By Younas Chaudhary
For over 40 years, I have toiled from dawn to dusk following a five to five-and-a-half-day work week. I am quite concerned at the recent cry among workers for a shorter four-day work week. I was at work every day consistently for four decades, including half days on Saturdays, and I have done well. I believe the call for a four-day work week will take America’s superior productivity to the dumps at a time when China is the world’s factory floor and is our biggest competitor in many areas.
A four-day work week of just 32 hours, not including lunch and other breaks-in-between, will make us way less productive and will benefit only a small section of knowledge workers in certain industries.
I cannot but stop laughing at surveys by leading news organizations asking people if they prefer a 4-day week and they get a 90 percent response saying that they prefer working 32 hours! Do we really need a survey when we already know the answer?
In our post-pandemic world, small businesses in major metropolitan areas and industrial hubs are fighting for their survival as employees who used to come regularly to offices are now working from home. Shaving off another 20% of the work week will leave small businesses in dire straits.
A four-day work week will strain public safety resources like police, fire, and other healthcare services as more people will start going for happy hour on Thursday afternoon! However, UK-based environmental rights group, Platform says it could reduce carbon footprint and save the earth, something which I struggle to believe!
This reminds me of an old saying that tells us to be wary of purchasing a car made on a Friday. By Friday afternoon, workers would have become a bit sloppy thinking of the weekend ahead. There might be little truth to this, but we may soon have to look out for Thursday’s now!
In a technology-driven world, employees cannot focus on their jobs even during a 5-day work week. Add a boatload of unnecessary meetings, conference calls, and the work week shrinks to 28 hours. I seriously believe that companies that want to start a 4-day work week should eliminate paid time off because employees are already getting an additional 52 days off in a year!
Research tells us that a 4-day work week is working well in Iceland. The trials, in which workers were paid the same amount for shorter hours, took place between 2015 and 2019, according to a BBC report. Productivity remained the same or improved in the majority of workplaces, it added. So, what? Iceland is a different society with a unique work culture and copying what they do will not work in New York. Moreover, the trial was done only among 2500 people, 1 percent of Iceland’s population.
America is an inherently capitalistic society that has thrived on hard work, competition, productivity, and profitability. In the old days, a consistently disciplined and hard-working American could dream of owning a nice middle class suburban home, good schools, and a decent Toyota Corolla. Once the 4-day work week arrives, we will be eating delivered pizza in tiny cubbyhole apartments trading the great American dream for a 3-day, miraculous work life balance!
Therefore, let all of us plan and pursue to work at least 40 hours a week to accomplish our dreams and keep America far superior in the competitive world market.
Stay blessed!
Disclaimer
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which I have been, am now, or will be affiliated. Further, I make no warranty regarding the accuracy or effectiveness of my recommendations, and readers are advised to consult other advisors as well as their own judgments in making business decisions.
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