Advantages About one quarter of American large companies now offer or require a four-day schedule for at least some

of their workers (ten-hour shifts four days a week for the same pay). According to a Gallup survey, two-thirds of working adults would prefer this shorter work week. Some of the advantages and disadvantages, from the perspective of both the employees and employers, are as follows: Advantages - 52 extra days off a year to do whatever the worker wants; - Less absenteeism as employees have less need to miss work for doctor's visits and other obligations; - Employers can save on energy, custodial and security costs; - A reduction in exhaust emissions from commuter cars. Disadvantages - Stress of juggling ten-hour days and childcare; to get to work on time employees may need to leave before their children are awake; - Repetitive strain injuries are a fear; - Some managers feel deprived of quiet time and so are forced to come in on Fridays anyway; - Customers may complain if staff are absent. Some companies, particularly in Europe, are minimising redundancies by simply slicing a day from everyone's workweek, cutting total hours but also cutting wages by 20%. The World Bank - alternate Fridays off Summarised from an item by Sue Shellenbarger in The Wall Street Journal (Aug 27th '94) monitored for the Institute by Roger Knights. The World Bank's offer to employees of a compressed work week - for nine days extending the work day and then taking off the tenth, a Friday - drew 1,500 takers, or one-sixth of the bank's Washington DC employees. 'We could have over half the bank on it if a ceiling hadn't been

placed on participation,' said Brian Donnolley, the bank's manager of programme support. It is part of a larger work-family effort to lure more skilled women as employees, reduce stress and ease single parents' conflicts. People on compressed work schedules liked them better than the workers left to cover. 'We're learning how important back-up training is, including arranging coverage and voice-mail messages for days off,' Mr Donnolley says. Nevertheless, after an evaluation noted that morale had improved, absenteeism was down a little and productivity hadn't suffered, the bank is continuing the pilot programme. The Gambia has shortened the work week, making Friday a day of rest. Is this the perfect pattern for a working week? In the tiny African nation of The Gambia, public sector workers will now clock in at 8am and clock out at 6pm, Monday to Thursday. They'll still do a 40-hour week but have the luxury of Friday off. President Jammeh wants the extra rest day to "allow Gambians to devote more time to prayers, social activities and agriculture". In the dark days of the 19th Century, many workers in industrialised nations considered themselves lucky if they got Sunday off. The achievement of a 40-hour week with Saturday and Sunday off for many was a major landmark for the labour movement. But some have tried to go further. In 2008, about 17,000 government officials in the US state of Utah started working four 10-hour days in a bid to cut costs. The experiment didn't last: the five-day week was reinstated in 2011. Other US states have also toyed with the idea. Oregon and Texas legislators considered - but did not pass - four-day work week bills, while Georgia and Virginia have trialled it at a handful of agencies.

A four-day week for the good of the country? The four-day week is also popular in the Netherlands, where one in three men either works parttime or 40 hours in four days. In the UK, certain professions - journalists among them - have often worked a four-day week of longer shifts. Continue reading the main story

On Monday mornings people aren't so groggy Steven ShattuckIndianapolis, US But despite the companies that offer compressed hours, flexible working arrangements or shift work, the nine-to-five, five-day week is still seen as the typical way to earn a living in much of the West. But what is the ideal working week, and could the four-day week become more widespread? Steven Shattuck, 28, is a community manager at Slingshot SEO, a search engine optimisation consultancy in Indianapolis, in the US, where everyone works 8am-6pm, Monday to Thursday. He thinks the four-day week is the way forward.

"Everything happens so fast in our industry, we think it's important to have Fridays to recharge. We call them research days. They give people a chance to stay up on things, maybe do some independent research or spend time with their families," he says. As a result, Shattuck believes time in the office is more productive. "On Monday mornings people aren't so groggy - they hit the ground running. We have really tight deadlines, it's very collaborative, we try to squeeze as much into our days as possible," he says. Clients don't see it as a problem, so long as the company - which has 85 employees - delivers, and people are prepared to work in emergencies. Continue reading the main story Previously in the Magazine Who works the longest hours? Type your hours into the calculator linked below to find out how you compare with the average employee in your country, and the average across 34 developed nations.

