THANK GOD IT'S THURSDAY: Working four 10-hour days a week could offer many benefits, including an extra day of rest for employees and the environment.
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As government agencies and corporations scramble to cut expenses, one idea gaining widespread attention involves cutting something most employees wouldn't mind losing: work on Fridays. Regular three-day weekends, without a decrease in the actual hours worked per week, could not only save money, but also ease pressures on the environment and public health, advocates say. In fact, several states, cities and companies across the country are considering, or have already implemented on a trial basis, the condensed schedule for their employees.
The economic downturn started the trend, as companies looked to avoid laying off employees, notes John Langmaid, organizer of an upcoming symposium on the issue for the Connecticut Law Review. Firms soon realized that when they closed on Fridays they could save money without having to reduce weekly hours. Indeed, Langmaid remarks, the idea of a four-day, 40-hour workweek "has been out there for quite some time as a response to environmental issues, commuting pressures, as well as work-family balance."
Local governments in particular have had their eyes on Utah over the last year; the state redefined the workday for more than 17,000 of its employees last August. For those workplaces, there's no longer a need to turn on the lights, elevators or computers on Fridays—nor do janitors need to clean vacant buildings. Electric bills have dropped even further during the summer, thanks to less air-conditioning: Friday's midday hours have been replaced by cooler mornings and evenings on Monday through Thursday. As of May, the state had saved $1.8 million.
Perhaps as important, workers seem all too ready to replace "TGIF" with "TGIT". "People just love it," says Lori Wadsworth, a professor of public management at Brigham Young University in Provo. She helped survey those on the new Working 4 Utah schedule this May and found 82 percent would prefer to stick with it.
The environment seems to like it, too. "If employees are on the road 20 percent less, and office buildings are only powered four days a week," Langmaid says, "the energy savings and congestion savings would be enormous." Plus, the hour shift for the Monday through Thursday workers means fewer commuters during the traditional rush hours, speeding travel for all. It also means less time spent idling in traffic and therefore less spewing of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. The 9-to-5 crowd also gets the benefit of extended hours at the DMV and other state agencies that adopt the four-day schedule.
An interim report released by the Utah state government in February projected a drop of at least 6,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually from Friday building shutdowns. If reductions in greenhouse gases from commuting are included, the state would check the generation of at least 12,000 metric tons of CO2—the equivalent of taking about 2,300 cars off the road for one year.
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66 Comments
Add CommentDoesn't matter. I'm still gonna have to work 14hrs a day, 7 days a week regardless.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEven more would be saved if some businesses are open M-Th and others Tues-Friday, since there would be less congestion on the roads on Monday and Firday. And the overlap has other advantages, not everyone is buying the same day-off consumption products at the same time.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell... since more and more people are suffering from cutbacks in their hours, I suppose this should have been a predictable result.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSure the state may have saved money by closing those buildings on Friday. But how much money is lost by people who are over-worked on a ten hour day? I'd agree that I'd prefer to take the day off on Friday and work until I'm completely exhausted on Monday-Thursday but that doesn't mean I'll be as productive.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMany federal government agencies are already running a 9 hour shift with an extra day off every other week for employees followed or preceeded by one 8 hour day to total 80 hours in a two week pay period. The days the employees take off are not all the same. Where I work 45% takes the first Friday of the pay period, 45% the second, and the remaining 10% are split between the Mondays. I find having Monday off is much preferable.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen I used to work in logistics and/or at call centers, I always found that I prefered 4-day weeks to 5-day weeks. A 10 hour day isn't much more tiring than an 8 hour on in most jobs, and that extra day off just totally rocks.