Shorter working day

[Kuros]

I also wonder if there can be cost cutting measures to some companies, as well...

If people can do the same amount of work in 6 hours focusing than 8-9 hours milling about trying to pass the time... that's three hours less heating, lighting.. electricity for computers and the like..

 

[Puzzled]

Be great if you were paid the same but I'd imagine companies would expect the same work load to be done and adjust pay to the reduced hours.

I believe more in getting required tasks completed rather than set hours, so much time is wasted by people looking busy or inefficient work practices.

 

[Caged]

I have about 3-4 productive hours a day, but in those hours I can get a stupid amount more done than my colleagues.

Unfortunately "time spent at work" is a metric that doesn't require your manager to actually be able to figure out if you're taking the pee or not, so it tends to stick around.

 

[englishpremier]

Would your pay be reduced to match the decrease in time spent at work, or would you make up the additional hours needed at the weekend?

I can imagine a lot of people wouldn't be able to support that and would prefer to continue working the full 8 hours for the same pay. Also I would imagine a lot of companies wouldn't like the idea of paying people the same wage for less hours either

I could probably compact my workload to fit into those 6 hours but would probably mean taking no breaks and I wouldn't want to lose the income either.

This is the problem when you link pay to time spent rather than to knowledge, quality and performance.

My productivity and creativeness was way higher after I cut down to 3.5 days a week. Pay was very similar too so I wasn't concerned about that.

The whole idea of working 9-5 is completely arbitrary anyway. The stupidest thing is high-street stores opening 9-5ish when most other people are also at work.

 

[Psymonkee]

I sort of made this change a couple of years ago by opting out of Sunday work which got my contract hours knocked down slightly. Longest day I do now is 7.5 hours but typically get 6 - 6.5 per shift!

7am - 1.30pm and the rest of the day off? AWESOME!

 

[MatsyLR]

Not working atm but my last job (call centre crap) i worked 8 hours, two 15min breaks, 30min lunch, 7min toilet time (yes i made sure i used it every day even if i didn't need to go) about 2h not caring whatsoever at start, 4 hours work with small breaks in between each call so i don't start shouting at people, last 2 hours not caring as far too drained at that point mentally to do anything and just praying for the end of the day.

I would gladly welcome 6h days.

 

[redrabbit29]

I work 7-3 although work are flexible and I could come in anytime to around 930 if I wanted. I like finishing at 3 though as I can get to the gym and still get home for around 530 - when most are just finishing work.

I struggle to concentrate in work due to non stop talk from colleagues. It drives me nuts.

I would be 100% more efficient if I worked in my own office.

 

[regulus]

in 50 years we'll look back at how we were working now and think "what the **** were we doing?!"

B@

Said exactly the same thing to the girlfriend earlier. Although I was talking about 300 years into the future.

We'd laugh at current prisoner rehabilitation methods, companies paying millions of dollars of rent per year to house people in cubicles for work that can be done remotely, slaughtering animals for food, paying the poor to sit at home and then showing them disdain, burdening ourselves with mountains of student debt for worthless 'degrees', degrees in general, etc etc.

But as for the thread topic. I'm at my best for the first 4-6 hours of the day. After that I'm only stealing from the company.

 

[redrabbit29]

My working day is 8 hours.

I am completely unproductive for two main reasons:

1) small enclosed office and people chatting all day long is incredibly distracting

2) no natural light or windows in vicinity means motivation and energy levels can often plummet

I'd say on a good day I probably get about 4 hours work done

On a bad day 1-2 hours

 

[iamdjdz]

I have an extremely varied work pattern and often a considerable part of the working day is taken up with driving to sites. This may mean I'm only there for 4 - 6 hours but I often achieve more during that time than I would if I was at a site half an hour away for 8 hours.

 

[RetiredGreyFox]

I wouldn't label all of the NHS with that, I'm in the NHS and I am currently twiddling my thumbs (and that's project management)

I'm in the NHS in an admin role and I can't do 8 hours work in 7 hours.
My job is relentless and in 8 years I've never been able to twiddle my thumbs.

 

[HungryHippos]

I'd get the same work done in a day that was 2 hours shorter probably, less messing about more just getting on with things.

I also look at it like this, if you have a task or job to do, and you can find a way to do it better or quicker, it can directly benefit you.

But if you are at a workplace, you have to be there all the time regardless, so improving efficiency or whatever can actually be negative (automate yourself out of a job!).

 

[TheOtherOption]

I also cannot fathom why the UK is so backwards in offering flexi-time.

It seems even behind the US

It's one thing I do enjoy about working in the civil service in government is that we do have a pretty good flexi time system in place that means we can work longer hours one day then chose to finish early or start late another if workloads permit.

Having a whole day off from time to time is brilliant as I don't even have to take annual leave!

For me though 6 hour days might actually work quite well as I do find my first hour in the office can be less than productive and just after lunch I'm often pretty lethargic depending on what I had for lunch

 

[willhub]

i find at work I'm really bashing it out in the morning for a few hours, but when it comes to 3 I've lost the will to live, i normally do half 8 to 4 but have no dinner and fridays go home early nearly always.

 

[Amp34]

Personally I'm all for longer working days and a four day week. I'd much rather an extra day off than an hour or two extra off each day. You can do so much more on a 3 day weekend than a 2 day weekend, but there is very little you can do with an extra hour or so off a day.

 

[dbmzk1]

Working 12 hour shifts I'd kill for a shorter working day sometimes. But then I'd have less time off, so swings and roundabouts really.

Since moving from 8 hour days I have noticed a significant drop in productivity and morale though. As said above by a few people, it's hard to motivate people who are tried and fed up, which is frustrating as it's my job to motivate them! They'd probably make more money having us all on 8 hour shifts even though it would need an entire extra team/shift worth of people.