END HOURS
WHY?
This page was built to start a movement. As the page name, slogan and stickers suggest, this is a call for an end to the 40 hour work week as we know it.
It has always seemed that, throughout all schooling and educational years, plus all professional and unprofessional working years, that we ‘work’* too much and ‘play’* too little in life. Our entire educational life is spent preparing ourselves for 50+ years of hard slog, 40 hours a week, week in week out. And we call that a life?
In this modern era, huge advancements in efficiency, effectivisation and productivity have not resulted in a reduction in working hours. How has there not been any correlation between these two measures for almost a century? The work week was steadily reducing all the way up until the 1940’s and then it stagnated. It is time to pick up where this left off, carry on the advancement into a more modern era, and allow all people to benefit from today's technological advancements.
WHAT INSTEAD?
Well, work is important. It is fulfilling at many levels and it is also important to our well being on many levels, but we spend too much time doing it. By the time you factor in a commute, a lunch break, clothing preparation (washing, ironing) and thinking energy/stress related to work, we are committing to more than 50-60 hours of ‘work related’ time per week. Instead of this unsustainable and unhealthy norm, the proposal is, using another slogan, that we, and all modern societies strive for ‘30 by 30’. That is, a 30 hour working week, as standard by law, by the year 2030. That is exactly 10 years away from the time this is written (January 2020) and it is entirely possible - as Bill Gates says: “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”
HOW TO
It is very rare for big social shifts to happen by a government signing in a new bill and making new laws. Such things must come from the people, the ground up, grass roots style. After all, a democracy, a country, a nation is its people. This means that to begin with, the drive and responsibility of the movement will be on the individual. We, as employees (and eventually employers - more on that later) will need to initiate conversations that work towards reduced working hours.
One approach to achieve this is to start the conversation with your manager or boss at the time of a performance review or salary review - this is a good time for negotiation. Often, some form of raise for good performance or extra responsibility, or compensation for inflation will be on the table. This is your chance to negotiate that extra remuneration in the form of time rather than money. Say you were to be offered a 5%
(or 10%!) raise, instead, you could suggest that you could work 5% less and maintain your current salary - making your working week 38 hours instead, or 36 hours instead if you negotiated on a 10% raise. Eventually, after a couple of years of this, you will be well on your way to the 30 by 30 goal. Sure, you may not have increased your salary, but you would have increased your quality of life by an immeasurable amount. For some, this may sound like a poor way of achieving a goal, and it may not be for everyone - because the financial burden is on the individual, but, it is certainly one solid approach. If your employer asks why you want to do this, you can mention this very movement and the fact that you would like to lead a healthier, more balanced life. It is important that they understand that you are still very much committed to your work and the company, and that you intend to continue working hard, just in a more efficient manner. If it is a good company with good leaders, this will be understood.
Obviously, an even better solution than the suggestion above, is to start negotiating for less working hours while still maintaining your salary and continue getting raises. Some very avant-garde employers will be willing to agree to this - because they will be aware of the scientifically proven benefits, but it may still be a tall ask for most. There may also be an option for some form of middle ground that you and your employer can come to a mutual agreement over.
For people struggling to make ends meet, these approaches may not be an option. In that case, the best way to contribute to the movement and help achieve the 30 by 30 goal is simply to spread the word. The movement needs exposure and awareness. The more people discuss the idea and normalise it, the likelier it will become a reality - for all, not just those that are willing and able to bear the initial burden.
Final remarks: people that are able to negotiate these ideas with their employers are privileged, yes, there is no denying this. But isn’t it then those whom have the ability to make change, are also those who bear the responsibility to make change? Those that can and do work towards this goal, will be lighting the path for the eventual wide spread shift to the 30 hour work week - for all trades and professions.
‘If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.’ Gail Sheehy
OTHER SIDE
This is all good and well for the employee, but what about the employer? There are several quality studies that indicate that a sub-40 working hour week is optimal from a productivity stand point. Not only do employees work more effectively over a shorter period of time, but they also have better moral and take less sick days. Reduced hours can also save companies money with reduced overheads. Just check out this study here from none other than Microsoft, and these statistics here showing that long working weeks do not equal higher productivity.
FURTHER
Something that needs to be addressed moving forward however is the stigma associated with working less. The idea that people working long hours are noble needs to end - why do we put long hours up on a pedestal? We need to flip that on its head. Don’t confuse good, efficient hard work with long hours, they are different things. People who work long hours may be doing so at the cost of their health. A decision to work fewer hours should be and will eventually be regarded as wise - after all, as humans, time is all we have got. These people have chosen to prioritise their health, family, friends and hobbies etc and it will be the respected thing to do. Another social stigma that needs addressing is that people who want to work less are lazy. This is simply not true. People that work less generally fill their extra spare time with productive activities - like spending it with friends and family (socialising), exercise, food preparation (creating the possibility of eating healthier) and personal interests/hobbies (creating). Which leads to a false idea, that work is somehow the only way to be ‘productive’. These aforementioned activities are richly productive to the individual, the family and the community - we seem only to class activities that generate income as productive, and that needs to change.