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI've always prefered a 10-hour day to an 8-hour one. It's not that much more tiring and that extra day off to spend with your family and friends, or to just spend _relaxing_ is just wonderful and rejuvenating in a way that a 2-day weekend never was. Also, depending on your job, when you settle into that daily routine, you actually get more done during a 4-day week than a 5-day one. When I did Claims Processing, for example, my weekly number of claims handled actually went up more than 10% when I switched to a 4-day week.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are no mandatory laws stating that you will have a set work week. This article is disapointing . I will still have to work seven days a week fifty to sixty hours a week just to make the bills. If a company sets your hours any extra costs in a budget will have to be made by working on those days you already have off. If you make enough money to only work forty hours and have three days off you are making too much money. If I was self-employed(making up an estimated 90 percent of america's economy) you would be making seven dollars and fifty cents every day without any concern about your health. Go-Bama public Health Insurance!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat's a great idea!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPersonally I tend to veer in the other direction, towards spreading my work out more thinly across the week (including working from home a bit on weekends). As a knowledge worker / systems designer, I find the overhead of putting all my work on pause for two days a week to be a pain, nevermind three. More importantly, I also prefer having the freedom to take unpaid breaks throughout the day to clear my thoughts, go for a walk, run errands, eat lunch without rushing, and so forth. It also allows me to leave a bit earlier several nights a week to go to the gym without stressing about it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think the American work week quota should be changed to 35 hours per week for a full-time employee. Look at other industrialized nations, and the amount of time they "take off" per year. Americans are #1 (above any other country in the world....Yes, that includes citizens of Japan) in working the highest amounts of hours per year . We Americans feel "guilty" when we "take off" for being sick, or when one of our children are sick. Kids are seen as a detriment in the US. I'm a college professor and I see this in my own student population and what they deal with: going to school, working full/part-time, needing affordable daycare, child support (ha-ha), and other basic needs such as child care insurance...etc...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI already work 12 hour shifts as a nurse and I wouldn't work a regular M-F, 8-5 again. I work 3 days a week and feel like I'm on vacation half the time. It took a while to adjust to being on my feet for 12 hours but most others jobs don't require that.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAmericans are the richest people on earth because they create the most wealth per person. Every day there are fewer of us actually creating wealth to support the rest of you that really would rather not waste your time working. Only a collage professor would want all of society to be poorer so people would not have to waste their time working. Maybe then they could spend more time discussing the phylosiphies of more for less.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMost men (speaking as a man, not suggesting this does not apply to women, I just would not know, being a man) would rather work 4x10. However, many business found that when they offered it to their employees (rotating to cover all the workweek) the men then has so much time they took a second job and worked 6 or 7 days per week total and got no rest. So instead of the men being more rested from the extra day off and more productive, they instead became more tired from working 60-70 hours and became LESS productive.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI wish I could quote when this happened, but it was presented to me as a fact from someone I had reason to trust. I can see how I would be tempted to do this myself and can see why business would prevent it by keeping a 5x8 week.
Had we not experienced the glorious daze of the Raygun Era we would have first hand knowledge of the four day work week.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOf coarse it's intelligent to cut our insane American workload; how long must we perpetuate the Conservative Slave Effect? Past time to begin to catch up to the rest of the industrialised world and increase our workers vacations to the mimium levels of Europe. Plus shortening the work week may let us catch up to the EU's level of worker productivity.
Finally bringing our healthcare Mafia under thump and installing Free Universal healthcare for all our citizens may take us whining into a brighter future for us all!
High time we Americans woke up to those who are taking advantage of us and treat them accordingly!
