The modern world needs to change. Humans are getting more and more depressed, broken, struggling and mentally ill just to get more and more exposed to ads, social pressure and the lot.
Humans are creative family based animals, not machines that need to be forced into doing the same stuff over and over again all their lives.
A 4 day work week is a good start, but what’s really needed is a rather more drastic change to enable humanity as a whole and individually.
Long term view: Basic universal income with robots and AI doing most of the work is in theory doable and such similar ideas.
It’s just that the existing system is not only rusted tight, but also being held alive by those who benefit from the rusted thing and those who fear change.
The modern world needs to change. Humans are getting more and more depressed, broken, struggling and mentally ill just to get more and more exposed to ads, social pressure and the lot.
This is by design. People are rightfully criticizing the US for barely protesting our fascist regime. But everyone is either living paycheck to paycheck or well aware how quickly their savings will burn away if they get fired. So protests in the middle of the week, when politicians MIGHT see it, are a no go. And weekend protests mostly are ineffectual and just antagonize people who “just want some peace and quiet on their day off”
UBI is definitely something we have needed for decades now. I personally come down on the side of UBI for basic living expenses but encourage people to work for luxuries and advancement (and if that sounds like the dystopia of Mars in The Expanse…). But we need something so that people can actually live without a job as we put more and more work into automating those jobs away.
As for the topic at hand: I was fortunate enough to have a 9/80 job for a number of years (basically every other Friday off) and loved the schedule. And it is why I am so skeptical of the 4/40 movement and am increasingly suspicious it is a poison pill.
Because it isn’t like the workload is going to drop. So people are going to be expected to get a full week’s work done in four days. For some that is going to be trivial because they have such a small workload (that they are super eager to find ways to use AI to automate…). For others? That means early mornings and late nights and even faster burnout where they have to fit every single errand and the like into that Friday off and have even less energy to do anything on the weekend.
Like I said, I loved my 9/80 and it was really nice for making me value that every other Friday off and try to do something with it. But the number of times I had to swap a Friday last minute because of meetings or just come in for a half day to get a deliverable done…
And the logical reality is that companies will decide 4/40 is good for productivity… and pay people 90% of their former salaries because “We respect the work you are doing but you also only work four days a week…”. 90% of already stagnating salaries during a time of global inflation.
The root issue is that all of the additional productivity is captured at the top, and none of it is dispersed among the greater company. Even reinvestment is now gone, replaced with stock buybacks, which were illegal for a number of years.
In short, there’s no rising tide that lifts all boats, so debating work schedules and optimal hours is still a wasted endeavor. Labor needs an entire overhaul, or we will see a return to more drastic measures, which is the cycle that history has repeated time and again. Work, without prosperity, has no intrinsic value. Particularly when workers produce more than ever, and their efforts unmeritoriously enrich a few.
Imo, 4 10s is a great schedule. The talks about 4 day work weeks focus all on salary workers, and leaves how the hourly working stiffs who deserve it just as much. Everyone I know thinks 4 10s are the dream. Since with manufacturing and warehouse work, it needs to get done. And there’s barely any downtime to cut out. 4 10s are a great compromise.
The modern world needs to change. Humans are getting more and more depressed, broken, struggling and mentally ill just to get more and more exposed to ads, social pressure and the lot.
Humans are creative family based animals, not machines that need to be forced into doing the same stuff over and over again all their lives.
A 4 day work week is a good start, but what’s really needed is a rather more drastic change to enable humanity as a whole and individually.
Long term view: Basic universal income with robots and AI doing most of the work is in theory doable and such similar ideas.
It’s just that the existing system is not only rusted tight, but also being held alive by those who benefit from the rusted thing and those who fear change.
This is by design. People are rightfully criticizing the US for barely protesting our fascist regime. But everyone is either living paycheck to paycheck or well aware how quickly their savings will burn away if they get fired. So protests in the middle of the week, when politicians MIGHT see it, are a no go. And weekend protests mostly are ineffectual and just antagonize people who “just want some peace and quiet on their day off”
UBI is definitely something we have needed for decades now. I personally come down on the side of UBI for basic living expenses but encourage people to work for luxuries and advancement (and if that sounds like the dystopia of Mars in The Expanse…). But we need something so that people can actually live without a job as we put more and more work into automating those jobs away.
As for the topic at hand: I was fortunate enough to have a 9/80 job for a number of years (basically every other Friday off) and loved the schedule. And it is why I am so skeptical of the 4/40 movement and am increasingly suspicious it is a poison pill.
Because it isn’t like the workload is going to drop. So people are going to be expected to get a full week’s work done in four days. For some that is going to be trivial because they have such a small workload (that they are super eager to find ways to use AI to automate…). For others? That means early mornings and late nights and even faster burnout where they have to fit every single errand and the like into that Friday off and have even less energy to do anything on the weekend.
Like I said, I loved my 9/80 and it was really nice for making me value that every other Friday off and try to do something with it. But the number of times I had to swap a Friday last minute because of meetings or just come in for a half day to get a deliverable done…
And the logical reality is that companies will decide 4/40 is good for productivity… and pay people 90% of their former salaries because “We respect the work you are doing but you also only work four days a week…”. 90% of already stagnating salaries during a time of global inflation.
The root issue is that all of the additional productivity is captured at the top, and none of it is dispersed among the greater company. Even reinvestment is now gone, replaced with stock buybacks, which were illegal for a number of years.
In short, there’s no rising tide that lifts all boats, so debating work schedules and optimal hours is still a wasted endeavor. Labor needs an entire overhaul, or we will see a return to more drastic measures, which is the cycle that history has repeated time and again. Work, without prosperity, has no intrinsic value. Particularly when workers produce more than ever, and their efforts unmeritoriously enrich a few.
Imo, 4 10s is a great schedule. The talks about 4 day work weeks focus all on salary workers, and leaves how the hourly working stiffs who deserve it just as much. Everyone I know thinks 4 10s are the dream. Since with manufacturing and warehouse work, it needs to get done. And there’s barely any downtime to cut out. 4 10s are a great compromise.
I agree with you. Regardless of the state of the world, we should stay optimistic and work toward that goal, instead of surrendering to defeatism.