this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2023
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[–] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 103 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I'm not sacrificing shit, asshole. We fucking deserve a 4 day work week after decades of skyrocketing productivity and shit wages.

We've been sacrificing every time we get a "raise" or a "cost of living adjustment" that doesn't even come close to keeping up with inflation.

[–] _wintermute@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago

Productivity has been on a rocket to the moon since the beginning of the industrial revolution, so centuries.

[–] PM_ME_YOUR_ZOD_RUNES@sh.itjust.works 69 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Every time I see any discussion about a 4 day work week, it's always the same. Discussion is focused around what changes/sacrifices the workers are willing to make to accomplish this. Fuck that noise, nothing should be sacrificed. Your pay shouldn't change, your leaves shouldn't change, nothing should change. Fucking capitalist mentality bullshit.

[–] charles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 41 points 1 year ago

"Studies show productivity increases with 4-day/32h work week"

"Ok but we'll only pay for 32 hours."

"I literally just said it makes us more productive. Maybe you should pay us for 48 hours"

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Not to mention a complete absence of service/retail voices.

The only way they could afford that is going to ten hours a day over 4 days- or the company has to increase their hourly wages to compensate.

But of course no one is actually advocating a 4 day for retail and service. It’s for office workers who want to go shopping on Friday too

[–] Wookie@artemis.camp 50 points 1 year ago (1 children)

having fewer vacation days, 16%; having a longer commute, 12%; taking a pay cut, 10%; or taking a step back in their careers

Yeah right, what are employers sacrificing again? What a BS article

[–] LastYearsPumpkin@feddit.ch 32 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Fewer vacation days? Heck no. If I wanted to burn vacation to get a 4 day week, I'd do it already.

Longer commute? Heck no. WFH or I walk.

Pay cut? Heck no. You KNOW that 99% of people will be just as productive with a 4 day work week as a 5 day, so why take less money for the same output?

Taking a step back in career? Not like I'm shooting for being a VP or anything, so I guess I don't care if I don't get promoted to senior middle manager meeting organizer, so who cares on that one.

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

If neoliberalism didn't completely decouple wages from productivity 50 years ago, workers would already be making the same wages for a ~3 day work week.

So yes, they can absolute go fuck themselves. The only way a realignment will occur is if workers organize, unionize, and demand it at a national level.

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[–] query@lemm.ee 46 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fuck no, no sacrifices. Productivity is up, wealth is up, people should be paid more for their time and have more time to spare.

[–] UsernameIsTooLon@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yea this article is painting that the people are the problem here. Sacrifice the super rich CEOs instead.

[–] delaunayisation@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Sacrifice I'm willing to make: sacrificing the CEO to the Old Gods.

[–] randon31415@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If we pass a law forcing employers to pay for commute time, I'm sure all sides will want 4-day work weeks.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 5 points 1 year ago

That or go for WFH for eligible jobs

[–] IamSparticles@lemmy.zip 23 points 1 year ago (5 children)

My team at work recently instituted a "flex time" Friday policy. Basically, as long as we're maintaining productivity we aren't expected to work on Fridays. A lot of us still work half days to keep up but it's nice to know that if I work a little more earlier in the week I can just take a three day weekend.

[–] travysh@lemm.ee 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ah interesting. I too have instituted a flex time Friday.

So far my company hasn't seemed to notice

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[–] Colour_me_triggered@lemm.ee 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Working more than 3 days a week is barbaric and unnecessary.

[–] Rambi@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Working 4 days would be OK if it was only for 6 hours each day. Although 8 hours for 3 days a week would be better even if they're the same hours

[–] MrSilkworm@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Productivity has increased disproportialy to workers pay the last 40 years. Workinhlg less days and less hours is only fair considering that most of the benefits went to the employers side. 4 day/ 20 hour weeks should be the norm. And people should be able to work from home as for as long as possible the avoid commuting and the barbaric micromanagement of the low/middle admins

[–] problematicPanther@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My first sacrifice: the billionaire CEO

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[–] barbedbeard@lemmy.one 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

81%? that's like... 4 out of 5 right?

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[–] giantofthenorth@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago

If they're willing to make sacrifices why not ~1-2 hours a week dedicated to unionizing their workplace

[–] 31337@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

A lot of U.S. factory jobs are 12 hour days, alternating between 4 day on, 3 days off, 3 days on, 4 days off. Probably not what most people are thinking of though.

My last cushy office job was 4.5 days/week about half the time (beginning of the quarter was 4.5 day weeks, end of quarter was 5 day week), and seemed to work well. Some stupid workaholic assholes would complain about the 4.5 day work weeks though.