I think it is a good idea.We have more time and more choice
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe could have more time and choice,good idea~
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn March 2008, the City of Green Cove Springs, Florida voted to try a four-day work-week for six months, evaluate the results, then reconsider the issue on a permanent basis in March 2009. Our analysis showed that the City saved money. We also found that we got more production from our City crews on a four day work-week.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn March 2008, the City Council of Green Cove Springs, Florida voted to try a four-day work-week for six months, evaluate the results, then reconsider the matter on a permanent basis in March 2009. We found that the City saved some money, and obviously, the employees liked the program. Most importantly, we found that our City crews were more productive on a four-day work-week. Every morning that you mobilize a city crew, you incur mobilization costs (fueling the vehicles, pre-operation maintenance checks and services, loading equipment and materials, etc). Every afternoon you demobilize a city crew, you incur de-mobilization costs (post-operations maintenance checks and services, completing daily reports, etc.) We determined that the City got about 18% more work from its crews by going to a four-day work-week. In March 2009, we voted to make the four-day work-week permanent.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMike Kelter, City Councilman
I think that this proposal would work beautifully for some people and less well for others. If you work in a job that is able to be 'put on hold' for 3 days then its almost certainly better but not everybody can do that - I am a research chemist and sometimes a reaction might take several days and often must be taken off and worked up without delay when it has finished. So laboratories have to operate 24/7 and sometimes I have to come in at weird hours. Also if a business has to provide 24/7 support to a customer but also has people working 'normal' weeks the 4 day week would only offer a saving if the 24/7 support staff shifts were operated from a different building or part of building, so that the rest of the operation could be shut down completely (heating, lighting etc) for the three-day weekend. Obviously each business must have all its personnel in a given building/building subsection working the same four days to get the benefit.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlmost all jobs should be three day work weeks. Myself I work much more efficiently that way. A lot of medical people work efficiently in 12 hour shifts and love it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow add even more effective telecommuting to the 3 day work week and we might even be able to put on the backburner most highway and transit builds, get off oil imports, and finally meet all our global warming goals.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI found a better way, Just work 1-2 days/week at home for yourself saves 20hrs/week getting ready, driving to work, finding a parking space amd being able to save much money by doing things yourself, finding better prices, etc.
I found that because of these savings I could work 20 hrs/week and make more money in pocket while paying less taxes.
I now build custom things like boats, EV's, RE equipment or fix things in my garage and have a much better life than working for others. Nor do I worry about getting fired, laid off as my business goes up in a recession or high energy prices.
I cant help but notice many companies would rather out source jobs than provide high cost and benifits.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSome where else people are willing to work for less.
Loans are still available of business, information etc..
It must be enormously better to save a failing company than start one that will provide a future rather than skipping out.
It is not nessary to wait for the government to help.
If our (expermental democracy) freedom is wanted to last we
need to get a hold of it fast!
Scientific American has transitioned to American Hunch. You cannot make gross generalizations of productivity in aggregate without analysis of daily efficiency. For those of us who have managed large organizations, individual productivity in the morning is much higher than in the afternoon, and there are plenty of studies that prove it. Moreover, you example of Utah is a laugher. Ogden Air Logistics Center was on a flex schedule for years, and the result was a lack of sense of urgency and poor customer service. Volunteerism is a requirement of the Mormon church so any "increase" is meaningless unless normalized to other states. Very simply, "volunteer" work is more important than real work. This article was just plain shallow.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere is a big difference between WORKING at a job and HANGING out on a job. As matter of fact after 55 years of working, I can tell you that after 6 hours, productivity goes to hell and errors and danger increase rapidly. If your life or health depend on them you best pray that they have NOT been working for more then 8 hours.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBrilliant! If you're productive and capable, there's no reason to spend 5 days doing something you can get done in 4 days. Why commute and waste your day in an office when you can have the day off to get things done at home, relax, etc? I love it. All these gym rats need to get outside once in awhile anyway! Go to the beach, try canoeing, stop staring at a computer and live a little people!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf you can't feed 'em, don't breed 'em.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisi have a green house in Alaska and would live to have some greenhouse gasses we just don't have sufficient supply here, god i live my carbon footprint!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswow ! a 3 day weekend seems to be a good idea. however, its better if we could calculate the environmental impact of an extended weekend. I mean, I just thought more people might come out of their houses, do shopping, visit places (drive) and other things.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this(linkback) Yes or No? If you could work 4 10-hour (instead of 5 days) days would you? [VOTE] - http://www.pikk.com/13a45
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe 10-hour 4-day week seems very attractive, but I doubt it could work for every industry. Would school children see the same type of schedule? And, how could that work for their parents? I think, ultimately, this country won't ever see this as the norm, but only some types of jobs. Since the US is primarily a service economy, most people will only be able to dream of three-day weekends. As a college professor and researcher, this would certainly benefit me, but it will always vary by individual circumstances and types of employment.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis idea is so smart and reasonable it almost HAS to get squashed by a bunch of loud-mouthed conservatives. Just to maintain the status quo, you know.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBack in the 70's in Britain, the coal-miners went on strike because of their rock-bottom wages for a dirty, exhausting job ending with silicosis. The strike went on for months.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe government was forced to introduce two three-day weeks, so one half of the population worked ten hours a day from monday to wednesday, the second from thursday to saturday. Total productivity went up, so nobody understood why, when the strike was over, the government went back to a five-day fourty hour week!...
