Worklife with Adam Grant The four-day work week: luxury or necessity?
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Nov 22, 2022 Ohood Al Roumi, UAE’s Minister of State for Government Development and the Future, shares her experience in implementing a shorter work week. Jonas Prising, CEO of ManpowerGroup, discusses flexible work strategies while Hilary Cottam highlights historical shifts in work time norms. Anne-Marie Slaughter emphasizes managing by tasks rather than hours. The conversation dives into the societal benefits of a four-day work week, the need for cultural shifts, and the potential for increased productivity and well-being in post-pandemic work environments.
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Time's Mutable Nature
- We think time is immutable, but the history of work shows it changes, from prayer to agrarian to industrial time.
- Now, we've internalized the clock, but even industrial time saw experiments like Kellogg's six-hour shifts.
Kellogg's Six-Hour Shift
- In the 1930s, Kellogg's experimented with six-hour shifts for the same pay as eight-hour shifts.
- Productivity increased, accidents decreased, and worker well-being improved markedly.
Beyond the Four-Day Week
- A four-day workweek is a good start but insufficient, as it doesn't fully address caregiving responsibilities.
- Rethinking the boundaries between work and care and the linear life model is necessary.