Calculate your hours Who gets the most time off? "The four-day week is a real selling point when it comes to recruitment. But we're a young company, the median age is 27 or 28, so I guess it would depend on the company culture," he adds. There wasn't such a collective approval in Utah, says Winston Inoway, public information officer at the state's Department of Human Resource Management. "Many employees loved it, but others had issues with childcare, and citizens raised questions over the availability of services on Friday. The projected savings were also higher than the actual savings," he says. Heating and electrical savings in year one, for example, were projected to be $3m (1.8m), but the actual saving was $502,000 (318,669). An audit also found it hard to find any evidence of increased productivity. However, proponents of the shorter week cite the three-day week during the recession in 1974, saying production fell by much less than expected. And they say the benefits are not just down to economics.

At work during the power cuts caused by the miners' strike in 1974 There are also environmental and social reasons why work hours should not only be compressed, but substantially reduced, says Anna Coote, head of social policy at the New Economics Foundation. "If we worked less, there would be more jobs, and that would get people off benefits and reduce unemployment. It would also help people slow down - we are under pressure to live life at such a fast pace. "We need to live more sustainably, stop buying ready meals because we haven't got time to cook, reduce the carbon footprint by commuting less, and value unpaid things - like being active citizens, caring for people, being better parents," she says. Coote advocates a 21- to 30-hour working week, which she says would also involve reassessing the minimum wage. Continue reading the main story Working a four-day week

Michael Honey is director of Icelab, an interactive design studio in Canberra, Australia. Office hours are Monday-Thursday 8am-6pm

"The pros are gaining 50% more weekend, four days' commuting - which is good for the environment, mental and physical - and free time during working hours which is great for errands. "I'm sure we could be marginally more productive per week if we worked five days - but is it worth it? Do we really need the extra money, when it comes at the cost of time, the only thing no-one can have more of? "The other cons are paying seven days' rent on office premises for four days' use and client meeting or phone calls on Fridays that we just can't reschedule. "We did it for selfish reasons - we wanted to have more space in our lives to do the things we enjoy outside work. Cycling, hiking, trips to the mountains or the coast - or just going to the movies, getting a haircut, running errands. "I unreservedly recommend it. People need more time to think, to play, to reflect, to be human."

Gambia introduces four-day week The idea might seem radical, but in 1930, economist John Maynard Keynes envisagedwe'd be working a 15-hour week by the beginning of the 21st Century, believing that would be enough to suit our material needs. Instead, "we still have a factory-based model and mindset for the way we work - the more hours we put in the better, which creates a hamster wheel frenzy," says Ian Price, author of Activity Illusion. "Add technology, and the way it has revolutionised the scale at which we communicate, and there can be a 24/7 working culture." It is a sentiment shared by Prof Cary Cooper, an expert in organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University Management School. "It's crazy old-fashioned that people come in at 8am and leave at 7pm on busy commutes, given new technology means they can work from home. Going into the office seems to be part of our DNA, but longer hours are bad for health, and can cause stress," he says. However, Cooper doesn't think compressed or shortened hours is the answer. "It's about flexibility - flexible time, flexible place. People want it to happen, it's just a case of convincing managers it's good for them." The CBI agrees flexibility is the future and says in the UK there is "very much an individual approach taken by employees and businesses towards work and finding an arrangement which benefits both parties". Its 2011 employment trends survey found 96% of respondents offered at least one form of flexible working, while 70% offered three or more.