I think this makes sense -- EXCEPT for the ways in which it causes serious childcare problems. Working a 10-hour work day, plus commute, means leaving a child in childcare for 11-12 hours -- not only are many/most childcare programs not open that long, it is illegal in many states to leave a child in daycare that long, AND it means that parents get essentially zero time with their young children four days a week. Plus, in most places, to get four days a week of childcare you still have to pay for five days a week... Some of those problems you could work around to a degree if a 4-day work week became enough of a norm that childcare programs tailored to that, but getting an extra weekend day just would *not* make up for not having any waking time at all with young children 4 consecutive days a week.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI know of families who've been able to make this work with one parent doing four 10s and the other doing a M-F, but I can't imagine doing this with both parents on a 4-day schedule, or as a single parent.
I think this makes sense -- EXCEPT for the ways in which it causes serious childcare problems. Working a 10-hour work day, plus commute, means leaving a child in childcare for 11-12 hours -- not only are many/most childcare programs not open that long, it is illegal in many states to leave a child in daycare that long, AND it means that parents get essentially zero time with their young children four days a week. Plus, in most places, to get four days a week of childcare you still have to pay for five days a week... Some of those problems you could work around to a degree if a 4-day work week became enough of a norm that childcare programs tailored to that, but getting an extra weekend day just would *not* make up for not having any waking time at all with young children 4 consecutive days a week.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI know of families who've been able to make this work with one parent doing four 10s and the other doing a M-F, but I can't imagine doing this with both parents on a 4-day schedule, or as a single parent.
I agree with kat_rowe "you actually get more done during a 4-day week than a 5-day one." I have found that there is "start-up" and "close-down" time involved in each day. The fewer start-ups and close-downs, the more the time is spent on actual work. I also have found that I'm more productive when I can work in a more-or-less uninterrupted flow for as long as possible (and before I start to get too tired). 10 hours would fit that bill.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow -- would elementary schools follow the same pattern? If so -- how would children deal with the changes. I'm not sure its healthy for younger children to compact their work into one day. They need more play more frequently for rejuvenation and to aid in learning. (Just as babies need more sleep more frequently.) High school students might benefit from a 4-day school week. Of course, its mostly a moot point for college students. I had semester where only had classes 3 days a week -- but I had studying to do all week long!
NO, I would rather stick to the current 7-day week & 10AM to 5 PM (7h with lunch break). 5-day experiment has not proved going down the throat among most populate except lethargic lots who wish to keep their minds on 'social activities'. What about daily bread winners to fill their belly. Rdeuced work hours shall further increase unemployment and a cause of UNREST among young minds- seeking alternate occupation. I was an advocate for 5-day work with inception of my 10^6 i.e. million metric second Quinto-day/Decadays paln (1973) but reverted thought favouring ammendment to Leap Day Rule from div.4/skip100th/include 400th years to div.4/skip 128th to get Mean Year =365.2421875 days OR the Leap Week on div.six(6) plan using 400-years or better 896-year/159 LWks [MY=7*(52+159/896)=365.2421875 days from YEAR 0000 CE/BCE from [(Y2000-80)+/-128]div.128 i.e. Y1920 . A srious reader must look for my calculations at my Home Page: http://www.brijvij.com/ a dedication of some 38 years of my contributions. For this year start on THURSDAY (in continuation) the Year start is on 2008 December 21/22 (SUNDAY) - see also
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.brijvij.com/bb_metro-contrbn.2007.pdf
Regards,
Brij Bhushan Vij <metricvij@hotmail.com>
I have been touting a four day work week for a number of years, coupled with a two day weekend to make a six day week. It is all highly feasible. To watch a YouTube video on how I propose it to work, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8vyj3xNNks
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYour comments are appreciated.
