The four day work week is a prisoner's dilemma. If everyone did it, then we'd all get a payoff, but if someone defects to a longer work week they tend to get ahead at work. Thus we all do it and thus we all lose.

It's funny how underappreciated it is how the five day work week is powered by norms...at least in the US. People assume there are laws about it.

The only laws dictate compensation past certain thresholds, and in the case of well paid knowledge workers those don't even tend to apply. If you ever read HR material referring to your role as "exempt" now you know what you're exempt from.

▲

apt-apt-apt-apt an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Alright guys, I'm running for president. 4 day work weeks (8 hours each) for employees or prison.

	▲	BirAdam 30 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		You could likely get some funding for a PAC based around this. You just have to get Altman, Musk, and the other to realize that it’s a good marketing move. “Our AI is so awesome and boosts productivity so much that no one has to work another 5 day week, ever again.”
	▲	toomuchtodo an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		You have my vote. Work to live, don’t live to work. ~90% of Iceland is on a 35-36 hours work week, seems to work fine. Remote work was also skeptically thought of up until a global pandemic forced it, and while there has been some retreat, 20% of Americans work remotely in some capacity still. Just need a catalyst to challenge norms and rigid mental models. https://autonomy.work/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ICELAND_4DW... https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/25/business/iceland-shorter-work... https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/21/icelan...

▲

ranyume 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

What do you mean? You just need to ban companies from doing 5 days work.

▲

madrox an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Amusingly, there is literally not even a 7 day work week ban for companies in the US. You can require employees work every day. Employers are just required to pay employees overtime under various conditions beyond 40 hours / five days a week, which is why you don't see it.

And what's more, software engineers are exempt from these rules because of their pay grades. If you're a SWE making a salary the odds are your employer could require you work on Saturdays without running afowl of labor laws.

This is all powered by norms.

	▲	culi 20 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		it's not powered by norms. In the US, if you want to employ someone more than 40 hours you have to give them extra overtime pay. It's called the Fair Labor Standards Act and it was passed in 1938

▲

an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

[deleted]

▲

hx8 an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

By this logic you could get promoted if you worked six day work weeks.

▲

madrox an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Have you not seen people who work longer and harder get more promotions? That has been my experience.

	▲	AngryData 4 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Not outside of the tech world, and in many industries if you aren't salaried it can get you fired because they have to pay overtime.
	▲	lofties 42 minutes ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Right, so if it's happening already, nothing is going to change. Four days a week it is!

▲

dozerly an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

And this is true… employees who work and produce more, better things often get promoted. Spending more time doing things leads to producing more and better things

▲

satvikpendem an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

There's a reason 996 culture is seeping into American startups. Whether it actually makes them more productive in the market remains to be seen.

	▲	shimman 43 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Yes, it's quite sad that when big tech leadership talks positively about China they really like the exploitive labor practices that the country exhibits.

▲

sneak 13 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Why isn’t this the case for a six day workweek?

▲

zanecodes 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

If only there were some kind of third party we could all collectively agree to delegate enforcement of cooperation to...

▲

madrox an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Interestingly, software engineers are usually considered exempt in the US, meaning they can be required to work more than 40 hours a week without overtime pay if employers choose to.

Unless you're imagining congress do something. I want to shoot fireballs from my fingers, but unfortunately we don't live in a world of magic.

	▲	shimman 40 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		You can lobby Congress to do things, even better you can volunteer at campaigns and try to elect people to Congress that want to do these things. Acting like we are helpless and the future is determined is straight up loser talk while also not being historically accurate in the slightest. You should go read about people starting wildcat strikes while working in literal company towns. There is tremendous power when we organize together, a power so great the elites have spent almost a 100 years trying to destroy the fruits of their success.

▲

sneak 12 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

If only. The only way to delegate enforcement is to give them a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence. Unfortunately all such potential organizations are run by human beings, who, when given violence as a tool, will use that violence as a tool.