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Sounds like they used to work 7 days a week, and 20 years ago the country attempted 5 days a week. So this is not an increase but a partial return…which is bonk

Sounds like they used to work 7 days a week, and 20 years ago the country attempted 5 days a week. So this is not an increase but a partial return…which is bonkers. It causes me to reflect, once again, that what we consider normal is somewhat arbitrary, and may serve someone else’s needs better than it does our own.

fny 2y ago
In theory, this would allow you to keep more people employed since you're paying less per head. It's a form of "labor redistribution" if you will.
- warkdarrior 2y ago
  It's funny, people make the same argument in favor of 4-day workweeks. So, according to this argument, bot 4-day and 6-day workweeks will lead to more employment! Anything but 5 days, it seems.
  - 6510 2y ago
    When calculating employment I wondered if half a day per week should count as employed. My conclusion was that it should count, but as 1/10 employed. If the normal work week is defined as 4 days and people work 6 anyway we could count them as 6/4 employed. If people work 6 days while 5 is considered normal in the rest of the world they would work 6/5. With 5 days nothing really changes, it is hard to argue something improved without changing anything. I do imagine that managers are a major source of counterproductivity, giving them extra shifts would create more work, perhaps even jobs.
  - johnnyanmac 2y ago
    I have yet to read any formal literature that 6 day work weeks lead to better anything. You get a short term (3-4 week) production boost that very quickly tapers off. But business seem to be stuck with "butt in seat" age mentality, so they aren't responding rationally to this
- supertrope 2y ago
  This is the lump of labor fallacy. That the total amount of positions or worked hours is fixed.
  - justin_oaks 2y ago
    Thanks for introducing this concept to me. For those, like me, who have not previously heard of this : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy
seoulmetro 2y ago
I'm pretty sure every civilisation used to work 7 days a week. 5 days became the norm for us. Korea really did earn its way off the back of its now elderly population slaving away for a better future for their kids. But right now the middle age people are slaving away for a better future for themselves and it's at the cost of the younger people rather than for their benefit.

fny 2y ago

In theory, this would allow you to keep more people employed since you're paying less per head. It's a form of "labor redistribution" if you will.

warkdarrior 2y ago
It's funny, people make the same argument in favor of 4-day workweeks. So, according to this argument, bot 4-day and 6-day workweeks will lead to more employment! Anything but 5 days, it seems.
- 6510 2y ago
  When calculating employment I wondered if half a day per week should count as employed. My conclusion was that it should count, but as 1/10 employed. If the normal work week is defined as 4 days and people work 6 anyway we could count them as 6/4 employed. If people work 6 days while 5 is considered normal in the rest of the world they would work 6/5. With 5 days nothing really changes, it is hard to argue something improved without changing anything. I do imagine that managers are a major source of counterproductivity, giving them extra shifts would create more work, perhaps even jobs.
- johnnyanmac 2y ago
  I have yet to read any formal literature that 6 day work weeks lead to better anything. You get a short term (3-4 week) production boost that very quickly tapers off. But business seem to be stuck with "butt in seat" age mentality, so they aren't responding rationally to this
supertrope 2y ago
This is the lump of labor fallacy. That the total amount of positions or worked hours is fixed.
- justin_oaks 2y ago
  Thanks for introducing this concept to me. For those, like me, who have not previously heard of this : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy

seoulmetro 2y ago

I'm pretty sure every civilisation used to work 7 days a week. 5 days became the norm for us. Korea really did earn its way off the back of its now elderly population slaving away for a better future for their kids. But right now the middle age people are slaving away for a better future for themselves and it's at the cost of the younger people rather than for their benefit.