Yes, true, that is why I added the second point you quoted.
Four day work week
- Thread starter Lightnix
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Yes, true, that is why I added the second point you quoted.
Thing is in the uk we already work many mroe hours than our european neighbours which is why a 4 day week wouldnt work here.
There are many, many people who work 40+, 50+ and even 60+ hours a week purely so they earn enough money to live on.
Unless you are going to pay the same amount for 32 hrs as you do somebody who does 60 then it just isnt going to happen.
the average hrs worked in the uk is 42.7 hrs per week. the 2nd highest in Europe.
Problem is our productivity is poor versus all the countries who work fewer hours. eg basically you may have people in say Germany working 36 hrs but they do more work then we do in 42.
There are many, many people who work 40+, 50+ and even 60+ hours a week purely so they earn enough money to live on.
Unless you are going to pay the same amount for 32 hrs as you do somebody who does 60 then it just isnt going to happen.
the average hrs worked in the uk is 42.7 hrs per week. the 2nd highest in Europe.
Problem is our productivity is poor versus all the countries who work fewer hours. eg basically you may have people in say Germany working 36 hrs but they do more work then we do in 42.
Think the assumption is no change to pay, possibly slightly more hours per day but less days and/or more people to take up any slack.
As a short term experiment we saw a noticeable change in how positive people were and actual levels of productivity when people were working but whether that would translate into the long term I have no idea.
Ive been working 3x 12hr20min shifts for the last few years, only working 3 days a week is brilliant, ive recently switched to work a permanent weekend shift which is 6am-6.20pm Fri, Sat and Sunday for a nice health wage premium. I will now do everything within my power to never work a 4 or 5 day week again.
That's partly it, though. Productivity isn't the same as the amount of time we spend on our bums (or not, as the case may be). Happier workers are more productive workers - it's not magic or better breeding that European workers are as productive in less time, it's that their system works better because of the reasons I outlined.
I do agree productivity levels would increase. My old boss was a stickler for "putting the hours in" and didnt think he had got value for money from his workforce unless they had done a 12 hour day. And i do think its telling that a lot of the countries who work shorter hours have much better productivity than the uk workforce.
In reality i suspect those people would get as much done in 10 hrs as they did in 12 as a lot of the day was spent just filling to try and get your 12 hrs in.
Problem is, the company was never going to pay 20% more per hour to try this and the employees were never going to do just 10 hrs as they needed 12 hrs wages to live.
Soldato
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There are 7 of us in our office and we mostly work a 30-hour week. Some are able to work 4x7.5h (so 4-day week) while others have to come in all 5 days and work 5x6h. I would have loved 1 less commute per week. Unfortunately I fall in the latter group because my role requires me to be in the office every day.
My old next door neighbour had the perfect flexi time job. Start between 8 and 10 and finish between 4 and 6 and lunch between 12 and 2. Any overtime was allowed as time off in lieu later as full or half days.
35.5 hrs per week was her contracted hours which meant she could get them in Mon to Thurs and never go to work on a Friday.
Sounds like 95% of civil service jobs, so many people locally work in the mod and all use their flex time to get long weekends most weeks.
Soldato
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I would much rather work 40 hours in 4 days than 40 in 5!
plus it would reduce the amount of traffic on the road
plus it would reduce the amount of traffic on the road
While this is true, it would just make Thursday the new Friday. People would slack on Thursday afternoons and put it off till Monday.
There would be less of that in most office jobs though. As the team covering Fridays would get massively ***** off with those finishing on a Thursday.
I like it where it is but that's because of personal reasons
I don't see why you can't have flexibility in a lot of jobs.
Given the option of how to use my 37.5 hours.. I'd keep it exactly as is actually
At the present time I'd happily work Saturday morning (for more money obviously) while allowing someone else to have Friday half day.
A lot of jobs could be a lot more flexible. Obviously a lot can't, but it would make traffic etc more spread
I don't see why you can't have flexibility in a lot of jobs.
Given the option of how to use my 37.5 hours.. I'd keep it exactly as is actually
At the present time I'd happily work Saturday morning (for more money obviously) while allowing someone else to have Friday half day.
A lot of jobs could be a lot more flexible. Obviously a lot can't, but it would make traffic etc more spread
With the Tories in on their tod I'd like to think maybe the country will finally appreciate what the Lib Dems were doing.
Soldato
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I have 3 days of very unsocial shifts (from Thursday to Sunday) then I can spread my last 14 hours how I like, even from home.
I hated my job when I had 5 unsocial shifts but now I really enjoy it and get more done.
Fair play to my employer for understanding my needs.
I hated my job when I had 5 unsocial shifts but now I really enjoy it and get more done.
Fair play to my employer for understanding my needs.
I used to be able to do that at the last place I worked as we were on flexitime and had plenty of staff. It was great.