In my experience, productivity per hour increases the less hours people work. Workaholics are just trying to stay away from their family, or don't know what to do with themselves in their free-time, IMO.

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[–] MummifiedClient5000@feddit.dk 10 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I'd sacrifice a couple of my daily hours of slacking off for a 4-day work week.

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[–] _number8_@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

am i allowed to say what i feel about the businessmen who perked up at the 'sacrifices' section without getting a TOS violation

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[–] nutsack@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

how about a 0 day work week and i punch you in the face instead

[–] LegionEris@feddit.nl 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I guess I'm actually a strong data point for the four day work week. I have never been psychologically stable on a five day work week. On every five day schedule, I shake myself apart. I end up suicidally anxious and depressed, have repeatedly considered inpatient treatment. I worked four days at my last job and work four at my current job. I was/am the highest performing employee at both of these jobs. I even enjoy the longer hours per day. I get the dip in productivity at hour 5-6 that people have mentioned in here, but I just need a break for lunch and caffeine to have another four or five hours outperforming my coworkers. It's that third day off that I need, the one in the middle that doesn't touch any workday. If I get that one untethered day, I show back up enthusiastic and ready to kick ass. It definitely helps that I genuinely love my industry and job overall (I work at a dispensary, which is very important to me) but that didn't stop my latest attempt at a five day work week from trying to kill me like all the others.

[–] SMITHandWESSON@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Same here. I'm a fiber tech for a cable company, and working 4×10's are awesome. I only work 2 extra hours, and I barely get more work than I did when I worked 8 hours.

It's fucking awesome😃

[–] KTVX94@lemmy.myserv.one 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This is not the way, it's better to work less hours per day than working more hours and fewer days. Productivity peaks at 6 hours, after that you're either less focused or just doing unproductive things. It's also gonna burn out harder.

[–] Hadriscus@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

What about less days and less hours ? That's just me (or is it?), but I'm always better and more enthusiastic at anything I do when that thing doesn't take up 80% of my awake time. I always solve problems when going back to them after a pause -always !

[–] jemorgan@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

Yeah, totally respect your opinion, but I emphatically disagree with it. The goal of what’s being discussed here isn’t to maximize production for the sake of shareholders, it’s to maximize quality of life for employees. To that end, five six-hour days are worse than four 8-to-10-hour days.

If I start work at 8 and get off work at 2:30 or 3, I still can’t start my camping trip a day early, or spend the day at the water park with my kids. I still have to give up n x 10 hours of my life, where n is my commute time, assume I work in-office.

I would much rather work until 630 Monday through Thursday, and have an extra day where full-day activities are possible every week. That’s worth more to me than 10 extra hours per week of after-work time.

[–] EpicMuch@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (6 children)

my work uses two different 4 day setups. we run 24/7/365 coverage. one shift is either 10 hour/day Sun-Weds or Weds-Sat, the other setup is a rolling 10 hour/day 4 days on, 4 days off. One gets you a consistent schedule, but you're regularly working a weekend day. The other is less consistent (work days cycle back around every few weeks) but you're for sure to get full weekends now and then.

[–] wieson@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I don't think cramming a 40h week into 4 days is what a 4 day work week wants to accomplish.

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[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago

Go for it.

We all do better when we ALL do better

[–] Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I really need to go look up these work studies on the 32 hour work week. I fully believe that a 32 hour work week in an office setting may boost productivity.. But since I work in construction, a 32 hour work week doesn't seem like it would speed anything up on my end. The work generally just takes time. I can only measure, cut, attach, and repeat at a certain speed, and no amount of rest is going to speed that up.

[–] echindod@programming.dev 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I worked in an excavating company for a bit. One old crochety guy worked 12 hours every day running an excavator. A younger guy who had stake in the company (also drove an excavator), who never worked more than 8 in a day, looked at him and said: "Why do you only get half as much done, but it takes you twice as long?"

The young guy wasn't wrong. Being tired does slow you down. But yeah, a four day work week in construction, might slow the project down a bit. But they should just hire more people. And on top of that 6 hour days with additional staff would make the work go a lot faster.

[–] Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This is why I'd like to read the actual studies. I can only speak on my own anecdotal evidence of 8 hours 5 days a week isn't draining on me to an extent that I'd actually notice an increase in productivity if I were to only work 4.

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[–] thatsnothowyoudoit@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

Negotiated a 4 day work week at my current job.

It’s worth it, but it requires heavy self-moderation to do it at an organization where everyone is 5 days.

AMA.

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[–] Kodama@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago

Would be great if 81% of my colleagues skipped one day, then i finally have one day with undisturbed focused work.

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