4-day work week

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wjfox
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4-day work week

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There seems to be a lot of interest in this topic lately, so let's have a thread for news and discussions regarding it.

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Progressives in Congress are backing a bill for a 4-day work week

Juliana Kaplan
15 hours ago

Progressives in Congress are lining up behind a bill that would shrink a regular week of work from 40 hours to 32 — bringing the four-day work week to America.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus just endorsed the aptly named "32-Hour Workweek Act," according to a statement from Rep. Mark Takano, the Democrat representing California's 41st district. The caucus, comprised of nearly 100 legislators, is a key progressive voice and has made its power known during recent infrastructure negotiations.

"For far too long, workers across this country have been forced to put in longer hours as their wages barely budge," chair of the caucus and Washington state Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal, said in a statement.

In the US, wages have been declining for five decades, with economic growth increasingly benefiting workers less. As workers demand more from work, and refuse to work in positions that don't suit their needs, a four-day workweek has caught traction. The shorter week has been shown in other countries to keep business booming and workers happier. Its implementation into law — or at least the mainstream — could mark a pivotal moment in America's rethink of work.

"It is past time that we put people and communities over corporations and their profits — finally prioritizing the health, wellbeing, and basic human dignity of the working class rather than their employers' bottom line," Jayapal said. "The 32-hour work week would go a long way toward finally righting that balance."

https://www.businessinsider.com/congres ... rk-2021-12



Nanotechandmorefuture
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Re: 4-day work week

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This is definitely going to lead to less pay since less workdays. In before (inb4) "polywork" makes up the slack for the rest.
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R8Z
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Re: 4-day work week

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Prediction: companies offering the same pay for having 4-day work weeks will be a trend in this decade. It will be a way to outcompete other companies in the competition for the best employees. Unfortunately only white-collar -- either office or remote -- jobs will benefit from this trend.
And, as always, bye bye.
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R8Z wrote: Wed Dec 08, 2021 5:59 pm Prediction: companies offering the same pay for having 4-day work weeks will be a trend in this decade. It will be a way to outcompete other companies in the competition for the best employees. Unfortunately only white-collar -- either office or remote -- jobs will benefit from this trend.
Naturally. Yup.
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The UAE is adopting a 4.5-day workweek and a Saturday-Sunday weekend

December 8, 20211:57 PM ET

The United Arab Emirates just announced some big changes to its work schedule.

The Gulf nation is transitioning to a 4.5-day workweek, with weekends to consist of Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday.

That's significant for two reasons: It likely makes the UAE the first nation to formalize a workweek shorter than five days, and it also brings the country more in line with Western schedules. Up until now, the UAE has had a Friday-Saturday weekend, which is the standard in many predominantly Muslim countries.

"The extended weekend comes as part of the UAE government's efforts to boost work-life balance and enhance social wellbeing, while increasing performance to advance the UAE's economic competitiveness," said state news agency WAM, which announced the move on Tuesday.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/08/10624359 ... al-markets
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Re: 4-day work week

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Four-day working week pilot launched in UK

Monday 17 Jan 2022 10:27 am

A six-month trial period of a four-day working week has today been launched across the UK.

Some 30 British companies are expected to take part in the pilot, which will see no loss in pay for employees working one fewer day a week.

Instead they will be asked to maintain 100% productivity for 80% of their time.

The pilot has been launched by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College.

Joe O’Connor, pilot programme manager for 4 Day Week Global, said: ‘More and more businesses are moving to productivity focused strategies to enable them to reduce worker hours without reducing pay.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/01/17/four-day ... -15929727/
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Belgium approves four-day week and gives employees the right to ignore their bosses after work

By Tom Bateman • Updated: 15/02/2022 - 14:34

Workers in Belgium will soon be able to choose a four-day week under a series of labour market reforms announced on Tuesday.

The reform package agreed by the country's multi-party coalition government will also give workers the right to turn off work devices and ignore work-related messages after hours without fear of reprisal.

"We have experienced two difficult years. With this agreement, we set a beacon for an economy that is more innovative, sustainable and digital. The aim is to be able to make people and businesses stronger," Belgian prime minister Alexander de Croo told a press conference announcing the reform package.

Workers in the gig economy will also receive stronger legal protections under the new rules, while full-time employees will be able to work flexible schedules on demand.

Putting the reforms into law could take months, however, as the draft legislation must pass multiple readings by federal lawmakers before being enacted.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/02/1 ... eir-bosses
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Thousands of UK workers to take part in four-day week trial

Mon 4 Apr 2022 00.01 BST

More than 3,000 workers at 60 companies across Britain will trial a four-day working week, in what is thought to be the biggest pilot scheme to take place anywhere in the world.

Employees from a wide range of businesses and charities are expected to take part in the scheme, which will run initially from June to December, including the Royal Society of Biology, the London-based brewing company Pressure Drop, a Manchester-based medical devices firm, and a fish and chip shop in Norfolk.

It comes as the push for companies to adopt a shorter working week – crucially with no loss of pay while aiming for higher productivity – gains momentum as a way of improving working conditions.

The pilot is being run by academics at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as Boston College in the US, in partnership with the campaign group 4 Day Week Global, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign and the Autonomy thinktank.

Launching the trial to examine how such employment patterns might work at a broad range of companies across the economy, the participation of 3,000 workers means it is larger than a previous pilot in Iceland by Reykjavík city council and the national government that included more than 2,500 workers.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... week-trial
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Re: 4-day work week

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People in the 1960s USA thought we would have 4-day work week. They thought we would work 9 hours per week by 2063. I think it is doable in some industries, but not in others as of today. Generally, people choose to still hire workers for 8h 5days per week, even if productivity increases, they just accomplish more in that time. I do see things moving in that direction in the future, perhaps 6h 4days could become the norm, but gradually. Working class used to work 12h 6days, which is 80% longer than today. And they did not have appliances making life easier. Life of working class early XX century British family was miserable and it was still a bit better than life earlier. We have it much better in developed countries. So much has changed in the XX century, there was invention after invention. I do think that AI and robots will improve productivity, even during this decade, let alone during 2030s and 2040s.
Global economy doubles in product every 15-20 years. Computer performance at a constant price doubles nowadays every 4 years on average. Livestock-as-food will globally stop being a thing by ~2050 (precision fermentation and more). Human stupidity, pride and depravity are the biggest problems of our world.
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