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IPFS News Link • Employment & Jobs

Do you really have to go to work?

• https://www.thedailybell.com

Monday through Friday, 9-5, are work days. You commute to the office every day. And then you have the weekend off.

That's how it has been for decades and decades, right? And before that Sunday was the only day off, and the hours were much longer.

These traditions began in factory settings when everything had to be standardized. It's not like farmers were clocking in and punching out… they worked when there was work to do. Which was basically always.

But as we turn over to 2019, do we still need to work the five day work week? Do we still need to commute to the office? And should work even be hourly or even salary for most professions, or task-based?

Some evidence shows that a four-day workweek is actually more productive than a five-day work week. Companies say that staff is more motivated, and experience less burnout when working a shorter week.

And it makes sense. It's not like all the hours spent at work are actually spent working.

If you have a certain amount of work to get done, you get it done in the time allotted, and will spend the rest of the time browsing, zoning out, or talking to co-workers.

A recent survey of 3,000 employees in eight countries including the United States, Britain and Germany found that nearly half thought they could easily finish their tasks in five hours a day if they did not have interruptions, but many are exceeding 40 hours a week anyway…

And with more automation and robotics in the workplace, shorter work weeks are one way for workers to share in the extra wealth created, without being displaced.

Working from home is another thing that is easy these days. And think of all the benefits like cutting the commute, avoiding traffic, and saving costs on office space.

I already work from home, and see it myself. My most productive hours are just when I wake up in the morning.

I enjoy the in-person meetings that we have for a few days once or twice a year. But I can feel myself using up my most productive hours showering and getting ready for the office.


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