Burnout, stress lead more companies to try a four-day work week

[thackney]

Burnout, stress lead more companies to try a four-day work week
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-world-work-fourdayweek/burnout-stress-lead-more-companies-to-try-a-four-day-work-week-idUSKBN1OG0GY
DECEMBER 17, 2018

It sounds too good to be true, but companies around the world that have cut their work week have found that it leads to higher productivity, more motivated staff and less burnout.

“It is much healthier and we do a better job if we’re not working crazy hours,” said Jan Schulz-Hofen, founder of Berlin-based project management software company Planio, who introduced a four-day week to the company’s 10-member staff earlier this year.

In New Zealand, insurance company Perpetual Guardian reported a fall in stress and a jump in staff engagement after it tested a 32-hour week earlier this year.

Even in Japan, the government is encouraging companies to allow Monday mornings off, although other schemes in the workaholic country to persuade employees to take it easy have had little effect.

Britain’s Trades Union Congress (TUC) is pushing for the whole country to move to a four-day week by the end of the century, a drive supported by the opposition Labour party...

[LadyLiberty]

Years back Shell in downtown Houston went to a 4 day work week, but they work 4 ten hour days.  That's a 20% reduction in commuting and parking costs to the employees.  On any given week, half of the staff works M-Th and the other half works Tu-F, then the following week they switch.  Every other week is a 4 day weekend, but that is when they are expected to schedule things like dental appointments, etc.

[berdie]

imho...as traffic gets worse in metropolitan areas, if companies don't do this they are crazy. Most people commute from a distance.  When I worked, I lived (when I moved here) about an hour away As time went on...the time increased..to an hour and a half to two hours  and to three hours if it was raining. If it was ice...I won't go there.  And these times are ONE WAY.

I probably wouldn't have retired this year had there been some flexibility on days and hours.  But I'm not sure how many companies in my area are willing to do that.  Too many people coming in from out of state that are willing to keep the hours and days.

[Slide Rule]

Give them a zero day week instead.

It is simpler to let go the non working overhead.

Time for them to move to better pastures.

:)

[thackney]

Most of my company works 4-10 hour days.  But all too often it is followed by a 5th 10 hour day.

We will take off Friday as we can.  Sometimes we get away with working a few hours at home on Friday.  I try not to go to the office on Friday unless construction requires it.

[SZonian]

Years back Shell in downtown Houston went to a 4 day work week, but they work 4 ten hour days.  That's a 20% reduction in commuting and parking costs to the employees.  On any given week, half of the staff works M-Th and the other half works Tu-F, then the following week they switch.  Every other week is a 4 day weekend, but that is when they are expected to schedule things like dental appointments, etc.

I worked in a flight test unit that was remotely located from our main base...we did the same with the same expectations...was a win for all involved.

[Slide Rule]

I worked in a flight test unit that was remotely located from our main base...we did the same with the same expectations...was a win for all involved.

So was the management happy about receiving 8 hours work for 10 hours
pay on those 4 days?

There needs to be a contrast between the days worked within the week.
That is if you work 10 hours on some days, better to work an 8 hour day
at least once a week. I came to this understanding watching a nuclear
plant during construction. They worked six or seven days of 10 hours
each but produced an equivalent of six or seven days of 8 hours.
Its human nature.

That is the specific program I set up for overtime projects. Four 10s
and One 8. Letting the crew determine which day would be the 8.
There was a contrast each week that let honesty work for the productivity.

Overtime projects were seen to be worthwhile where travel to the
job site exceeded an hour. Supervisors were authorized to work
such programs on four 10s and one 8. Ten hours was the maximum
because paid meals started after ten.

Four 10 hour day weeks are the dregs. Unions push this not so much
for saving travel, but to diminish the actual work performed any week.
Everyone when they applied for the job said they wanted to work.

:(

[Fishrrman]

Back in days not so long ago, the old-time railroad guys used to work 6-day-a-week traveling switchers, working just under 16 hours each day (often they'd put it in as 15 hours and 59 minutes to get in under the "16 hour rule" that required 10 hours off).

And if they got called on their "relief day", they'd come out for more!

[Slide Rule]

Back in days not so long ago, the old-time railroad guys used to work 6-day-a-week traveling switchers, working just under 16 hours each day (often they'd put it in as 15 hours and 59 minutes to get in under the "16 hour rule" that required 10 hours off).

And if they got called on their "relief day", they'd come out for more!

I worked C&O while going to college. Summers annually and until I was laid off.

It is also useful if you work the extra board. That places you ahead of most finishing
a normal shift. You rotate around to be called sooner. There is also a economic
benefit in having yourself marked down. That is placed at the bottom of the list
in order to target the best jobs on the rotation. Sometimes you can get the caller
to mark you down at an appropriate time.

:)

[catfish1957]

Most of my company works 4-10 hour days.  But all too often it is followed by a 5th 10 hour day.

We will take off Friday as we can.  Sometimes we get away with working a few hours at home on Friday.  I try not to go to the office on Friday unless construction requires it.

Part of my career we worked a 9/80 schedule.  Which was kind of a ruse since managment typically worked 10/100 anyway.

[SZonian]

So was the management happy about receiving 8 hours work for 10 hours
pay on those 4 days?

There needs to be a contrast between the days worked within the week.
That is if you work 10 hours on some days, better to work an 8 hour day
at least once a week. I came to this understanding watching a nuclear
plant during construction. They worked six or seven days of 10 hours
each but produced an equivalent of six or seven days of 8 hours.
Its human nature.

That is the specific program I set up for overtime projects. Four 10s
and One 8. Letting the crew determine which day would be the 8.
There was a contrast each week that let honesty work for the productivity.

Overtime projects were seen to be worthwhile where travel to the
job site exceeded an hour. Supervisors were authorized to work
such programs on four 10s and one 8. Ten hours was the maximum
because paid meals started after ten.

Four 10 hour day weeks are the dregs. Unions push this not so much
for saving travel, but to diminish the actual work performed any week.
Everyone when they applied for the job said they wanted to work.

:(

Wasn't "union", I was active duty and there were times when the night shift folks pulled more than 10s, 12s...there was less lost time at work due to appointments and such because your "off" day was for that...was not uncommon to lose folks for almost 4 hours if they had to go to base...2 hour RT drive and then the gov't bureaucracy nonsense...especially if selected for a urinalysis.  The company union folks we worked with kept their regular schedule.

[truth_seeker]

Through most of the 70s and 80s, I worked for Fluor Corp in Irvine CA.

We used vampools, and "flextime."

The result for managers, was difficulty finding your subordinates because they either didn't work on a particular day, or had bugged out to catch their fixed schedule commuter van.

 

[Cyber Liberty]

I'm sure the workers would like to be paid a 40 hour salary for 32 hours work.  Otherwise they get a brand new source of stress.