Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Shortening the Week

What if? It's the basis of many stories. We ask. We ponder. We wonder.

On Tuesdays I throw one out there. What if? It may be speculative. It may stem from something I see. It may be something I pull from the news.

Make of it what you will. If a for instance is not specified, interpret that instance as you wish. And if the idea turns into a story, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉 

What if we made a four-day work week standard? And, if we did that, what other day off would we get? (Yes, I know everyone kind of expects it to be Friday with three days off in a row. But what about making it Monday, the day everyone dreads? Or, what if we did a Wednesday, so two days on, one day off?)

26 comments:

  1. Interesting theory. I do really wish we had a good system in place for a good work-life balance.

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    1. I think we kind of have to force the issue.

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  2. My aunt in Iowa had a four day work week (four 10-hour days) for years. This was back at the turn of our century. She loved it.

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  3. I'd love mondays off. That is provided I get paid the same.

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    1. Ah, good point. I didn't specify that, did I?

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  4. four days off, what a thought. Your Iowa aunt having 4 days of 10 hour days is a great idea.

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  5. My sons went to school 4 days a week, start when they were in middle school. I hear it hard on the younger one. And extra day off would be great, one could get either something done and or extra day to recover.
    Coffee is on and stay safe

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  6. Some countries already do a four-day work week. I liked long weekends so I will take them all together. Probably Friday. Then I could sleep in and actually stay up later Friday night. (Church is early Sunday so no late Saturdays and otherwise I'm too beat from work to stay up late on Friday.)

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  7. Let's go for a three day weekend, Monday or Friday the add on, who cares, or alternate.

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    1. Alternating them might be tricky. I have a feeling we'd end up with a five day work week somewhere in there.

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    2. Or a two day weekend, which is what we have now.

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  8. What if? I wonder if we would be able to finish all the work in time though. Maybe reducing the number of daily hours could also help.

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    1. Ah, but most studies on productivity show that we are more productive than we have been in the past. Plus, with computers and robots and such, we don't have to do as much by hand. We probably don't need to work nearly as hard as we do to get the same output.

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  9. I think a four-day work week would make people happier in life, especially if they don't have to work 10 hours instead of 8. We need a balanced life like they already have in some countries.

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  10. I would expect rolling days - some staff doing Mon-Thur, others doing Tues - Fri, maybe some doing Wed-Sat, etc., especially in retail or other jobs that need to be open for the public.

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  11. I'm retired, so just the idea of 10 hour days is a bit much! My favorite day to work was Sunday, so I wouldn't want that off. It would be nice to have two in a row, and one in the middle. Break up those 40 hours a bit.

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    1. I don't know if a full time week would be 40 hours if it was 4 days. In my head, I was thinking 4-8 hour days. But I didn't specify...

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  12. When I was asked the days I wanted to work on my contract job with the state, I picked Mon thru Thursday....Friday off. But I guess that depends on what the bosses say.

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    1. It seems like a lot of people take Fridays off when they do a 4-day week, which is why I questioned it. Because there are other ways to hit 4 days. But I suppose people do like Fridays off.

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    2. There is something feel-good about Fridays when you're employed. I'm so blessed to be retired.

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    3. Yeah, your weekend is every day ;)

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I appreciate your comments.

I respond to comments* via email, unless your profile email is not enabled. Then, I'll reply in the comment thread. Eventually. Probably.

*Exception: I do not respond to "what if?" comments, but I do read them all. Those questions are open to your interpretation, and I don't wish to limit your imagination by what I thought the question was supposed to be.