After reading most of the comments, most will find that for some it would work, for others it just wouldn't. For most people I know it wouldn't. The F.D. operates on a 56 hr week on a rotating 24 hr shift. The Fire Dept. is open 24/7/365. So are the emergency rooms. My wife works for a local building supply, and would still have to work Saturday's and Sunday's. And child care would be a major hurdle.....The local chemical plants around here also operate 24/7/365. You can just turn a process off and start it again Monday morning...... I'm sure it could work for certain industries though. Primarily white collar jobs and office workers.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYour hours don't get reduced, you just work 2 extra hours a day so that you get an extra day off.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAll I'm saying is that it would not affect my schedule at all. Nor would it almost anyone else I know because they don't work a typical 5day 40 hr week now. Most of the shift workers I know work rotating shifts that can be longer or shorter than 40 hr weeks, that include weekends and holidays. That would not change because 24hr /7day / 365day coverage would still be required. It seems those most likely to benfit would be typical 5 day a week, 9 to 5 workers of which I know few.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat's true. The true difference between servants and workers is servants don't like working too many hours (because they need to know what to). But workers need less days; to get more time for themselves. Three days of relax is a good idea.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSurprisingly few commenters seem to realize that a lot of jobs need doing most of the day all week long (often 24/7). Even office jobs often require staff on tap to deal with new or surprise developments. So a rolling schedule will be needed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSome commenters have noted that the proposed change will neither reduce working hours or affect other conditions. At least it won't reduce pay as is.
But the least that good ole lead-the-world-in-progress-and-quality-of-life US (excuse me while I vomit) could do is to finally make good on all those Readers Digest boasts of the 50s and 60s about machines being "labour-saving", meaning more free time for everybody.
So how about being world-beating in imagination and prosperity for all, and introducing either a 35 hour week with no loss of pay (ie 7 hours a day) or a 28 hour week with no loss of pay (ie 7 h/day for 4 days), with no loss of pay (weekly or monthly pay that is).
Nothing revolutionary in that.
It would not just improve health and social life, but also increase employment. And 6 hours a day for 4 days a week would do so even more, and would allow for all kinds of community activities, too, including culture of all kinds, technical "hobbies", sports, learning of all kinds, etc. Might even open the way for everyone having the Right to Work. Now that's revolutionary.
And for child care you'd organize community or workplace-based care that's open as long as needed, including all night.
Too bad for all of you that it won't happen.
US voters are too brainwashed at the moment to demand any of this, and US capital, politicians and propagandists (sorry, media owners) are ready to kill to stop it happening. Think of the profits lost when wealth goes to ordinary people to improve their lives! Think of the subversive power of a nation of healthy, educated, multidimensional citizens!
You have to realize the prevailing philosophy of the nation's culture (ie, capitalism) is the reason machines are not saving labor.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThey ARE saving labor. However, the response to this newfound ability to accomplish work in less time has not been to use the increased free time for personal interests. It has been used as "bonus" work time.
In other words, if you can accomplish a normal day's work in less than a typical work day's time, you can therefore fit MORE than a day's work into a single day, thereby boosting your productivity (and therefore boosting the company's revenue) by a significant percentage, and thus allowing you to make more money per hour of work (which is the holy grail of capitalism). It doesn't help that doing anything else is frowned upon as 'lazy and unproductive' behavior.
So you see, it's not that technology didn't make work easier. It's just the fact that our country is run by a lot of greedy workaholics.
