends. Spend time with family. And literally hundreds of other ways to spend time in a productive way.

There are just so many possible things to do. Work isn't life, it's something that gets in the way of life. So I think the best way for society to progress is to make sure that people have to spend as little time working as possible. I believe that technological advances in automation, as well as experimenting with new political ideas like basic income and a shorter work week, could be a way to achieve that.

Your attitude towards work reminds me of the old '60's hippies. They are the baby boomers, who now are facing retirement with little saved for it (maybe they should have worked more).

Are We in a Baby Boomer Retirement Crisis?
Are We Facing a Retirement Crisis? -- The Motley Fool

 

[blackribbon]

I think people should be paid for productivity. How we tend to measure that is via hourly rate or by a salary. I know salary jobs that they can take off as much as they want as long as the job got done. Others (like teachers) have to actually have their butts at work in order to get the job done...even if they are not doing anything productive at times (in the teacher example, monitoring the lunch room or recess). If someone wants a short work week, they ought to be looking for hourly jobs that allow them to schedule themselves for less than 40 hours a week. However, I think it is arrogant to expected to be paid for 40 hours when you are only being productive for 32 hours. Your employer doesn't owe anyone a fair living without the employee actually offering up enough work to actually earn it. That isn't "taking advantage" of the worker in any way. Life would not work well if we didn't have standard working hours for most people. Service you want would not be "open" when you need them if the workers got to dictate when they worked. How would it be wondering each day if your kid's teacher was going to show up...or that your doctor's office was only open from midnight to 8am on Tues, Weds, Thurs because those were the hours that the staff wanted to work so work wouldn't interfere with their "fun".

 

[OldWiseGuy]

If someone doesn't want to work 40 hours a week there are lots of part time jobs out there.

 

[Dave-W]

If someone doesn't want to work 40 hours a week there are lots of part time jobs out there.

Yeah - just try to live off of that.

 

[bhsmte]

Yeah - just try to live off of that.

Agree. But no one owes you a living. It is up to each person to do that.