A California lawmaker just proposed a four-day workweek (wage, to live in)

[Dub D]

I know several people who work 9 hour days and get every other Friday off in return. Now is a good time to change the standard 8 hour x 5 days a week model. However, I'm completely against a bill for it. It should be a company not political decision.

No idea why everyone is bringing up minimum wage in this discussion. Most minimum wage jobs don't work standard "business hours". And most don't even work 40 hours anymore. Many companies cap those workers at 31.5 hours so they don't have to provide them full-time employee benefits.

[JGC97]

I agree. I see no need for it to be a Bill. Just more government control in our lives. It should definitely be up to the employer how they want to make it work in their business.

[mysticaltyger]

One more thing on top of all the other nonsense. Glad I'm leaving.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by HereOnMars

In some cases, yes. It's true. In our department, we had the option of working either a 4-day week (4 10's) or another way, what they referred to as a 9-9-8 with one day off every other week. In the event there was a holiday during that two-week pay period, everyone worked a regular 40-hr week.

The ONE thing the department stressed was that there was enough staff to handle the work. Making sure that area was covered, it worked out pretty well and no one felt the pinch of an absent co-worker. Maybe we were just over staffed instead of under staffed from the start.

Where I work the least seniority worker has been there almost 20 years and we all have like 7 weeks vacation PLUS sick leave. It's hard enough to obtain coverage when one person is on vaca, two? Then it's chaos. Add in a sick day and the OT really starts to rack up.

They'd have to hire at least two more headcount to cover 4 10s. Honestly, we could cover it if they would just change some people's shifts but they would never go for that. It's about as close to a union model as you can get without being union and they won't make people work a weekend day. So our customers get to use their PTO at our convenience. Not a real solid model if you ask me.

[joosoon]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

One more thing on top of all the other nonsense. Glad I'm leaving.

This isn't a California bill, it's one being introduced in Congress.

[joosoon]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Where I work the least seniority worker has been there almost 20 years and we all have like 7 weeks vacation PLUS sick leave. It's hard enough to obtain coverage when one person is on vaca, two? Then it's chaos. Add in a sick day and the OT really starts to rack up.

In my former life, I worked in a shop like that. Time off was a luxury which nobody could ever actually take since it would leave the place shorthanded. Sick time was the same thing. You just worked if you were sick. Saying it's chaos doesn't do justice to that type of environment. It sucks. Period.


These days though, work isn't valued nearly as much and people don't value working either. The pandemic has really shifted that phenomenon into high gear.

[JGC97]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Where I work the least seniority worker has been there almost 20 years and we all have like 7 weeks vacation PLUS sick leave. It's hard enough to obtain coverage when one person is on vaca, two? Then it's chaos. Add in a sick day and the OT really starts to rack up.

They'd have to hire at least two more headcount to cover 4 10s. Honestly, we could cover it if they would just change some people's shifts but they would never go for that. It's about as close to a union model as you can get without being union and they won't make people work a weekend day. So our customers get to use their PTO at our convenience. Not a real solid model if you ask me.

I concur with everything you wrote. This is why I don't think the government needs to be butting their nose into private businesses.

In my case, it worked because I worked for county government; in a department that could and would allow it. When I transferred to the courts, we couldn't work that schedule. So I understand your position on why it wouldn't work for some places.

Bottom line is, government should mind their own business when it comes to work schedules and let those in the trenches make their own rules. Washington DC is so out of touch with real life.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by joosoon

In my former life, I worked in a shop like that. Time off was a luxury which nobody could ever actually take since it would leave the place shorthanded. Sick time was the same thing. You just worked if you were sick. Saying it's chaos doesn't do justice to that type of environment. It sucks. Period.


These days though, work isn't valued nearly as much and people don't value working either. The pandemic has really shifted that phenomenon into high gear.

My old job was like that when I was in IT. They wanted to tell YOU when you get vaca so it doesn't inconvenience the Company.

Originally Posted by HereOnMars

I concur with everything you wrote. This is why I don't think the government needs to be butting their nose into private businesses.

In my case, it worked because I worked for county government; in a department that could and would allow it. When I transferred to the courts, we couldn't work that schedule. So I understand your position on why it wouldn't work for some places.

Bottom line is, government should mind their own business when it comes to work schedules and let those in the trenches make their own rules. Washington DC is so out of touch with real life.

I get to work from home now so working on say, a holiday isn't so bad. Especially since it's triple time. But, I don't really need the money so I'd rather have the time off to do my thing. Those deers ain't gonna kill themselves doncha know.

[Dub D]

Originally Posted by HereOnMars

I concur with everything you wrote. This is why I don't think the government needs to be butting their nose into private businesses.

In my case, it worked because I worked for county government; in a department that could and would allow it. When I transferred to the courts, we couldn't work that schedule. So I understand your position on why it wouldn't work for some places.

Bottom line is, government should mind their own business when it comes to work schedules and let those in the trenches make their own rules. Washington DC is so out of touch with real life.

This country is WAY too work obsessed and I would welcome some type of federal mandated allowance for PTO. Countries with high qualities of life always have considerable time off. Half of Americans don't have passports resulting in a real bubble mindset. Hard to have a wordily view when you've never been anywhere.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by Dub D

This country is WAY too work obsessed and I would welcome some type of federal mandated allowance for PTO. Countries with high qualities of life always have considerable time off. Half of Americans don't have passports resulting in a real bubble mindset. Hard to have a wordily view when you've never been anywhere.

Well, I'd have to disagree. After having grown up in small town USA and moving to a big city there is apparently an invisible electric fence around everyone that keeps them from leaving. It's called fear. That's fine. Most people can't afford to travel and most people don't want to. I'd hardly look down on people that don't know about a culture around the other side of the planet if they will never leave their comfortable area to visit there. Most of the US is pretty much Siloed. I'm way ok with that. Some of the most wealthy people I know are Mid-Western farmers and ranchers and they will never leave their circle of about 100 miles.

Why do they need to know about Chinese culture if they will never visit. Or, will never be around someone from France. I get it.