5 ms·

I was just having a dumb convo with a friend about how JUST a simple 3-day weekend can make you way more productive for like the next 2 weeks. Refreshed, on to

I was just having a dumb convo with a friend about how JUST a simple 3-day weekend can make you way more productive for like the next 2 weeks. Refreshed, on top of personal life stuff, and ready to go. Why do we work 5 on, 2 off? How did that naturally become the standard. I'd argue that if our economy did a rolling 5 on, 3 off for everyone the whole output would net MORE productivity overall

erkaes 8y ago
I think this might work for cognitive-based works like programming but not for muscle-based works like doing constructions.
- scotchio 8y ago
  Yep, true
freedomben 8y ago
Totally agree. I worked at a company that gave us the option of working 4/10s (Mon-Thurs, 10 hour shifts) or what we called a 9/80 where you would Mon-Fri the first week, but only Mon-Thurs the second week (9 hour shifts). The 9/80 was the most productive schedule ever. Having a 3 day weekend every other weekend helped me recharge and really improved my work:life balance.
knuththetruth 8y ago
>How did that naturally become the standard. It didn’t. People fought and died for this and many other protections, engaged in massive disruptions of their workplaces and society at large. If history and the developing world are at all examples, businesses would rather work people to death and use every form of coercion possible to drive down the price of labor. The degree to which we forget that this and are unwilling to do the same is the degree to which these rights will be eroded.
- freddie_mercury 8y ago
  To add to that...in the country I live in (a developing country in Asia), 5-2 is NOT the standard. If you work for a western company or have a skilled white collar type job you work either 5-2 or 5½-1½. That is, you work a half day every Saturday. It is so common that every commercial lease I've seen covers it. e.g. "we provide air conditioning from 8am-6pm Monday to Friday and 8am-1pm on Saturday". Everyone else -- which is probably 90% of the country -- works 6 days a week. That is, they only get 1 day a week off. 4 days a month. (And it is common for people to work 10 hour shifts.) As you say, 5-2 only became the standard because originally it was 7-0, which then became 6-1, which then became 5-2. Each of those transitions took decades. In Australia, the 5-2 work week didn't become a thing until 1948. It took a 2 year court case to change from a 6-1 schedule to a 5-2 schedule. At the time employers said, "Australia is committed to an unnecessary and dangerous experiment". Hong Kong only implemented the 5-2 schedule for government workers in 2006. Before that, they were expected to work on Saturdays. In Saudi Arabia, I believe that government workers still work 6-1 schedules.
  - mrhappyunhappy 8y ago
    Which country is that?
hycaria 8y ago
Well I'm already bored after one day of week end. On the contrary I wish I could work half day every day
- mrhappyunhappy 8y ago
  Have you tried making that happen? I don't know your work situation but maybe it's worth a shot giving it a try.
  - hycaria 8y ago
    I work a full time job and a half atm, but when I'm done cashing money I will pursue such workloads, which both my jobs allow.
marvin 8y ago
I am currently working every other Friday off, did every Friday off from last October to April this year. It's the biggest quality-of-life improvement in my career. Well worth the pay cut. Everyone should have the option of doing it.

erkaes 8y ago

I think this might work for cognitive-based works like programming but not for muscle-based works like doing constructions.

scotchio 8y ago
Yep, true

freedomben 8y ago

Totally agree. I worked at a company that gave us the option of working 4/10s (Mon-Thurs, 10 hour shifts) or what we called a 9/80 where you would Mon-Fri the first week, but only Mon-Thurs the second week (9 hour shifts). The 9/80 was the most productive schedule ever. Having a 3 day weekend every other weekend helped me recharge and really improved my work:life balance.

knuththetruth 8y ago

>How did that naturally become the standard. It didn’t. People fought and died for this and many other protections, engaged in massive disruptions of their workplaces and society at large. If history and the developing world are at all examples, businesses would rather work people to death and use every form of coercion possible to drive down the price of labor. The degree to which we forget that this and are unwilling to do the same is the degree to which these rights will be eroded.

freddie_mercury 8y ago
To add to that...in the country I live in (a developing country in Asia), 5-2 is NOT the standard. If you work for a western company or have a skilled white collar type job you work either 5-2 or 5½-1½. That is, you work a half day every Saturday. It is so common that every commercial lease I've seen covers it. e.g. "we provide air conditioning from 8am-6pm Monday to Friday and 8am-1pm on Saturday". Everyone else -- which is probably 90% of the country -- works 6 days a week. That is, they only get 1 day a week off. 4 days a month. (And it is common for people to work 10 hour shifts.) As you say, 5-2 only became the standard because originally it was 7-0, which then became 6-1, which then became 5-2. Each of those transitions took decades. In Australia, the 5-2 work week didn't become a thing until 1948. It took a 2 year court case to change from a 6-1 schedule to a 5-2 schedule. At the time employers said, "Australia is committed to an unnecessary and dangerous experiment". Hong Kong only implemented the 5-2 schedule for government workers in 2006. Before that, they were expected to work on Saturdays. In Saudi Arabia, I believe that government workers still work 6-1 schedules.
- mrhappyunhappy 8y ago
  Which country is that?

hycaria 8y ago

Well I'm already bored after one day of week end. On the contrary I wish I could work half day every day

mrhappyunhappy 8y ago
Have you tried making that happen? I don't know your work situation but maybe it's worth a shot giving it a try.
- hycaria 8y ago
  I work a full time job and a half atm, but when I'm done cashing money I will pursue such workloads, which both my jobs allow.

marvin 8y ago

I am currently working every other Friday off, did every Friday off from last October to April this year. It's the biggest quality-of-life improvement in my career. Well worth the pay cut. Everyone should have the option of doing it.