Four-day work week 'an overwhelming success' in Iceland
- Thread starter MikeHattsu
- Start date
While I personally hate waking up at 7am, I will freely admit that my current 4x10 schedule (5 hours on, 3 hour "lunch break" and 5 more on) is AWESOME!! That combined with working from home gives me much more free time (in theory. Have other personal issues that make it not be as much) but still, I have no plans to quit this schedule at all.
If American work culture was actually about getting things done and productivity there would be a ton of changes like this but it's really about just looking like you're working hard. It's performative penance, a Sisyphean task for an unknown crime. The boulder doesn't need to get up the hill, you just need to push it up there every day for 8 hours.
I do notice that when I bring this up, people are like "4 10s I love it!" No you fool! Less hours! Who cares if you're just shifting the peas around your plate.
I do notice that when I bring this up, people are like "4 10s I love it!" No you fool! Less hours! Who cares if you're just shifting the peas around your plate.
ive been working 4 days on 3 days off for the past couple of months, and we're about to transition back to 5 days a week, and everyone hates it.
the best shift i ever worked was 3 12-hour days with 4 days off, rounded up to 40 hours. second best was 4 10-hour days. the 5 day work week is trash and it serves no body, not even the corps who keep it in play.
the best shift i ever worked was 3 12-hour days with 4 days off, rounded up to 40 hours. second best was 4 10-hour days. the 5 day work week is trash and it serves no body, not even the corps who keep it in play.
Exactly. My brain is mush by the end of a 10 hour work day, and those weeks are definitely less productive than 5 day weeks. I hate it.
I guess Capitalism got me faded because I cannot imagine getting everything I need to do on a week to week basis with one fewer work day, even with the shift in hours per day. Dropping 4-6 hours a week is an entire contract gone.
This is good, I have been collecting evidence to present to my company to better advocate for the conditions of workers
And you can add this to the many reasons I do not want any part of owning a home right now lol. I don't care what anyone says about rent being a waste, I want no parts.
Yeah, this article is complete horseshit. Unfortunately.
I've been working for the city of Reykjavík for almost 10 years and I have yet to meet a person that thinks this was implemented well. I work in two departments, one with 60 people and one with 150 people and moral has never been lower, job has never been as stressful and productivity is down. The only people who have gained from this are people with desk jobs but they can clearly see this has been terrible for other people. The city didn't want to cut services but at the same time didn't hire people to make this work. Pre-schools are still open from 8 to 5 but now every 100% employee works 5 hours less so they are understaffed all the time. My sister worked a 4 day workweek, needed fridays off because of her kids, was forced to work 5 days a week because it was the only way to have enough employees. There are no funerals on fridays because they people who maintain the cemetery don't work on fridays anymore. People who work part time can't save up the time so they can't get a half day off, they start 3 mins later and leave 4 mins early on mondays and on tuesdays they start 6 mins later and leave 2 mins early.
The list goes on and on and on
I've been working for the city of Reykjavík for almost 10 years and I have yet to meet a person that thinks this was implemented well. I work in two departments, one with 60 people and one with 150 people and moral has never been lower, job has never been as stressful and productivity is down. The only people who have gained from this are people with desk jobs but they can clearly see this has been terrible for other people. The city didn't want to cut services but at the same time didn't hire people to make this work. Pre-schools are still open from 8 to 5 but now every 100% employee works 5 hours less so they are understaffed all the time. My sister worked a 4 day workweek, needed fridays off because of her kids, was forced to work 5 days a week because it was the only way to have enough employees. There are no funerals on fridays because they people who maintain the cemetery don't work on fridays anymore. People who work part time can't save up the time so they can't get a half day off, they start 3 mins later and leave 4 mins early on mondays and on tuesdays they start 6 mins later and leave 2 mins early.
The list goes on and on and on
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There's the flipside though, walking distance to schools and I cut my commute to work by half on average. I wouldn't have wanted to start a family in my old appartment (great view, but for everything else not so much).
Interesting. Thanks for your input.
It certainly wouldn't be the first time the media spin emphasized only one side of the story. If unions can push for same pay less hours then that's what they will try to do. It doesn't mean the experiment was an "overwhelming success" for employers and their productivity.
So in reponse to this BBC article becoming kinda big news worldwide people in Iceland are disputing it vigorously, basically saying the same thing I said. Their deparments/jobs are understaffed and stress has never been higher.
https://www.visir.is/g/20212130887d/thurfa-ad-maeta-oftar-i-vinnuna-eftir-styttingu-vinnuvikunnar
https://www.visir.is/g/20212131297d/segir-styttingu-vinnuvikunnar-hafa-snuist-upp-i-andhverfu-sina
https://www.visir.is/g/20212130887d/thurfa-ad-maeta-oftar-i-vinnuna-eftir-styttingu-vinnuvikunnar
https://www.visir.is/g/20212131297d/segir-styttingu-vinnuvikunnar-hafa-snuist-upp-i-andhverfu-sina
According to a new poll done by the biggest paper in Iceland only 53% of people are happy with getting paid the same but working fewer hours. I wouldn't call that a overwhelming success. Think about how badly it's been done for it to only reach 53%
www.frettabladid.is
Opinberir starfsmenn ánægðari með styttinguna
www.frettabladid.is
I've just switched to a 9 day every two weeks model (have every other Monday off) as of last week and I was loving my long weekend. Today is Tuesday and now I'm more stressed out than ever because all of today was spent trying to do yesterday's shit. I feel like I've been constantly behind since the switch. Not to mention how much planning I had to do last Friday to ensure having Monday off would go smoothly.
According to a new poll done by the biggest paper in Iceland only 53% of people are happy with getting paid the same but working fewer hours. I wouldn't call that a overwhelming success. Think about how badly it's been done for it to only reach 53%
Opinberir starfsmenn ánægðari með styttinguna
52% of the UK voted to fuck our economy and leave the EU and we went with it. 53% is more than enough support for a 4 day work week.
I shared this article with my work, and a couple others. They allow anonymous questions that are addressed by the higher ups during company meetings. They never responded, not even in text, fuck all these corporate vulture pieces of shit
OP
OP
Opinberir starfsmenn ánægðari með styttinguna
Some translation of the actual article:
Google Translate said:
Seems people that are unhappy are because they didn't get the shorter hours like others?
Don't get me wrong. The concept is great but you can't implement it in the same way for every job, unless you add staff or open later/close earlier etc. The way Icelandic government and Reykjavík did it was poorly executed unless you work a 9 to 5 desk job.
I can see why Google would translate it like that but it says 21% of the people they asked have not had their workweek shortened. They are only passing judgement on the system in place, nothing about being unhappy they haven't gotten it.
The worst thing about having an unfixed schedule is you can sometimes have 3 days off but end up having to work 10 days straight because of the bullshit mentality that Sundays is the start of the new week. I'm exhausted and I have things to do
