RateMyJob

At RateMyJob, we believe work shouldn’t be a chore, but when it is, you should at least get a good story out of it. So we’ve scoured the web for the funniest and most outrageous stories from professionals from all industries, to bring you a little humor and entertainment when you need it most.

  • Career
  • Humor
  • Culture
  • Leadership
  • Perks

The Four-Day Work Week Is Coming For A Lucky Few

By Edward Carrette
November 7, 2019

Shutterstock / Elnur

Less work, the same amount of pay. It sounds like the dream, doesn’t it? Well, it’s a dream that’s likely coming to a few lucky people as countries and companies around the world experiment with a reduced work week.

The idea behind this experiment is that with less time to get things done, employees will be more resourceful with the time they have.

For the whole month of August, employees at Microsoft’s Japan office were given every Friday off. At the end of the month, the company reported a 40% increase in productivity. Considering the employees are working 20% less, this was an incredible result. On top of this, the company also reported 59% fewer pages printed and 23% less electricity used.

Managers reported that one tactic they used to make better use of time was to limit meetings to 30 minutes or less (we can all agree that this should be the norm whether we work less or not).

The success of this trial had led other companies to begin looking at their own working arrangements.

A 4-day #workweek boosted productivity by 40% at #Microsoft Japan and experts, including @BucknellU @bucknellmgmt #management professor Eddy Ng, say it could signal a major shift in the modern #workplace: https://t.co/eLZH0BXt9j

— Mike Ferlazzo (@MikeFerlazzo) November 6, 2019

“We should work to live, not live to work,” said Britain‘s shadow chancellor John McDonnell, noting that the British Labour Party would reduce the standard working week to 32 hours, without loss of pay if they won office in the upcoming election. This followed a report that noted:

People should have to work less for a living. Having to work less at what one needs to do, and more at what one wants to do, is good for material and spiritual well-being. Reducing working time – the time one has to work to keep ‘body and soul alive’ – is thus a valuable ethical objective.

The question is whether this reduction in work will ever catch on in the work obsessed US. When Utah moved towards a four-day 10-hour workweek for state workers, residents complained about not having access to services on Friday.

What do you think? Would you enjoy a 32-hour work week with the same pay? What about with reduced pay? Would you prefer to do four 10-hour days?

    Primary Sidebar

    Most Popular

    CareerRestaurant Employees Dish On The One Customer Everyone Dreaded Serving
    Zach Brown
    HumorThese Are The Funniest Restaurant Names We Could Find
    Zach Brown
    CareerGolf Course Beverage Cart Drivers Share What Their Job Is Really Like
    Brooklyn Bubz

    Editor's Picks

    Humor26 Steak-umm Tweets That Prove It Is The Most Delightfully Peculiar Brand On Twitter
    Will Jamison Eucker
    Humor22 Of The Most Savage Brand Tweets Ever Tweeted
    Will Jamison Eucker

    Trending

    HumorThe 17 Most Accurate Karen Memes For Anyone Who Has Dealt With A Karen At Work
    Will Jamison Eucker
    Humor20 Of The Most Peculiar Walmart Customers To Ever Exist
    Will Jamison Eucker

    Secondary Sidebar

    Can't Miss Stories

    HumorThe 16 Funniest Signs Come From This One Restaurant
    Will Jamison Eucker
    CareerPeople Share The Most Condescending Thing Someone Told Them At Work
    Christina Raines
    HumorThe 5 Worst Karen Meltdowns The Manager Could Not Handle
    Will Jamison Eucker

    Must Reads

    HumorThe 6 Most Dramatic Ways That People Quit Their Jobs
    Will Jamison Eucker
    CareerKaren Bullies Her Coworker, Until She Gets Caught Lying About Her Disability
    Christina Raines

    Popular Picks

    Humor14 Times Employees Called Out Their Weird Bosses On The Internet
    Will Jamison Eucker
    Humor5 Most Satisfying Times Workers Saw “Justice Served” On Entitled Customers
    Brooklyn Bubz

    What People Really Think About Their Jobs
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use