We hope you had a restful Memorial Day weekend.
At a time when self care is more important than ever, and as we rethink workplace practices across the world, an interesting conversation is starting:
Washington Post: Will the coronavirus pandemic open the door to a four-day workweek?
The world is watching New Zealand. Decisive early action, along with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s empathetic style of leadership, quashed the country’s coronavirus outbreak in fewer than 50 days...So, when Ardern uploaded a video to Facebook last week floating the idea of a four-day workweek, an audience outside New Zealand took notice.
There hasn't (yet) been a big conversation in the U.S. about a 4-day workweek. So, why not test the waters and see if there is interest?
Quite simply, this is a "testing the waters" petition. If it takes off, that is newsworthy -- and we will inform the media and lawmakers across the nation that public energy exists.
So if you sign, please also forward this email to others, and share on Facebook and Twitter.
In her video, Prime Minister Ardern pointed out, "I hear lots of people suggesting we should have a 4-day week...There's lots of things we've learned about COVID, and just that flexibility of people working from home, the productivity that could be driven out of that."
The Washington Post reports, "Amid the flexibility companies have had to show in response to the novel coronavirus crisis, what once in many quarters would have come across as a fringe notion no longer seemed so unthinkable." They then outline several reasons this policy could make sense:
- Some studies show workplace productivity and satisfaction go up under a shorter, more compressed schedule.
- One study in the U.K. last year found 64% of leaders of businesses with four-day workweeks saw an increase in staff productivity.
- That same study showed 77% of workers linked it to a better quality of life.
- One expert points out that 20% less commuting will "help save the environment" -- even if longer hours are just spread over fewer days.
- Another expert argued that "a four-day workweek could normalize a pattern in which people of all genders split their time more evenly between home and the workplace, removing an entrenched barrier to female professional advancement.
Obviously, there would be a lot of logistics to figure out -- including differences across sectors, hourly vs. salary employees, and the racial/gender impact of workplace changes. But that conversation only really begins if there is public appetite for it. So, is there?
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
-- Adam Green, PCCC co-founder
Progressive stickers, buttons, T-shirts, and more!
store.boldprogressives.org
FOLLOW US:
|
|
|
|
|
