How the world's biggest four-day workweek trial changed people's lives

[tnff]

Originally Posted by Jimijel

My argument was that the employee who works flat out through their shift was usually the person who was the most productive. In nursing workload is mainly physical and from ad hoc demands that rarely can be organised far in advanced or be automated. Though the IT system those need overhauling which would help the admin side.

Not arguing with your individual experience; just that mine has been the person who appears to be working flat out is usually generating a lot of smoke and little heat. I don't think anyone claimed nursing could be produced faster than the demand. But by the same token, there are a lot of jobs that can produce faster than the demand.

[catsmom21]

I would never agree to a shorter week but longer days. I could not work a 10 hour day 4 days a week. However, when I speak to people from other countries, Hungary and Denmark being two recently, they always comment on the unbalanced work/life balance in the US. The nurse on the ICU unit when I was in the hospital is from Hungary. She said she was shocked when she first came here, how much everyone worked, how little vacation time people get, and how sick everyone is all the time. She said 7 weeks of vacation was standard where she came from and people were encouraged to take four of those weeks consecutively, using the other 3 weeks for days off here and there.

Lockdown was tough, we all had to relearn how to do everything from home, and new ways of coping, but when we first went back to the office we continued to work a hybrid schedule for almost a year, and I thrived on it, as did my productivity. I worked 6 hours in the office 8-2, then took my lunch hour and then completed my work day from home. It was wonderful, and oh my gosh I got so much done! but eventually all that ended and work from home options still haven't made it into our union contract. The powers that be don't put much value on worrying about the health and well-being of their employees, sorry to say. It didn't used to be that way.

[Rocko20]

Originally Posted by NYCresident2014

I would gladly take a 20% pay cut if I could work a 4 day work week. It's just not an option in my field but I wish it was.

At first I was going to say that's crazy, but actually, I would be able to take more weekend travel trips. Time is worth more than money.

So I guess I'm not opposed to a 4 day workweek. Unfortunately, it is absolutely not an option in my field.

Originally Posted by catsmom21

I would never agree to a shorter week but longer days. I could not work a 10 hour day 4 days a week.

I've done it plenty of times on a flex schedule and it's not that bad. Most folks would be sitting at a desk for 10 hour 4 days a week, not working at a coal mine or digging ditches for 10 hour 4 days a week.

Life is all about trade-offs.

[Serious Conversation]

At 37, I would like the 4x10 schedule, especially from home. If I was doing physical work at 65, I'm sure I'd feel differently.

[digitalUID]

My semi-retired father works a similar schedule and, after 45 years of a 5-day work week, he highly prefers it. I can't say that I blame him.

I work in a technical field. Generative AI, ML, and quantum computing will likely force our hand on this topic in the near future.

[tnff]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

At 37, I would like the 4x10 schedule, especially from home. If I was doing physical work at 65, I'm sure I'd feel differently.

I wonder if views on 4x10 depend on where one is in life? When my kids were in their growing up stage, I would have hated a 4x10 because I would have missed a lot of their events. So many things for younger kids are scheduled at like 5 or 530. Even with a normal schedule, I was late to a lot. An 8 to 6 schedule would have made me miss even more. Once the kids were grown however, that third day off would have been great.