would society benefit from working a 3 or 4 day week?

realBabelfish · 3 May 2012 at 13:54

i currently work a 4 day week (thanks recession) but it got me thinking.

if everyone did a 3/4 day week. how would that affect us?

more jobs...
less social payment...
less tax...
more to spend...

would it actually mean we all would be just as well off and work 1 less day a week. i love my 3 day weekend with my son. im not sure i could go back to a 5 day week now.

could this help society?

wildman · 3 May 2012 at 14:10

If it was a 4day week with 4 days off on a rolling basis, so that when you had your 4 days off there was someone else working the same job for 4 days I think it would mean a massive reduction in unemployment, but it also means everyone would get paid less so prices would have to adjust downwards to compensate otherwise the net result would be that most of us would effectively be living in relative poverty ?

e.g Billy and Peter work as machine fitters in a factory

day--- Billy--- Peter
1-----IN----- OFF
2----- IN----- OFF
3----- IN----- OFF
4----- IN----- OFF
5----- OFF----- IN
6----- OFF----- IN
7----- OFF----- IN
8----- OFF----- IN

and they cycle repeats.

Effectively it would mean the country would be on an 8 day week 4 are work days 4 are weekends but they never coincide whereby the entire working population have a weekend where no one is 'IN'

robgmun · 3 May 2012 at 14:14

Personally, if the prices were to readjust to compensate the loss of income then i think in general it would a big boost to society, maybe not richer but much much happier and less stressful in general

The Halk · 3 May 2012 at 14:15

Basic economic knowledge is frighteningly scarce these days.

Christ.

Castiel · 3 May 2012 at 14:18

I already work a 3 day week most of the time.

Devrij · 3 May 2012 at 14:19

I think everyone would just be skint in the situation you described. You can't just make everything cheaper so everyone can afford it, it still costs the same to make those products.

Tell me OP, how would I have more to spend if I'm earning less? How would the government react to receiving less tax income? Perhaps by raising taxes?

kae2 · 3 May 2012 at 14:20

I work a full week but use half my arse... so I'm technically on a 2.5 day working week (if only this were true, it's going to be another long day

).

And boo to your economics, who needs those anyway!

Tyron · 3 May 2012 at 14:21

In a utopia maybe

Stretch · 3 May 2012 at 14:27

robgmun said:
Personally, if the prices were to readjust to compensate the loss of income

Just wow

The Halk · 3 May 2012 at 14:29

Stretch said:
Just wow

Yeah, I'm staggered by that. I can't begin to explain to someone who thinks that way. It should have been written in crayon, or in pasta glued to a bit of paper.

realBabelfish · 3 May 2012 at 14:30

The Halk said:
Basic economic knowledge is frighteningly scarce these days.

Christ.

it was just a thought. no need to get ****y about it and spit out your dummy.

anyway, enjoy your 5 day week while im off having fun tomorrow...

if this could almost eliminate unemployment and save us 1/2 a trillion a year then maybe its not the dumbest idea on the planet. it could even help more people doing part time as it would free up plenty of workplaces.

culvers · 3 May 2012 at 14:34

for most people, the loss of 1/5 of their income would pretty much wipe out their disposable income..

The Halk · 3 May 2012 at 14:36

realBabelfish said:
it was just a thought. no need to get ****y about it and spit out your dummy.

anyway, enjoy your 5 day week while im off having fun tomorrow...

if this could almost eliminate unemployment and save us 1/2 a trillion a year then maybe its not the dumbest idea on the planet. it could even help more people doing part time as it would free up plenty of workplaces.

Dummy isn't spat... don't confuse eye rolling with anger.. I was more meaning the reduce prices comment though.

Edit : I work a 4 day week. I'm off today.

Gideon Lorr · 3 May 2012 at 14:36

Just....what?

I wouldn't even know where to start correcting the OP.

realBabelfish · 3 May 2012 at 14:38

Devrij said:
I think everyone would just be skint in the situation you described. You can't just make everything cheaper so everyone can afford it, it still costs the same to make those products.

Tell me OP, how would I have more to spend if I'm earning less? How would the government react to receiving less tax income? Perhaps by raising taxes?

maybe as nobody would be unemployed it would save us a shedload in welfare

we pay more on welfare than we get in income tax. a lot more. income tax would likely stay the same but would be more evenly distributed.

sure, ive taken a pay hit. but for it i spend more time with my son and wife and our quality of life is better, even though i earn ~£10k less than i did before. money isnt everything and we now live a slightly more simple life.

less people would need to unwind and we wouldnt have so many people off with stress etc.

a happier Britain might be a better place to live

realBabelfish · 3 May 2012 at 14:42

The Halk said:
Dummy isn't spat... don't confuse eye rolling with anger.. I was more meaning the reduce prices comment though.

Edit : I work a 4 day week. I'm off today.

maybe you should quote him then rather than just a reply which is insinuated to be a reply to the original post.

ah, fridays are a much better day off

The Halk · 3 May 2012 at 14:42

Gideon Lorr said:
Just....what?

I wouldn't even know where to start correcting the OP.

The OP isn't so bad, he's saying what if... and asking what it would affect... as least he's asking.

It's the "Let's make everything cheaper so people can afford it" that staggers me.

An image macro is called for here - I agree with your strongly there!

The Halk · 3 May 2012 at 14:43

realBabelfish said:
maybe you should quote him then rather than just a reply which is insinuated to be a reply to the original post.

ah, fridays are a much better day off

I'm off tomorrow too. I work mon,tue,wed and saturday morning. Full time salary.

Monkeymatt · 3 May 2012 at 14:45

realBabelfish said:
less tax...

more to spend...

Can you please explain how this possibly makes sense? You are earning less but will still be paying the same percentage in tax therefore you will have less disposable income.

In the past this might have worked, but in the globalized world it would make our country less efficient and put us even further behind many other economies. Plus it would not make life much better for everybody, because Sports and other leisure activities would be almost impossible as there would be no standard time(weekend) when most of the population is off work.

wildman · 3 May 2012 at 14:45

culvers said:
for most people, the loss of 1/5 of their income would pretty much wipe out their disposable income..

yes....................

but lets pretend for a short while (caveat being none of this is likely possible)

If the governemt introduced a new working practice law that stated the entire nation had to work on a 4 on 4 off basis, but the entire working population would not have the same 4 days off together, so when 1 person was off for 4 days there was another person doing the same job for the other 4 days.

If that ever came to pass the effectively the entire nation just lost 1/5 of their take home. If that was the case then at some point there would have to be a complete re-alignment of everything (this is the part that makes it a fantasy)

Now we stop pretending and come back to the real world........

A nationwide re-alignment of the cost of goods going down will never happen in any of our lifetimes unless UK PLc becomes a completely independent self sufficient country that produces everything it needs.

If anything needs to be imported even something simple that goes into a finished product there is no way the price can de driven down as that part will be sourced from soem where that doesn't have our (utopian) work model. So then we have to conclude that the only way this would work then is if the entire world moved to 4 on / 4 off model. Now we are back in fantasy land