Should we all go to a 4 day work week?

[brainhulk]

Microsoft Tried Out a 4-Day Workweek and Hot Damn, It Worked

Microsoft’s Japan offices recently experimented with shorter work weeks, and the results provide a glimmer of hope that large companies can alter the workweek and save us from collectively burning out.

gizmodo.com

The notion of a 4-day workweek has been gaining momentum in recent years. Last year, 240 workers at the New Zealand trust management firm Perpetual Guardian worked for only four days a week in March and April. After observing a 20 percent increase in productivity, the company permanently implemented the policy last October. But Microsoft Japan is likely the largest company to trial the concept since business leaders like Richard Branson began advocating for flexible workweeks.
Microsoft Japan recently shared the results of its trial, which showed that during the month of short workweeks, productivity was 40 percent higher than it was during August of last year. That percentage was based on sales per employee.

I've been doing 4 day work weeks (10h/day) and having the 3 day weekends are great.

 

[BoomerD]

When I worked, 40 hour work weeks were rare for me, but when I had the choice, I'd always take 4-10's over 5-8's.

 

[jameny5]

Heck no! I slave in a 9 hour 5 day a week job. Why do it in a 4 day 12 hour shift and get a abused to high heavens to meet the daily quota?

 

[highland145]

Why would I want to work an extra day?

 

[shortylickens]

Micorsofts Japan office made it work. I doubt Americans are smart enough and organized enough to something similar.
At my job we have some people doing 4 twelve-hour days and some doing 5 eight-hour days and frankly no one can make anything work correctly and nobody wants to change and management cant get stuff done and its all a huge mess. I dont see any good solution.

 

[jpiniero]

Why would I want to work an extra day?

I interviewed at a place that did 9/80 and that they did 9/80 was one of the reasons I was uneasy working there. Between commuting and the work, even a 9 hour day (with an hour lunch break) doesn't leave much time to do anything other than eat dinner and then sleep.

 

[OccamsToothbrush]

I interviewed at a place that did 9/80 and that they did 9/80 was one of the reasons I was uneasy working there. Between commuting and the work, even a 9 hour day (with an hour lunch break) doesn't leave much time to do anything other than eat dinner and then sleep.

But if you have a long commute then you do it less often and gain free time. I'm flexible in that some weeks I get to write my own schedule and when I do I always go to the 4 day week. It's great and I can't understand why anyone would do anything else. I don't notice the extra hours when I'm already at work, if I stay busy they melt away quickly. But I sure as hell notice that three day weekend.

 

[Scarpozzi]

When gas prices were high, they toyed with this idea at my former employer. A few people did it and had no issues with the layout, but some job functions have little coverage and missing a day equals being 1 day behind... If you work on a team or in a group that splits workload, it might be cool.

My wife works 4 days a week. I get off work 1.5 hours before her most days. She's got a pretty sweet setup....but I do too, because I don't work 8 hour days either.

 

[deadlyapp]

TBH in sales I generally work only 3 days a week and those 3 days I'm rarely working full days.

Shrug.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

TBH in sales I generally work only 3 days a week and those 3 days I'm rarely working full days.

Shrug.

With my latest job I switched to sales. Fucking love it.

Mostly because I'm just a technical person, not the actual sales person. I'm not responsible for finding the work, just presenting it

 

[Fritzo]

I'd love to, but I have no idea how that would work as a lot of businesses need to be accessible to customers. It seems like this would require more employees to cover and drive up costs.

 

[itaos]

I've been doing 4 day work weeks (10h/day) and having the 3 day weekends are great.

Does everyone in your workplace four 10's?

We've got 7 on 7 off 10 hour shifts but but no bump up in pay to equal 80 hours.

 

[Chapbass]

I work pretty closely with the software company Wildbit, they've moved to a 4 day workweek, but simply 32 hours, not 4x10's.

This company shifted to a four-day workweek–and it’s going great

Software company Wildbit decided it was good business to work smarter, not harder.

www.fastcompany.com

4-day workweek update | Wildbit

Changes to our 4-day workweeks as we continue through Q1 2018.

wildbit.com

 

[OccamsToothbrush]

I'd love to, but I have no idea how that would work as a lot of businesses need to be accessible to customers. It seems like this would require more employees to cover and drive up costs.

Really? 4x10 = 5x8, so you get the same number of hours for coverage. Unless your business is open exactly 8 hours a day exactly 5 days a week and has exactly one employee it's not hard to adapt a 5 day 8 hour week for full-timers into a 4 day 10 hour week. Pretty much every business on earth does that kind of stuff every day.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Really? 4x10 = 5x8, so you get the same number of hours for coverage. Unless your business is open exactly 8 hours a day exactly 5 days a week and has exactly one employee it's not hard to adapt a 5 day 8 hour week for full-timers into a 4 day 10 hour week. Pretty much every business on earth does that kind of stuff every day.

Yeah, no... a lot of jobs in life are dependent upon other people - and if those people aren't available during certain hours or certain days it can royally screw up the productivity of folks.

