Think tank proposes 21 hour work week (ethic, Reagan, compare, percentage)

[Hoarfrost]

You have to work 40+ hours a week in America or you'd collapse under the strain of paying for basic social services which are provided cost free or heavily subsidized in every other developed nation.

[thriftylefty]

IMO as long as we keep thinking in terms of hours per week, I think we miss the big picture. This might be a stretch, but what if we were paid a salary and our jobs would be task oriented. I think the 40 hr week must have been based on the optimum number of daylight hours per week. The work place would be more competitive because each job would have different time standards. I prolly have a job I could do in 25-30 hours per week but I get paid for the 40.
I don’t think this would work in a job were anything has to be monitored.

[TXboomerang]

I think we should have a 0 hour work week and the mail man just brings us a check from the govt. They can wash our butt cracks and trim our toenails for us while they are at it.

Why should anyone have to do anything at all? Let government do it for us.

[HappyTexan]

No one is preventing those full time 40 hour per week workers from quitting to take a part time 20 hour per week job. They don't do it because they want/need the money.

Do some want a 40 hour per week pay check for 20 hours of work ?

[aveojohn]

Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal

Didn't work very well in France. Their economy suffered greatly.

The French are always looking for ways to get out of work.

[LauSpeaks]

I think this is a cause worth campaigning for. What does the rest of the EU say about this matter? I believe that 21hours could be the basic working week as opposed to the massive 40hours (or is that 38?). It is too much and cannot be sustained for a lifetime. People are not machines.

However, I think this really depends upon the sector. I agree that in manufacturing (blue collar jobs) 21 hours a week would not sustain the company or the worker. As it is, people all over the world in office (or white collar jobs) enjoy greater flexibility in work and the labour process - though some would say that office work brings its own sort of dissatisfaction.

In this case there has to be benefits (should such a decrease in the hours of a working week occur) for people in production.

[monkeywrenching]

21 hour work week or even a 30 hour work week. what else did you expect from europe?

I say keep a work week whatever a person is willing to work.

[doc1]

Originally Posted by RVA-Jsn20

Totally agree. We only live once so why spend your life making somebody else money?

That's only if you choose to work for someone else.

It's as simple as starting your own business and being generous with pay, benefits and shorter work hours for yourv employees. You can even choose to make less than your workers if it makes you feel good.

I'm more than satisfied with my 40 hour week and contributing to others also making money and don't want anyone to f' with it.

Even if they've decided it was for my own good.

[doc1]

Originally Posted by HappyTexan

.....Do some want a 40 hour per week pay check for 20 hours of work ?

Now we're talking! How about letting me decide if I want to work at all that week but with no cut out my cash and benefits, of course.

[doc1]

Seeing that I live in a very progressive state, I need my current level of income to pay the oppessive tax burdens (we're #1 in that dept) our progressive politicians have laid upon us.