Four day working week

Norman_Conquest

Norman_Conquest

Well-known member
I see the government has warned councils not to adopt a four day working week, yet Cambridgeshire Council states they have saved £500,000 on not having to employ agency workers. They also state that it improved productivity and the well being of its employees.

I would have been all over this when I was working and think it can only be good to improve the work life balance.


www.theguardian.com

Ministers warn English councils not to adopt four-day working weeks

Central government’s attempt to restrict councils’ ability to try out the practice is ‘a massive overreach’, say council leaders
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
Norman_Conquest said:
I see the government has warned councils not to adopt a four day working week, yet Cambridgeshire Council states they have saved £500,000 on not having to employ agency workers. They also state that it improved productivity and the well being of its employees.

I would have been all over this when I was working and think it can only be good to improve the work life balance.


www.theguardian.com

Ministers warn English councils not to adopt four-day working weeks

Central government’s attempt to restrict councils’ ability to try out the practice is ‘a massive overreach’, say council leaders
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
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The Tory model is to get as many hours for as little money out of anybody below director level.
 
If you work 4 days a week, does that mean you would get less pay? I don't see it working if you get less pay, not during an economic crisis
 
Did used to work four day week during summer in my last job. They pushed for overtime on the fifth day as apparently all overheads are paid and therefore fifth day is higher profit margin.
Right now I’d be bang up for a four day week.
 
overtime every weekend at my place at the minute. Tons of people off sick. Nowhere near enough staff. The idea of working four days a week is a complete pipe dream. Loads of places are like that. If councils are working four days a week every other public sector organisation will be asking why the **** are we not resourced like that.
 
Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret said:
overtime every weekend at my place at the minute. Tons of people off sick. Nowhere near enough staff. The idea of working four days a week is a complete pipe dream. Loads of places are like that. If councils are working four days a week every other public sector organisation will be asking why the **** are we not resourced like that.
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That’s obviously why the government are trying to prevent it. It’s quite possible there would be less people off sick with an extra day off each week. Retention of staff would be better too.
 
Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret said:
overtime every weekend at my place at the minute. Tons of people off sick. Nowhere near enough staff. The idea of working four days a week is a complete pipe dream. Loads of places are like that. If councils are working four days a week every other public sector organisation will be asking why the **** are we not resourced like that.
Click to expand...
Where and doing what is your graft ?
If you've loads of staff short , no wonder the others are off sick ( doing another person's graft for nowt is stressful, which leads to increased sick rates )

Perfectly feasible to do 35 to 38 hrs over 4 days and not five.
 
Years ago (late 80's to early 90's) I was working for a no longer existing tech Company called Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) at Reading. I would fly down on the 06:00'ish from Teesside to Heathrow and bus it to the location, arriving around 10:00 & work till 18:00 to get off early into the digs then work two 12 hours days till 21:00, on the last day till 08:00-14:00 and fly back. Was nice to get the three days off and my boss was just a 'get the job done and I'm happy' type so it was never an issue.
 
outoftown said:
Where and doing what is your graft ?
If you've loads of staff short , no wonder the others are off sick ( doing another person's graft for nowt is stressful, which leads to increased sick rates )

Perfectly feasible to do 35 to 38 hrs over 4 days and not five.
Click to expand...
The four day working week idea isn’t doing the same hours over less days. Any employer can do that and the government would say nothing. It’s working 20% less hours or 28 hours instead of 35.
 
I prefer not to say on the net. It is not in any way feasible to reduce hours by 20%. There is too much work. Prison service, CPS, police, social services, court service. All in absolutely dire straits. Hire thousands upon thousands of extra staff and you are on. Over to you labour.
 
SilentProf said:
The four day working week idea isn’t doing the same hours over less days. Any employer can do that and the government would say nothing. It’s working 20% less hours or 28 hours instead of 35.
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This is from the article attached above - The council has said its continuing trial of the practice, in which office staff and bin collectors are paid the same for working 20% fewer hours, has already helped it improve recruitment and led to over £500,000 in savings on agency workers.
 
WJH. said:
8 hour shift × 5 days = 40 hours

10 hour shift × 4 day = 40 hours

Nobody would be reducing their contracted hours by working 4 days
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This isn't about that. Loads of people have work patterns like that anyway. The article talks about reducing hours by 20% on the same pay. Do you think the NHS would be able to cope if all the nurses reduced their hours by 20%?
 
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