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> I have no idea how to do this for shorter work weeks at equal pay though. It's going to be a very tall order. Even with WFH and demonstrable positive effects

by qqtt 5y ago

> I have no idea how to do this for shorter work weeks at equal pay though. It's going to be a very tall order. Even with WFH and demonstrable positive effects on productivity metrics almost across the board - there are still companies clinging to the old way of doing things and employers demanding return to office. The most common response to a 4 day work week is going to be "no one else is doing so we can't afford to either - if anything we need you to work harder!" (may be familiar sentiment to some who advocated for WFH over the years). Unfortunately, like you, I can't think of a scenario to force companies to wake up and realize that reducing hours can actually increase productivity. Similar to WFH, even when companies look at the data themselves, they decide against it. https://www.npr.org/2019/11/04/776163853/microsoft-japan-says-4-day-workweek-boosted-workers-productivity-by-40 https://www.npr.org/2019/11/04/776163853/microsoft-japan-say... We really are in some kafka-esque bureaucratic nightmare where workers time is being sucked away for no reason at all.

fleddr 5y ago
Agreed. I think the feasibility largely depends on the industry or sector. In a sector where there is a worker shortage, say tech, there's more options for workers to negotiate terms. In a sector like retail, there may be no options at all. There's also huge differences in work culture between the US, Europe, Asia. For the individual worker, I do think there's room to stand your ground. People are too afraid. If you prove your value consistently and reliably, you may still not be irreplaceable, but it allows you to defend the line, if only you're not afraid to do so. When my manager tells me to work harder, I tell him to fuck off. I'll have a box of ammo ready to show my large contributions. Not only will I tell them to fuck off, I'll them they're a shitty planner. I flip the burden. They can now fire a good worker which will be very costly to replace, or respect my boundary. They tend to respect the boundary. It's all bluff. And you even gain respect for not being a pushover. Should it not be bluff, I'm unafraid. I live by the words of my father. They can take your job, but you still have your hands and brain. But they won't fire you. When you stand like an oak instead of a twig in the wind, people will respect you. Can you do this at McDonalds? No. But you can in a high-value complex job.

by qqtt 5y ago

fleddr 5y ago

Agreed. I think the feasibility largely depends on the industry or sector. In a sector where there is a worker shortage, say tech, there's more options for workers to negotiate terms. In a sector like retail, there may be no options at all. There's also huge differences in work culture between the US, Europe, Asia. For the individual worker, I do think there's room to stand your ground. People are too afraid. If you prove your value consistently and reliably, you may still not be irreplaceable, but it allows you to defend the line, if only you're not afraid to do so. When my manager tells me to work harder, I tell him to fuck off. I'll have a box of ammo ready to show my large contributions. Not only will I tell them to fuck off, I'll them they're a shitty planner. I flip the burden. They can now fire a good worker which will be very costly to replace, or respect my boundary. They tend to respect the boundary. It's all bluff. And you even gain respect for not being a pushover. Should it not be bluff, I'm unafraid. I live by the words of my father. They can take your job, but you still have your hands and brain. But they won't fire you. When you stand like an oak instead of a twig in the wind, people will respect you. Can you do this at McDonalds? No. But you can in a high-value complex job.