However 53% of firms said the nature of work, or the operating hours of the business, was a limiting factor. John Walker, the national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, says most small firms offer flexibility as a matter of course. But he says a set four-day working week would be "impractical" for businesses like high street convenience stores or plumbers, who are expected to be on hand whatever the day. "Faced with the need to get the economy into recovery, setting mandatory working days and hours would be far too prescriptive and simply unrealistic for the vast majority of employers," he says. You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook The Four-Day Workweek: Pros and Cons Melanie Brooks6th AprilOffice Life12 Comments

When you know a three-day weekend is just around the corner, do you try hard to tie up loose ends during the week so you can enjoy it? I know I do. When you get back to work on a Tuesday, doesnt the rest of the week seem to fly by? Wouldnt it be great if you could have a four-day workweek every week? You can!

When faced with a short workweek I know I am more productive during business hours. Here are some other benefits:

People have more time to spend with their families. Employees save money on commuting to and from work. The business saves money on energy costs. Studies show that employees with a four-day workweek are more productive and happier overall.

But there are drawbacks, too. Working 10 hours a day isnt for everyone. When thinking about creating a four-day workweek, people tend to think about how great it will be to have more time away from the office rather than how increasing their workday by two hours may affect them and their families. Less time in the day outside of work means less time for running errands on your workdays. Another drawback is the fact that just because you only work four days a week, it doesnt mean your customers dont need you on your off day. Some companies cant shut their doors for one day a week because of the nature of their business. If there are enough employees to stagger the 5th day off, this may work for yousome employees get Monday off and some Friday. TGIT: Thank God Its Thursday The state of Utah instituted a four-day workweek in 2008 for most state employees, and researchers found that 79% of employees reported a positive experience with the four days a week/10 hours a day routine and 63% of the employees reported increased productivity. The same employees also reported lower levels of work-family conflict and higher levels of job satisfaction. Utah also found that by implementing a four-day workweek their employees saved $6 million in gasoline costs and cut the states greenhouse-gas emissions by 12,000 metric tons a year. Companies large and small across the country are looking for ways to save money. Pensions, as weve seen in the news, are a hot button topic. Many companies are not offering the same things to their employees that they used tonamely 401(k)s and health insurance. A four-day workweek, a plus to many, might just be the thing that keeps disgruntled workers happy and in

their jobs. A shorter week could also be a big perk when hiring new employees. And a healthy work life balance is becoming more and more important to people. Predicting the Future Pretty soon those Generation X-ers (born from 19651978) everyone has been complaining about for decades are going to be at the age where they are the decision makers in business. And Generation Y (born from 19792000) are looking to do things differently than their parents generation. Big changes are in storeand one of those changes could possibly be an altered workweek. A lot of people dont even need to show up at the office anymore to do their work, and are already working an altered workweek albeit virtually. Heck, working 40 hours might very well become pass over the next 10 years! We wont know until we get there. But before you implement a four-day workweek you need to do some homework. Find out what your goals are. Are they to keep employees happy? Save money on energy costs? Cut down on traveling expenses? Know what you want to achieve and institute a way to measure the results to see if its working or not. You also want to talk to your employees. The people who will have the hardest time with a fourday workweek are parents who have children in daycare. Give them some warning and find out how they will deal with the schedule change. Fortunately a four-day workweek isnt a new ideaso there are lots of people out there that can give you their two cents. But summer is right around the corner a great time to try out the four-day workweekif you ask me! (Image courtesy of Joe Lanman under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 generic license.) Businesses have seen many costs continue to rise. The rising costs of everything from electricity to paper products have had some businesses wanting to know the advantages and disadvantages of a 4-day workweek. There are some businesses that have found they like a 4-day workweek because of all the advantages despite the disadvantages. But there are also some businesses that have found a 4-day workweek just doesn't cut it for their business. When a business is looking at changing to a 4-day workweek, they will need to consider if the advantages will benefit the business enough to make the change. The advantages can include lowering utilities, better employee moral and longer hours in the day for after work customers.

