Experiments with a shorter workweek have shown that shown that working fewer hours improves worker well-being and productivity. But we can’t expect employers to implement this transformative change of their own volition.
Experiments with a shorter workweek have shown that shown that working fewer hours improves worker well-being and productivity. But we can’t expect employers to implement this transformative change of their own volition.
Hmm… I don’t know where you worked, but your experience seems to have sucked.
Nowadays I feel that it’s not so much about how late you stay in the office. Most professional jobs now are hybrid. Part time in the office, part time work from home. Managers don’t see how much time you spend on work at home. So this mindset has changed quite a bit since the pandemic.
Regarding learning new things, you’re asking them to sacrifice a whole hour. Even in a 40h work week that’s a lot of precious time and it’s difficult to get everyone together at the same time to do a learning session. Maybe let them learn in their own time by providing a video or documentation on the topic instead.
Finally, you wouldn’t believe how much time I spend on chores during my work hours. I still get my work done on time. Which proves a 32h 4 day work week is totally doable for professionals working 9-5 office jobs. Of course for other fields it might have a greater impact, like construction. But they can plan around that and allow more time to finish their projects.
Except among the shithead micromanagers that are on the warpath against hybrid and remote work.
Most organizations with a structure more complex than that of a bloom of pond scum have an expectation that overhead activities such as training and admin make up part of the workweek. Budgeting effort for the actual job should take that into account, or those necessary housekeeping activites fall by the wayside. And in my case, continually learning new things and sharing them with the organization is part of my job description alongside planning and delivery.
I’ve always been reprimanded for basically learning and sharing because it affects delivery. So I stopped.
“A whole hour” if you don’t have an hour free then how do you expect handle literally any emergency? There’s this expectation that if an employee’s schedule isn’t filled to the brim that they’re slacking off, but that’s not how this works. What if you get sick? What if there’s an IT issue? If I say it will take 4 days to do something then you tell the client it will take 6 or even 8. Clients would rather you take longer and deliver on time than be ready for something only to have you be late. And no, I will not expect people to learn things outside of work hours as the default. That’s unpaid work and inacceptable as an expectation(if they want to do it themselves, by all means).
The mindset has changed a little but it’s still mostly on paper, in my experience. Many companies will even quietly expect you to stay later since you’re at home and “can”. The government of Canada is forcing everyone working for them back into the office and they’re not even prepared for it, nor can they actually explain why it’s better.
It’s better than it was, that’s about all we can say.