‘Somebody has to pay for it’: Independent readers divided over the four-day working week

While some say ‘there’s more to life than work’, others felt reducing the average working week by a day amounted to a ‘shirker’s charter’

A four-day work week is set to be trialed in the UK (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Independent readers were divided when we asked for their views on a shorter working week.

With campaigners preparing to launch a new pilot for a four-day workweek, hoping the Labour government will be receptive, we wanted to know if you would support making this practice more widespread.

Some readers viewed the four-day week as a positive change, believing it could reduce stress and fatigue while boosting productivity and allowing more time with loved ones.

However, others expressed concern that it might lead to inefficiencies, particularly in the public sector.

Here’s what you had to say:

‘There’s more to life than work’

Working all the hours under the sun has its origins in the industrial Revolution, and once upon a time, people worked six days a week and sometimes more. Working very long hours was commonplace, especially on the shop floor.

Trade unions fortunately came into being to ensure that working people had better working conditions with better pay.

Work is something that evolves, and today many people travel long distances to work, and many jobs are very stressful indeed.

If many workplaces find that working a four-day week, instead of a five-day week, means more productivity and less stress and fatigue then this has to be a good thing.

The other side of the coin is that there is more to life than work. People want to be with their loved ones more often.

Christopher1959

‘A shirker’s charter’

This, along with the new employment law reforms planned by Labour, will be a shirker’s charter. It also sounds very inflationary. Especially in the public sector, where the effective/efficient deployment of resources and management of productivity, are very poor (productivity has fallen off a cliff, since many public servants started working from home e.g. Land Registry, HMRC, DVLA, Passport Office, Local Authorities etc).

In the UK in general, the standard of leadership, management, effectiveness and 'productivity', is abysmal. In my 'portfolio' career I've worked in various areas of both the public and private sectors and the contrast is stark. No problem with a four-day week being introduced, but pay, 'perks' and pensions, would need to be adjusted accordingly.

Pablo

‘Somebody has to pay for it’

Since I have a zero-day work week after retiring at age 57, I sure can tell you that it's very nice.

But on the other hand, somebody has to pay for it, so one-fifth more pension savings payment per month for both employers and employees would be mandatory.

Louisa

‘Overlord Musk will never agree’

I'd support a one-day week: only work Thursdays.

But what about all the homes that need building, they'll take 1/5th longer to build. Amazon packages take an extra day to arrive. Prescriptions one day longer etc etc.

Overlord Musk will never agree anyway.

BobaFett

‘A boon for the economy’

Why ask people who know nothing about the subject what they think when the answer to this is known already?

Not only has study after study shown that productivity is increased, but it is also a boon for the economy in general as people use their extra day to do things, you know, things that cost money. It is also pretty hilarious that people find it so hard to understand that a four-day working week for each individual doesn't mean businesses will only be open four days a week.

More fundamentally, an awful lot of things are counter-intuitive, which is why anyone who uses the term "common sense" can almost immediately be dismissed. People's "common sense" can and does result in entirely different conclusions dependent on their base knowledge of the given topic. If everything was intuitive or common sense, there would be no need to study anything and we would all reach the same conclusions, rather than experts (and people who can understand the experts) reaching wildly different conclusions to those who know nothing about anything, yet tend to be the loudest and most confident in their, what can only be described as willful in the information age, ignorance.

TrevSmith82

‘Middle-class charter’

A four-day week would suit many office jobs, particularly remote work, as 38 hours over four days would be easily as productive as the same over five.

However the same does not apply to factory work and most labouring, so this is a middle-class charter.

JMcNeill

Some of the comments have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article.

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