If you have a job that doesn't require questions/answers or working with others in different departments... then yeah, maybe your right.

Personally I like the model of my line: Get your shit done. I don't care how you do it, when you do it, or if you jack off all day as long as the work gets done.

I don't even ask or notify anyone if I have something like... a half a day dedicated to a doctor appointment. I put the appointment on my calendar (set to private) and just go. No one complains because the stuff gets done.

 

[Red Squirrel]

IMO the whole 8*5 schedule is so archaic it does need to change. People should get more time off to actually live. 2 day weekends are just too short. Me personally I work shifts so my schedule is all over the place, but I love the fact that I get more days off. I can work 4 days, then be off for 3, then work 2 days, be off for 1 etc. It's very random in my case which is the only part I don't like as much, but I rather this than going back to an 8*5.

I worked a 10*4 too at one point as a summer student and it was great. Probably the best balance of time off and a more stable schedule. My ideal schedule though would be something like 1 week on 1 week off or even 2 weeks on 2 weeks off. There are jobs like that, but they tend to be camp jobs, I don't know if I'd want to be away from home for that long.

Either way I just hope my current job stays around for a long time because it's a fairly cushy job and I love all the time off I get. It's still based on 40 hour weeks over the long run it's just the hours are distributed differently. To me, working an 8h shift or a 12h shift is still a full day of work. I still have to get up for it and I still have to go to bed early, and I still am at work most of the day. Rather work 12's and then get more days off.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Micorsofts Japan office made it work. I doubt Americans are smart enough and organized enough to something similar.
At my job we have some people doing 4 twelve-hour days and some doing 5 eight-hour days and frankly no one can make anything work correctly and nobody wants to change and management cant get stuff done and its all a huge mess. I dont see any good solution.

Companies have embraced inconsistent standards for flexible work schedules to the extent that nothing is getting done.

I would support the nation embracing a 4 day work week of 8 hr days.

 

[shortylickens]

I'd love to, but I have no idea how that would work as a lot of businesses need to be accessible to customers. It seems like this would require more employees to cover and drive up costs.

Depends on the available office space but some guys work Sunday thru tues and alternate wed. Some guys work Thurs thru Saturday and alternate Wed.

Its weird but once you get used to it, it can work.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

40 hours of most of corporate America is too much, period. Between getting ready for work, commuting, and putting in your hours, you're looking at a 10-11 hour day, you're really devoting 50-55 hours a week to work. That leaves little time and energy to do anything else during the week, and before you know it your weekend is over and you're starting the whole thing over again. Again and again, year after year, until you get old. But if you're lucky, you're rewarded with a 2 week vacation once a year.

Pass.

Before I had a kid, something around 28-35 (from home) felt like an amount that favored work life balance. I had plenty of time and energy to go to the gym, surf in the mornings, do errands, etc. It felt I wasn't missing out or sacrificing on anything - work included since I'm the type who works smarter and not harder. Now with a 6 month old, I'm maybe putting in around 60 hours a month.

 

[highland145]

I could do all of my work in about 20 hrs but...retail. Inconsiderate bastards.

 

[brianmanahan]

With my latest job I switched to sales. Fucking love it.

Mostly because I'm just a technical person, not the actual sales person. I'm not responsible for finding the work, just presenting it

i've thought about switching to sales engineer, i think i would do pretty well at it

might give it a try when i get enough saved up to say heck with my current job

but then again, i might just do some short term contracts and take half the year off

 

[snoopy7548]

The place I work might consider doing a flex schedule of 9/80. I'm already at work for nearly ten hours each day (7:15a.m. to 5:30p.m., though I'm usually in the gym from 4:30-5:30p.m.), so it wouldn't affect my hours and I'd get an extra day off every other week.

Our obsession with work is disgusting. Sadly, there's no convincing corporations to give workers an extra day off if there's no reason to.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

i've thought about switching to sales engineer, i think i would do pretty well at it

might give it a try when i get enough saved up to say heck with my current job

but then again, i might just do some short term contracts and take half the year off

Totally reccomend it. I don't even need to know extreme technical stuff, if a client gets really technical we can call on programmer folks to fill in.

Im a complete antisocial personal that is just in general an introvert. I also suck at casual chatter and stuff like that. I guess I gained confidence over the years as I slowly started to have to lead status calls with clients back when I was consulting.

But yeah, sales guy is the quarterback that takes care of the shit like casual chatting. I'm just the nerd they briefly point to in order to show off the product via demo.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Our obsession with work is disgusting. Sadly, there's no convincing corporations to give workers an extra day off if there's no reason to.

The worst is that for lot of people it's actually something to be proud of. "What you only work 40 hours a week? you're never going to amount to anything! Real men put in at least 80." That's how lot of people think.

 

[Avalon]

I'd love to. Been looking at several places for a new job recently, and one had a 9/80 schedule with flexible WFH days mixed in. The thought of having two 3-day weekends each month is awesome. I'd be able to take mini vacations with that time without having to use any PTO, or combine that with a day of PTO during a holiday week and boom, 5 days off.