INCOME/CONSUMPTION
This movement has more than just benefits for the individual, it has huge benefits for the collective as well - and the environment. As we earn more money we tend to spend more - in other words, consume more. This is compounded by a busy work schedule and a busy life - we tend to purchase more unnecessary stuff and unhealthy food out of convenience. An antidote to this is to have more time to be able to live a more climate neutral, or even climate positive, healthy lifestyle. The extra time and awareness could be used on shopping and food preparation that produces less waste and less plastic, and on repairing things instead of throwing them out and buying new ones - which is incredibly wasteful and detrimental to the environment. We should also have a good hard look at our spending habits - if everyone worked towards a more minimalist life, we wouldn't need as much income, could therefore work and consume less and the planet would be much healthier for it. We could also use the extra time to exercise, or take more time to commute - either walking or biking, in turn reducing our carbon footprint while gaining health benefits in return - a healthier population results in a reduced burden on the healthcare system as well.
IN PRACTICE
The jury isn't out yet on whether the 30 hours should be five, 6 hour days, or four, 7.5 hour days. There have been studies to show the benefits of both. For example, people that work a four day week (having three day weekends) generally return to work on a Monday much more refreshed and rejuvenated. Whereas working six hours per day over five days may be more sustainable in the long run and potentially more productive from the employers perspective. The important thing is that we feel we have more time for the things that matter to us.
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***May 2020 Corona Virus update***
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It would be impossible to leave this webpage unchanged after this years ongoing history-altering pandemic. Everything has changed and attitudes towards work will (hopefully) not be the same again. It is interesting to see so many people being furloughed doing just fine with less money and relishing in the extra spare time it has allowed. Time will tell if this has instigated any realisations among these individuals regarding their work life balance and consumption behavior.
There are two very important terms related to this movement that have been lifted and discussed through Corona times; productivity and social contact. Most companies around the world have needed to enforce remote work (working from home) and never has there been such a drastic shift in viewpoint on this subject. All of a sudden, it is socially responsible to work from home and backwards thinking companies have been forced into making it possible - proving that it was possible all along. This brings us to the term productivity. Many in positions of power, both at a governmental and company level are infected with the idea that hours and physical presence are directly connected to productivity. It took this crisis to force this widespread test and to prove that completely wrong. In most cases productivity has not been affected at all - and in many cases, especially in the technology sectors, working remotely has proved to contribute to an increase in productivity - perhaps proving that the workplace can be a distracting, stressful and unproductive environment. This shift towards widespread working from home policies that would have taken 5-10 years to be normalised, has now taken place almost over night.
The second term; social contact, has more to do with human nature and mental health. Many people really do miss their workplace, most people miss their colleagues and nearly all people miss the social interaction they have at their workplace. It goes to show that work is very important from a social perspective and this should not be lost. Perhaps if a better balance between remote work and on-site work could be achieved in the future, employees and employers (companies, governments etc) would be in a much better position to be both adaptive and stable through testing times like these.
INSPIRATION
This movement is chiefly inspired by Rutger Bregman and his book ‘Utopia for Realists’. Rutger goes as far as proposing a 15 hour work week! Although this may be a good end goal for the year 2100, a more realistic goal, a 30 hour work week, set for 2030 feels like a very attainable start.
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*Work is considered as something we do in exchange for money, when we would rather be doing something else with our time. A very fulfilling job may not be considered ‘work’ by certain people, which is wonderful, and should not be taken for granted. But for the masses, this is not the case.
*Play is considered something we do in our spare time. Play can be creating/building things, fixing/repairing things, cooking and baking, gardening, socialising, entertaining etc. This is generally considered as ‘leisure’ in Rutgers book.
SCIENCE
The information on this page lays out an idea, a goal, and how to get there, but it is all anecdotal information and a lot of opinion. So here are some fantastic links to further reading that is based on facts, tests and science (and more opinions!). Watch this space - there will be more and more examples of reduced working hour experiments, tests, results and interesting articles in the coming years!
SUPPORT
BUY A STICKER KIT TO SUPPORT THE CAUSE AND SPREAD THE WORD!!!
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One sticker kit includes one of each sticker design (3 stickers) and global letter shipping is included. Money from sticker sales pays for the operation of this website and advertising for the movement.
