Imagine one policy that is concerned with reducing unemployment and underemployment, addressing health conditions ranging from stress, high blood pressure, increasing productivity, preserving the environment and improving family life, and encouraging men to do more household chores and make people happier!
It may sound fanciful, but it is not impossible, and it can be achieved no matter how late, and this is what the idea of "working four days a week" means.
The liberation of workers from excessive labor was one of the leading demands of the labor movement. With the disappearance of the American national trade unions during the civil war, this led to the emergence of many national labor movements, including the Movement Eight Hours a Day, a movement aimed at shortening the eight- Rapidly spreading from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, from New England to California in 1890, hundreds of thousands gathered in Hyde Park in a historic protest of the same demand and demanding its urgent implementation.
Many Britons work frequently. Not only 37.5 hours a week as the average working hour total, but there are also additional unpaid working hours, according to TUC. The total unpaid working hours for workers in the UK was 2.1 billion, which resulted in £ 33.6 billion of overtime Paid yearly!
For example, 12.5 million work days were disabled last year due to psychological problems associated with stress, tension, anxiety and depression. Stress and stress increase the risk of health problems from high blood pressure to strokes. Long working hours lead to excessive alcohol consumption as well.
On the other hand, this is an economic cost of approximately £ 5 billion per year according to the Health and Safety Organization. So it is no wonder that public health expert John Ashton is among those who propose the idea of working for just four days a week so that there is an improvement in the health of the country!
The renewed call to activate "work only four days a week" was welcomed by the Institute of Autonomy,
"We want to change the perspective of workers to work better in less time," says Will Strong in The Chronicle. "The unhealthy distribution of labor hurts our society, while some do so, with serious consequences for their health and family lives , there are 3 million workers want more hours! Therefore, activating the idea of working four days a week will lead to the redistribution of these hours for the benefit of all.
It could also help the idea of working four days a week to address climate change. As the New Economy Foundation observed, countries with shorter working weeks have a smaller carbon footprint.
The Germans and the Dutch work less than we do, but their economies are stronger than our economies. This may be attributed to productivity. Evidence suggests that when you work fewer hours you are more productive and less stressful, meaning less time spent on sick leave. Six hours at a Swedish nursing home and yielded promising results, such as increased productivity and fewer sick days. If these productivity gains are transferred to staff, working for fewer hours does not necessarily involve a reduction in wages.
Certainly, the work can be a lot of activity for some and prefer it, but we will not disagree with the idea that we have to spend more time with our families, watch our children grow up, enjoy reading books or even relax. Our lives are full of pressures and responsibilities, We need to rest a bit in order to have a healthy and balanced life.
