I find the belief that 4-day work weeks are broadly supported / feasible to be a bit of the typical tech-world conceit.
If you imagine this being applied to everything in the corporate/services world (and work is not "divisible"), would you be happy to have businesses closed 1 additional day per week? The DMV closed on Mondays -- but the fees and pay of employees remain the same? How about if prices go up by 20% to pay for the cost of having a 4 day week? Your plumber or car mechanic or doctor having 20% fewer available times to see you?
The idea of the 4 day work week where people can do all that they do now, but be more efficient about it in 4 days instead, is something exclusively a privilege that white collar workers can even consider.
Sure. Currently, most of the leisure time has been allocated to the poor and unemployed, but they can't enjoy it! If we got off the growth-for-its-own-sake consumerist treadmill, provided free education, and compensated everyone fairly for their work, then everyone could have a job and work 3 days a week.
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[ 5.9 ms ] story [ 22.9 ms ] threadIf you imagine this being applied to everything in the corporate/services world (and work is not "divisible"), would you be happy to have businesses closed 1 additional day per week? The DMV closed on Mondays -- but the fees and pay of employees remain the same? How about if prices go up by 20% to pay for the cost of having a 4 day week? Your plumber or car mechanic or doctor having 20% fewer available times to see you?
The idea of the 4 day work week where people can do all that they do now, but be more efficient about it in 4 days instead, is something exclusively a privilege that white collar workers can even consider.
Unfortunately, humans.