Business & Finance Move over $15 per hour...

[Captain X]

Make room for 4 day work week!

The fun part is that I technically already have that, because I work 4 ten-hour shifts.

 

[History Learner]

I see nothing wrong with this?

 

[Robovski]

I'd be very happy with a 4-day 36 hour week like I had working in Scotland for a major bank.

 

[Zachowon]

I mean, downrange we work 12 hour shifts 24/7.
In some places you work 12 hour shifts 4 days then a 4 hour fifth day and then 2 days off

 

[Husky_Khan]

I'd be very happy with a 4-day 36 hour week like I had working in Scotland for a major bank.

The genesis for this seems to be a 32 hour workweek and then you get the overtime past that.

 

[History Learner]

The genesis for this seems to be a 32 hour workweek and then you get the overtime past that.

Yeah, this was getting suggested by the Unions, Huey Long, etc back in the 1930s; it's one of those ideas that's been around for awhile.

 

[Cherico]

Yeah, this was getting suggested by the Unions, Huey Long, etc back in the 1930s; it's one of those ideas that's been around for awhile.

the idea back then was that technology and growing productivity would allow people to have more leasure time and a higher standard of living....

 

[Robovski]

the idea back then was that technology and growing productivity would allow people to have more leasure time and a higher standard of living....

This seems relevant The Productivity–Pay Gap

(graph from here: https://economics.stackexchange.com...real-earnings-in-the-us-what-happened-ca-1974)

 

[LordsFire]

the idea back then was that technology and growing productivity would allow people to have more leasure time and a higher standard of living....

....This is exactly what has happened?

 

[History Learner]

....This is exactly what has happened?

Not in terms of a shorter work week; we still have the five day, 40 hour model of 80 years ago.

 

[Free-Stater 101]

I'd be very happy with a 4-day 36 hour week like I had working in Scotland for a major bank.

I wouldn't. I would be scalped four hours every week be damned if I need the money.

 

[Terthna]

I wouldn't. I would be scalped four hours every week be damned if I need the money.

And that sums up why we've had the same 40-hour work week for almost a century; because our wages are tied to those hours, so less hours worked means less money in your pocket on payday. If we could somehow switch over to paying people based on the value of the work done, rather than the time spent doing it, we'd probably all end up wasting a lot less time and effort.

 

[The Whispering Monk]

And that sums up why we've had the same 40-hour work week for almost a century; because our wages are tied to those hours, so less hours worked means less money in your pocket on payday. If we could somehow switch over to paying people based on the value of the work done, rather than the time spent doing it, we'd probably all end up wasting a lot less time and effort.

This is WHY I work on commission.

"Eat what you kill" as it were.

 

[KilroywasNOTHere]

And that sums up why we've had the same 40-hour work week for almost a century; because our wages are tied to those hours, so less hours worked means less money in your pocket on payday. If we could somehow switch over to paying people based on the value of the work done, rather than the time spent doing it, we'd probably all end up wasting a lot less time and effort.

This is WHY I work on commission.

"Eat what you kill" as it were.

call me a cynic but I think businesses would just increase their prices to compensate. unless everyone is salary You wouldn't be able to get enough meat off your kills to make it worthwhile. at the point everything is commissioned based you'd just be better off bartering for your keep. "I'll do this for you in exchanged for a meal or a weeks worth of groceries."

yes trades are able to make commisions work, but it's because the seller is the laborer and he can provide a custamized product directly to the buyer. that wouldn't really work for a fast food worker or a assembly line worker.

 

[Bear Ribs]

call me a cynic but I think businesses would just increase their prices to compensate. unless everyone is salary You wouldn't be able to get enough meat off your kills to make it worthwhile. at the point everything is commissioned based you'd just be better off bartering for your keep. "I'll do this for you in exchanged for a meal or a weeks worth of groceries."

yes trades are able to make commisions work, but it's because the seller is the laborer and he can provide a custamized product directly to the buyer. that wouldn't really work for a fast food worker or a assembly line worker.

Having been on both sides of the issue, I'm in favor of commissions as long as I'm also in control of the hours. Jobs that are irregular in production, like sales? I've had some bosses who took monstrous advantage of that situation to insist on basically free labor and significant overtime during times there was little chance of any actual sale because they weren't paying for the hours so it was worth wasting plenty of the worker's hours on the off chance of an unlikely extra dollar.

 

[The Whispering Monk]

yes trades are able to make commisions work, but it's because the seller is the laborer and he can provide a custamized product directly to the buyer. that wouldn't really work for a fast food worker or a assembly line worker.

Which is why I specifically looked for a commission-based position. I KNOW what working by the hour is like, and I value my time much more heavily than my previous employers did.

 

[History Learner]

And that sums up why we've had the same 40-hour work week for almost a century; because our wages are tied to those hours, so less hours worked means less money in your pocket on payday. If we could somehow switch over to paying people based on the value of the work done, rather than the time spent doing it, we'd probably all end up wasting a lot less time and effort.

Or just increase wages to reflect the shorter work week.

 

[Free-Stater 101]

Or just increase wages to reflect the shorter work week.

So mandated hours and wages? Sounds like nanny state philosophy and tyrannical levels of power given to the government to me.

 

[History Learner]

So mandated hours and wages? Sounds like nanny state philosophy and tyrannical levels of power given to the government to me.

We’ve had all of that since the 1930s, hell the whole reason the 40 hour week model exists currently is because it was mandated. If it’s “tyranny” to have the government make sure business cannot screw over its workers, then we need some more tyranny.

 

[Free-Stater 101]

We’ve had all of that since the 1930s, hell the whole reason the 40 hour week model exists currently is because it was mandated. If it’s “tyranny” to have the government make sure business cannot screw over its workers, then we need some more tyranny.

Correction, we have had minimum wage since the 30's to ensure a price floor for workers wages and that isn't what your proposing or advocating for.

Your demanding the work week be separated into four days adding up to thirty six hours and when we pointed out a lot of people would be losing hourage due to that you upped the ante and implied you think it could be fixed by mandating all employers across the board raise wages (which isnt a price floor) in effect giving the government more regulation powers to fix the problems with the previous regulation that you are advocating for.

Why not just have employs be mandated four ten hour days and call it a day rather than that paradox?