In the early 1980's I worked for a retail store that had something like a 4-day week. It actually went like this: The story was open from 10am to 9pm, 7 days week, closing only on Christmas and New Years Days. We had two shifts and each shift would work 4 days on and then 4 days off. An 8 day week you say? No, the week was still 7 days, but regardless of the week, you worked 4 consecutive days and then were off the next four. On your work days you worked the entire day, with an hour off for meals (we could take two 1/2 hour breaks or 1 full hour break). This actually came out to a 35-hour work week, since over the course of a full year you would have 24 only pay periods of 40 hours instead of 26. The benefits were several: 4 consecutive days off after each work "period" left a lot of time either recuperate or make plans for extensive recreational activity, trips or hobbies. Also, you could map out which days you would be off well into the future. The nature of the schedule meant that each employee would work exactly 1/2 of the Saturday or Sundays, or whatever day of the week. You couldn't get any fairer than that. If we had specific days we wished to take off we were allowed to trade with any employee with the same level of responsibility. If none were available we could ask someone of a higher level to take our shift and were allowed to pay them separately (yes, this certainly violated labor law, but it was something that might happen once of twice a year, if that and nobody was REQUIRED to accept or participate in this type of switch). F0r the company they found that having two full separate separate crews engendered better teamwork and generally fostered a friendly competitive situation between the crews. Each crew was responsible for leaving the store in ready-to-go condition at the end of their 4-day shift (yes, this was occasionally a chore, especially when the last day fell on a hectic Friday or Saturday night, but both crews knew what was expected and took the task seriously. If you were unable for some reason to fully spiff up a section you would leave a note about it...it could happen if a couple people were out sick or something. The next shift might grumble a little, but there was never any major issue over it. I was there before the changeover and the general condition of the store at the start of my shift was almost always excellent...an incentive to return the favor.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnyway, it worked well back then, in that particular situation.
What's wrong with this picture? For starters, the four-day, 32-hour week was the big story back in 1957. That's more than a half century ago. Chevrolets had big tail fins, then. Remember? There's nothing sacred about 40 hours. But there appears to be an apprehension that there is something sacred about that number. Hey, that's the length of the workweek that Henry Ford introduced in 1926, one year before he introduced the Model "A" Ford. "The five day week is not the ultimate, and neither is the eight hour day," wrote Samuel Crowther in 1926. The forty hour workweek is, at best, a "Model 'A'" workweek.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWill you ever work a four-day week? Visit http://econospeak.blogspot.com/2009/07/fordy-hours.html for the view from 1957.
The reason work hours haven't decreased is due to capitalists being greedy workaholics? True to a degree. While no one wants to work more than they have to, to attain "Enough". Not Rockerfeller, Juan the illegal, or socialist Fidel Castro. It is, human nature to want at least a little more than you already have, regardless of station or political philosophy. A nicer house in a nicer neighborhood, or to put their kid in a better school. In the end people will always want to work less for more money. And no matter what system you use, there will always be those who are willing to work extra hrs. to gain a better life style. Each to their own....
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would love to get back to a 40 hour week...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd just when we start getting comfortable with a 10 hour day, another study would come up citing the enormous benefits to economy and resolution of all our problems if we sustain the same over 5 days a week!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe capacity of desires is infinite, choices are also many, but nobody has yet figured out whether what we want is money, success, time, peace, love....or something else?
Their is event greater potential savings. Have some firms or b ranches close Monday and coorinate the work load with others that close on Friday. That way, you would have reduced commuting on two days a week. In the DMV example, you would have an office open on all the same days, you might just have to go to a different branch. In addition, with 10 hour days, you could stagger commuting times and reduce congestion and pollution even further.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWith 4 "weekend" days recreational and other weekend facilities could be better utilized. "What's not to like?"
MikeC,
Branford, CT
Lets hope things get so good/bad that we only work Tuesday thru Thursday...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI worked a 4/10 schedule at a previous job and the extra 2 hours wasn't a burden. The extra day off what great, FAR outweighing any issues with the extra time in a given work day. And for companies that need someone in the office m-f, they could rotate personnel - some work m-t while others t-f. Of course, that may defeat the purpose of closing the biz one day a week.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAll in all, it's a MUCH better schedule than 5/8. Of course, I'm all for the 2 day week and the 5 day weekend but I doubt that'll ever fly!
