Pipe Dream

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » January 28, 2003, 7:07 pm

No this isn't a thread about drugs.

This is a thread about having a 30 hour work week. I believe that many of this nation's woes could be solved if we had a 30 hour work week, anything over that is overtime. Some of the benefits as I see them.

More time to be with family. The more you are with your family the more you will be able to have first hand knowledge of what your children are up to. Your children will have more supervision and as a result possible the crime rate will drop some.

More time to spend. With more time on your hands you can do more shopping and more shopping means a better economy. *

More jobs. Companies will need more people to take care of business. This means a broader tax base, more spending, less people on the street doing crime.

Basicly it is more time to do anything you want but mostly enjoy life. I work a full week and I have almost an hour drive to and from work. I spend more time with my coworkers and my car than I do with my own family. There is something wrong with that.

* In order for this to work, companies across the board would have to increase pay to even out the loss of hours from 40 down to 30.

I can't figure out a way to actually make this idea work effectively because I don't have training in ecconmics. Like I said, it is a pipe dream I have. I am sure there are more pro's and con's than I can mention.

Dalmoth · Post by **Dalmoth** » January 28, 2003, 7:13 pm

50 weeks * 40 hours = 2000 hours a year, highest in the world, this is why our GDP is higher than everyone elses

50 weeks * 30 hours = 1500 hours a year, puts us behind most of the Industrialized Nations.

Pipe dreams yes, but a man has to dream. There has to be more to life than work.

Sirensa · Post by **Sirensa** » January 28, 2003, 7:14 pm

A pipe dream indeed, but I'd love a 30/hour work week =D

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » January 28, 2003, 7:17 pm

Dalmoth wrote:50 weeks * 40 hours = 2000 hours a year, highest in the world, this is why our GDP is higher than everyone elses

50 weeks * 30 hours = 1500 hours a year, puts us behind most of the Industrialized Nations.

Pipe dreams yes, but a man has to dream. There has to be more to life than work.

The companies would still go as they are now only they would hire more people to take on more shifts. At least that is how I would do it I guess.

How does GDP work? Gross Domestic Product?

Sirensa · Post by **Sirensa** » January 28, 2003, 7:41 pm

The problem being of course that a company is only willing to spend X amount of $$ on wages - and if you are paid the same to work 30 hours as you are to work 40 hours and 40 hours of work are required, then the company will have to spend more money to pay someone else to work the remaining 10 hours and increase the costs of their services/products.

Unless, of course, people were retrained to actually increase their productivity levels so that 40 hours of work could be accomplished in 30 - which we all know is very possible, considering how many of us troll boards from work, we know damn well we don't "work" 40 hours a week, we are merely required to "put in" 40 hours at work per week.

The problem of course is that businesses open from 9-5 just aren't acceptable to your average American. We want products and services available 24/7, which requires that "someone" be available to provide us with services well past the usual 8-5 workday. So unless the U.S. is willing to forgo some convenience in the pursuit of more genuine leisure time, the pipe dream just isn't feasible.

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » January 28, 2003, 7:44 pm

i'd rather work 40 hours a week than take a 25% pay cut.

Melrin_Specclaster · Post by **Melrin_Specclaster** » January 28, 2003, 7:50 pm

If you work at a big company, odds are you could do the same amount of work you do now, in 30 hours. Sit around drinking coffee less, shorter lunch, less ping pong out in the courtyard, less talking about football, etc.

kurzweil · Post by **kurzweil** » January 28, 2003, 8:13 pm

Meetings. Must cut down on meetings.

Especially those big "all hands" meetings that are just giant pep talks saying, "Our company is doing great, we have lots of good things that will be happening soon, and we're almost certainly guaranteed to win <insert big contract name here>."

Xzion · Post by **Xzion** » January 28, 2003, 10:52 pm

the US might have the higher GDP but the quality of life in europe, at least most of meditaranian europe and scandinavia is a shitload higher...people enjoy life in a more relaxed lifestyle, and thats all that matters.

Deward · Post by **Deward** » January 29, 2003, 11:35 am

I know I waste at least 2 hours a day. Going down to 6 hours a day would make me a lot more efficient and I would accomplish a lot more. I do most of my work before noon anyway and am completely drained by 2pm.

I guess it would depend on your job though. I do a lot of programming and that really grinds down on you after a while. I can't wait to finish up my Masters degree and get a cushy Professor job somewhere and work easy hours with big vacations. Oh those will be the days!

Deward

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » January 29, 2003, 11:38 am

cushy professor job?

hehe sure you can slack once you get tenure, but you'll be 44 by then, unless you are brilliant. and if you are brilliant you are wasting your life by slacking off