Ingles Para Todos

The four-day workweek is winning fans
A lot of employees are big fans of the 4-day workweek. Four, ten-hour days to replace the normal 9-to-5 schedule we’ve all come know as “standard.” It’s a popular idea and it’s catching on like crazy, especially in the public sector. But there are two sides to every story, right? Earlier this week I discussed the pros, so now it’s time to look at the cons.Some of the ideas below were sent to me by readers who feel strongly that a four-day week is a bad thing. And just to show that they’re not alone, even Forbes recently ran an article called, Why the Four Day Work Week Doesn’t Work.

So, what’s not to love about a 4/10 compressed schedule?
Where should I start?
1. Decreased Productivity. Many people find it difficult to stay focused for eighthours. Adding two more hours may not result in any more work at all. Or, the work that is performed may be performed inefficiently or with errors.
2. Wrong Perspective. Author Cali Ressler says that this is the wrong approach to work. Instead of continuing to focus on the amount of time we spend doing work, she advocates that employers start to look at the results of the time we spend doing work.In a results-oriented approach, like the one she helped implement at Best Buy, how long employees is irrelevant as long as they get the work completed.
3. No Fuel Savings. Employees will still be driving on the fifth day—just not to work. Although they won’t be spending gas money on the commute, they will still have to fill the tank to run errands and make other trips that they didn’t do aftertheir long workday.
4. Access to Child Care. Because the four-day workweek is new to many, childcare providers are not likely to change their business hours. Extended time at daycare means extended costs—often at a premium. This additional cost offsets the purported fuel savings.
5. Decreased Family Time. In reality, after a ten-hour work day, many people find that they are too tired for a familygame night, or to attend a sports event. Remember, it’s not just 10 hours of work, by the time you figure in wake-up time and day-care drop-off in the morning and pick-up at night, employees will have been going strong for more than 13 hours, and that’s before anyone eats dinner. The result is a Friday packed with the errands and activities that were not accomplished after work and not muchadditional family time at all.
6. Decreased Morale. Long hours lead to fatigue, which leads to decreased morale. Long days spent in the office with colleagues with whom they may or may not get along can cause additional tension.
7. Day 5. When the nature of work requires employees to be accountable to clients or customers who do not work a four-day week, it may be unrealistic to think that theirdemands will not require attention on Fridays. Instead of a compressed schedule, employees may find that they’re working an extended schedule.
8. More Micro-Management. In order to reap the benefits of a compressed schedule, the typical workday slacking must be eliminated. Down-time for internet browsing and extra breaks have a greater impact and will require managers to become more involved on theground level to ensure these time-wasters do not occur.
The four-day work week continues its winning streak. Counties, towns, and cities across the nation are considering switching to the compressed-week schedule, that is, if they haven’t implemented it already. (See Popularity of the 4-day Week Continues to Grow). And, as previously discussed, Utah was the first state to adopt a 4/10 workweekstatewide. (See Utah's Mandatory 4-Day Work Week Will Save the World. Sort of.).  
As of yet, though, I am still on the fence. I can’t say I’m opposed to the idea. But I do have substantial doubts about the benefits of a longer workday. I also have concerns about the impact the shortened workweek will have on access to public services—especially by those who are in the most serious need of that...