https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2020/01/finl…
Thoughts?
I for one think it is an excellent idea for the following reasons:
the 5 day work week is completely arbitrary. It is easy to make an argument that the economy will be less productive with a 4 day work week but by the same argument you could say it would be more productive with a 6 day work week. Taking a utilitarian view, I really believe giving a 3 day weekend would result in a happier society.
The link between productivity and standard of living has broken for the vast majority of people. As productivity increases the benefits are accruing to a smaller and smaller portion of the population. 4 day work week could be a means to deal with rising concerns about inequality indirectly.
Would it really harm productivity that much? For the vast majority of roles (including my own) people could be as productive in 4 days as they could in 5 days.
There seems to be a huge general dissatisfaction with quality of life now, especially in the US. I feel we are reaching a turning point where something has to give. People seem to be working more and more for less and less reward so something has to give. In the absence of a material jump in standard of living which would only occur via some sort of wealth distribution (i.e. taxation which could have a much bigger negative impact on the economy than a 4 day work week), I feel giving people more free time to spend with family and pursue their interests seems the best alternative.
The big issue I see with this is how it impacts people not on fixed 5 day 40 hour contracts. How would it impact workers paid an hourly wage and even shift workers? Not sure how you solve that problem.
I agree on all fronts. For salaried workers, this just makes more sense. America is very unhappy for a developed nation. 40 hours a week is a joke in this country (as mentioned on another thread). Most work way over that.
There's two major problems as I see it:
Social Norms: many people in this country are pretty backwards. Management for many firms wants control. Giving up that control and sense of power is pretty hard. This is compounded because many Americans view their worth in terms of their career and nothing else. It's very odd. Giving up that little bit of power and control in the office gives them nothing else. Also, it's a badge of honor for many to work stupid hours.
Hourly workers: As you've noted.
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