Many times the need to have a 4-day workweek is to save money. One great advantage of a 4day workweek is that the utility bills are lower. This is because there is less start up energy needed. There is also less time during the heat of the day that the offices need to be cooled. In the winter there is less needed energy to heat the building because one day has been cut out. It is easier and cheaper to heat a warm building than a cold one. One state organization reported saving $60,000 a year in electricity alone by changing to a 4-day workweek. A favorite advantage of a 4-day workweek for employees is the moral boost it gives them. By giving employees (and employers) a three-day weekend every weekend, they tend to be more revitalized for the next weeks work. They can spend the extra day off with family and friends and get projects done outside of the office. By using a 4-day workweek the improved employee moral improves the business and work done by employees. Employees are more motivated and ready to do the needed work in the work place. This will only make the profit margins of the business increase. Another great advantage of a 4-day workweek is that the longer hours allow customers time to come in after their workday. Many businesses will start earlier in the morning like around 7am. And other businesses have found that they are better to stay open until 7 or 8 pm. Either way it allows potential customers additional hours to come in and do the business they need done. Even though these are great advantages there are some disadvantages that businesses have found with a 4-day workweek. Some disadvantages include employees needing to adjust daycare for children, longer workdays may require more breaks and depending on the type of business, sales may drop. When businesses change to a 4-day workweek employees with children have to make daycare adjustments. This may not be difficult with some employees. There will be the employees that will have to find a daycare or childcare facility that will take their children earlier or later than regular hours. This can be done but employers will need to be understanding and give the employee the time needed to make the change. By increasing the workday to 10 hours a day there may be a need for more breaks within one day. This can be done and worked through, but will cause a problem if employee and employer don't agree. This doesn't mean more of a lunch hour; just some short 10-15 minute breaks throughout the day. When retail businesses have a 4-day workweek, sales can be a major disadvantage. There are many customers that want to come on Friday or Monday to the business. If customers are used to coming on the day the business is now not open on, they can get discouraged and go to another business. Because of this disadvantage of a 4-day workweek may not be worth it to some businesses.

5 Day Working Week

Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 10:52

Feature Articles 10,995 views 12 comments

I always work the same way, starting from the beginning of the weekend, so I know at the beginning of the race, from all that I have analyzed during the practice, wheth er I will win the race or not. Alain Prost 1. How was weekend originated?

The origin of weekend came into the picture between the years 1793 and 1805, when the French Revolutionary Calendar called for a day off at the end of a 10-day week. In 1926, Henry Ford, Europe closed all of his factories on Saturdays, thinking this would help urge the economy. European Christians viewed Sundays solely as a time to dedicate ones self to the Deity, European workers had a longstanding practice of skipping work each Saint Monday to recover from the previous days drinking.

Nearly 20 percent of American professionals logged an average of eight hours work per day, and at the same time 35 percent of Americans reported working on holidays or weekends. All of this work generated more than $13 trillion gross domestic product in 2006. As per Harris Interactive poll, Americans took only an average of 10 of the 14 vacation days given to them by employers. Weekend and work week are the complementary words for the labor and rest. The legal working week (British English), or workweek (U.S. English), is a part of the seven-day week devoted to labor. Nowadays, most of the western countries are following workweek from Monday to Friday. The weekend is a combination of two traditionally non-working days in the seven-day week. In Christian custom, Sunday is considered as the Lords Day and the day of rest and worship. The French Revolutionary Calendar was designed with ten-day weeks and one out of the ten days, as a leisure day. In cultures with a seven-day week, the day of rest derives from the main religious tradition: Sunday (Christian), Saturday (Jewish), or Friday (Muslim).

2. What is the history of weekend across the globe? 1. Australia : An Australian person starts their working week on Monday and ends on Friday. Without taking breaks they work nearly 35 and 40 hours per week. 2. Canada : Canada is a place where the standard office working hours begins on Monday and ends on Friday and people work 40 hours per week. Weekend in Canada begins on Friday after work at 5pm and ends on Monday morning at 8am. 3. Chile : As per Chile legal workweek, their weekend comprises of six days or 45 working hours. They usually work 10 hours per day.

