Shorter working week

[Cyclone]

Ive answered that question. I believe people are happier working less hours than a standard work week.

I believe people are more happier with more freedom.

I think that you're projecting your own desires onto everyone else.

Despite earlier having admitted that these things are personal.

 

People dont often have that choice, even though you are suggesting everyone does.

 

Most office workers have exactly this choice. The evidence (the lack of people even applying to work less hours) suggests that most people DON'T want to work less hours, when working less hours means less pay. Most people seem to be happy with the bargain of x pay for 37.5hrs work.

 

Hell, I could take tomorrow off, or indeed this afternoon. But I'm not, because I'd rather get paid for the time.

[TJC1]

The issue of whether a 4-day week could work better at least as well as a 5-day week is entirely context-dependent and a matter of personal opinion.

 

As there is roughly 38 million people working in this country, you've got a job reconciling a consensus out of 38 million contexts and personal opinions. You better crack on, me thinks

 

I agree. The question is 37.5 hours long hours? Is entrirely context related.

[Cyclone]

Flimsy argument based on assumptions.

 

The evidence is that few people request to work any pattern different to 5/7. Which strongly suggests that they don't want to.

It's not flimsy at all.

[TJC1]

I think that you're projecting your own desires onto everyone else.

Despite earlier having admitted that these things are personal.

 

Most office workers have exactly this choice. The evidence (the lack of people even applying to work less hours) suggests that most people DON'T want to work less hours, when working less hours means less pay. Most people seem to be happy with the bargain of x pay for 37.5hrs work.

 

Hell, I could take tomorrow off, or indeed this afternoon. But I'm not, because I'd rather get paid for the time.

 

Im not arguing about it. Said my piece and my opinion.

[Cyclone]

This is the right I'm referring to btw, since you suggested that people don't have it;

 

https://www.gov.uk/flexible-working/overview

 

All employees have the legal right to request flexible working - not just parents and carers.

 

This is known as ‘making a statutory application’.

 

Employees must have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks to be eligible.

 

Requesting it doesn't guarantee it will be approved, but businesses can't deny it without justification.

 

I know 1 person that works a 4 day week. I know quite a few who have arranged a specific day a week (or more) from home, or who come in late on certain days by arrangement.

 

---------- Post added 06-08-2015 at 13:37 ----------

 

Im not arguing about it. Said my piece and my opinion.

 

You have been arguing about it...

 

We're all entitled to opinions of course. Yours appears to be despite the evidence though, rather than because of the evidence.

[L00b]

I agree. The question is 37.5 hours long hours? Is entrirely context related.

It will most probably definitely be long hours for some and not for others.

 

Your job (since it's your argument that 37.5 is long hours, I believe) is to come up with some credible stats to prove that more of the 38 million workers think it's long hours, than the reverse.

 

Personally, 37.5 hours is a light week for me. Normal week is somewhere between 50 and 60. About half of that actual work which I send bills for (and I live from billing my time, so yes, I'm intimately familiar with counting my working hours), the balance for work that I can't send a bill for and which still needs to get done just the same (company management, HR, CPD, marketing, <etc.>).

 

By profession-specific metrics and benchmarks, if I was in London, it'd be 60+ per week with most of that a billing target. 70+ if I was anywhere in the US, all of it a billing target. Rarely was the gerbil-racing-inside-a-wheel image more apt, and that's the very reason why I'm very happy sticking with 38-to-occasionally-a-heavy-60 in the 'provinces'

Edited August 6, 2015 by L00b

[sgtkate]

I was very fortunate with my current job. On my first day my boss said I was hired to do a job and not to work set hours. I am flexible and have to work late at times and occasional weekends, but I can take a 2 hour lunch, or take Friday off or come in at 11am whenever suits.

 

This type of working will only work in an environment where there is a task to be done by an individual that can be done at any time of day or night and there aren't all that many jobs out there that support that.

 

A till operator needs to be there when there is trade.

A bus driver needs to be there when the bus is meant to be running.

 

However, people working on IT projects for example almost certainly do not need to work a 9-5 as long as rules are in place for meeting attendance. Many other industries would also benefit from this model.

 

I am far more effective working in this manner than if I was set fixed hours. I now quite often stay beyond 7pm to finish my current task, whereas if I was given fixed hours, I'd abandon it at 4.59pm and then waste 30 mins the next day trying to remember where I'd got to...

[TJC1]

The evidence is that few people request to work any pattern different to 5/7. Which strongly suggests that they don't want to.

It's not flimsy at all.

 

The evidence is the vast majority of business cultures work a 5 day work week.

[Cyclone]

Interestingly in IT projects though, there is no real way to measure productivity (not effectively that I've ever seen anyway). So whilst there is no reason to be 9 - 5, there is good reason to ask for a set number of hours.

 

---------- Post added 06-08-2015 at 13:39 ----------

 

The evidence is the vast majority of business cultures work a 5 day work week.

 

And the evidence is that despite a right in the UK to ask to work different hours, very few people choose to ask. They're obviously happy with 5 days a week.

[TJC1]

It will most probably definitely be long hours for some and not for others.

 

Your job (since it's your argument that 37.5 is long hours, I believe) is to come up with some credible stats to prove that more of the 38 million workers think it's long hours, than the reverse.

 

Personally, 37.5 hours is a light week for me. Normal week is somewhere between 50 and 60. About half of that actual work which I send bills for (and I live from billing my time, so yes, I'm intimately familiar with counting my working hours), the balance for work that I can't send a bill for and which still needs to get done just the same (company management, HR, CPD, marketing, <etc.>).

 

No my argument is people are happier working less.

Cyclone says people are happy working 37.5 hours.

 

Tbh im same. Rarely have i worked standard. But i know one thing if im working just for money im rarely happy.

 

---------- Post added 06-08-2015 at 13:41 ----------

 

Interestingly in IT projects though, there is no real way to measure productivity (not effectively that I've ever seen anyway). So whilst there is no reason to be 9 - 5, there is good reason to ask for a set number of hours.

 

---------- Post added 06-08-2015 at 13:39 ----------

 

 

And the evidence is that despite a right in the UK to ask to work different hours, very few people choose to ask. They're obviously happy with 5 days a week.

 

But the culture is 5 days...not 4.