This is an idea that is not new, and I think it's about time it was implemented. I know that it does not fit every kind of employment. That's a given. For people like me who have always worked the "average American 40-hour work week", I would love this option. I could write a book about how the 40-hour week does not work for a majority of folks as, a whole.....family or single households. Can't we just open up our minds and TRY something different? C'mon, we are still locked into Henry Ford's idea of the ideal work week. I say let's FINALLY give it a try, on a nationwide basis.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are actually some people at my employer who currently do a 10 hour workday with Fridays off. They seem to really enjoy it and have no problem staying up with work tasks, meetings, and what have you. Most people work 10 hour or more days as it is now, so giving the Friday off is really a morale booster more than anything else, which I think is great for employees. Programs like this or telework really help to distress employees and haven proven more productive then conventional methods. I'm all for change in the workplace.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisyes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI dont even need to read anything above here, with the earth and the economy and the population wash over same, to answer.
It might be even more beneficial, from a health standpoint, to have the day off be Wednesday. That way a person only works two days in a row and can sleep-in on the day immediately following.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI find 10 hr weeks much better. How is it's not what you make, but what you spend.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI own my modest home which pays no property taxes, my electric bill is $25-45/month with phone, water, trash an dialup comes to about $60month.
My transport is a 3wheel Harley size trike EV that gets about 600mpg cost equivalent for fuel.
Because my expenses are so low, I barely have to work.
I use to like working but idiot bosses and low pay cured me of that. Now I just build stuff like EV's, boats, only a few/yr pays my bills.
this would be a disaster for jobs that require creativity, initiative, or problem solving. I always scheduled my creative thinking and solving for the first 6 hours or so of the day, and finished with the mundane and repetive. A 10 hour day would lose a whole day of effective work for me.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat affect does it have on employee productivity? Are there certain jobs where fatigue could jeopardize safety or quality?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMost office workers spend 40 hours in at work in 4 days anyway. Friday's off would also allow for parents to attend more school functions provided they were scheduled accordingly. Retail sales should also increase as their will be an extra all day shopping day each week. I say we do this sooner than later,, we can always change back if needed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is a very good idea. Everybody should be with their family more than anything else.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA balance of work to family ratio, 4:3.
The most important thing is to work smart.
The energy savings and greenhouse gas reductions stated for Utah fail to take into account the fact that employees are heating/cooling their homes on Fridays. The 4x10 schedule shifts some energy consumption from the office buildings to residences. When the policy was first implemented, promoters touted an overoptimistic 20% energy reduction, neglecting to account for baseline loads and fulltime essential services and the shift in consumption to employee homes. It would be nice to see a more realistic energy audit that looks at the total picture. The energy and CO2 reductions cited in the article are great, but probably ought to be adjusted down a few percent to account for increased consumption elsewhere.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswhy not solve the unemployment problem that some of us know will only get worse in our post industrial economy, reduce the work week to 24 hours/ three days standard. there is no fundamental truth or law that says everyone has to work full time 40 hours a week. there will still be plenty of work left over for anyone who wants/ needs to do 30+ hours and people will be able to spend time doing what they want. get a hobby, an allotment, more time with your family, help out with charity and other creative projects that make our communities a better place for everyone. people would also be generally fitter with more physical activity. really the only things that need to be 24-7 are water, energy, food production, emergency services and one or two others. stop people making a lifestyle choice to live on benefits (im looking at it from a uk perspective), put them to work doing something constructive.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am not an expert in economy, but seems to me if to reduce a production and to increase consuming then it could relieve a pressure on economy and eventually to reduce chances of creating crises as we have now. And one of the way (the most effective way) to do that is to reduce hours for production and increase hours for consuming. It leads eventually to lowering prices for goods and houses but not for services. So I believe , the idea of cutting days per week not only bring an environment advantages but can resolve more global economical issues.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have worked a 4 day work week and it was great.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswhat I did that was different was to take wendsday off.
work two days - one off - work two days - two off.
It was great! Since then I have discovered other who have found out this is a great way to work a four day workweek.
For Government most people need them to be open on monday and friday and business wednesday is a slow day.
My question is - Why shouldn't we change the full workweek from 40 hours to 32?
I have worked a 4 day work week and it was great.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswhat I did that was different was to take wendsday off.
work two days - one off - work two days - two off.
It was great! Since then I have discovered other who have found out this is a great way to work a four day workweek.
For Government most people need them to be open on monday and friday and business wednesday is a slow day.
My question is - Why shouldn't we change the full workweek from 40 hours to 32?