4. China : China also follows the same workweek of Monday to Friday. China started its two-day weekend in 1995 and most of the Chinese working professionals work 5 days a week. But, they consider the week beginning with Monday and ending with Sunday. 5. Colombia : Colombia which is a part of Latin American countries follows a 40 working-hours per week from Monday to Friday. 6. EU : In Europe, the full-time working week begins on Monday and ends on Friday. In Ireland, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and the former communist states of Europe, large shopping centers remain open on Sunday. 7. Austria : The work week in Austria is Monday to Friday and Friday is usually a half-day. 8. Bulgaria : The work week is Monday to Friday; 8 hours per day, 40 hours in total per week. 9. Czech Republic : In the Czech Republic, the work week is usually from Monday to Friday, 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week as a full-time job. 10. Denmark : Denmark has a working week of 37 hours, generally Monday to Friday. 11. Estonia : In Estonia, the working hours contain 40 hours and working week begins on Monday and ends on Friday. 12. Finland : In Finland, the working week begins on Monday and ends on Friday. A full time job is considered as working for 32 to 40 hours a week. 13. France : The standard working week in France is Monday to Friday. Most of the schools in France will be closed on Wednesday and works on Saturday. 14. Ireland : Ireland has a working week from Monday to Friday with core working hours from 09:00 to 17:30. 15. Latvia : Latvia has a Monday to Friday working week, with normal maximum time of 40 hours. 16. Poland : The workweek is Monday to Friday; 8 hours per day, 40 hours in total per week. Large malls are open on Saturday and Sunday, many small shops remain closed on Sunday. 17. Portugal : The workweek is Monday to Friday; 8 hours per day, 40 hours in total per week. 18. Romania : The workweek is Monday to Friday; 8 hours per day, 40 hours in total per week. 19. Sweden : In Sweden, the standard workweek is Monday to Friday, 40-hour in total per week. 20. United Kingdom : The normal business working week is from Monday to Friday (35 to 40 hours as per the agreement). 21. Hong Kong : The standard working week in Hong Kong is Monday to Friday. 22. India : In India, working week begins on Monday and ends on Saturday with half a day, making it a 5-day work week, roughly 50 hours per week. The weekend is Sunday. However, government offices, newer institutions, IT & ITES companies follow the international 40 hour week starting Monday to Friday. 23. Mexico : Mexico has a 48 working-hours workweek running from Monday to Friday.

24. Nepal : Nepal follows the ancient Vedic calendar, which follows the resting day on Saturday and the first day of the working week on Sunday. 25. Pakistan : Pakistan follows the standard international 40 hour working week, from Monday to Friday. 26. Islamic countries : Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen follows Thursday to Friday weekend. Although, Friday is the Muslim holy day when Jumuah prayers take place and a number of countries have a ThursdayFriday weekend. 3. What are the various acronyms and expressions of weekend? Blue Monday is a term used when the weekend is over and its time to get back to the work. It is believed that dissipation gives everything a blue tinge and as many people feel sad at the beginning of a workweek this phrase is used on Mondays to depict their working mood. Hump day is a synonym for Wednesday. It is used in the context that the people worked half-way through the week and thriving to uphill work from Monday. TGIF is also known as Thank God Its Friday or Thank Goodness Its Friday. The expression itself gives a relief that the work week is finally over and hope for the happy weekend. Hawaiian people pronounce Pau Hana which means finished work to start the weekend. POETS day is an acronym, meaning Piss Off Early Tomorrows Saturday, Punch Out Early Tomorrows Saturday, Push Off Early Tomorrows Saturday or Push Off Early Tomorrows Sunday, used as a term for Fridays referring to the practice of finishing off the work early at the end of the week. 4. What are the tips for a happy weekend?

The advantages and disadvantages of a 4-day workweek need to be carefully considered for each business that is thinking of changing. The advantages can seem great for so many businesses, but

some of the disadvantages may not seem worth it to other businesses. Look closely at the advantages and disadvantages of a 4-day workweek and do what is best for the company.