[dmtu]

That's not necessarily true, I work four twelve hour shifts but still have to manage my money. Since I have a 50 minute commute I definitely save on fuel with this arrangement but I hate the eight day week, never know if I'm coming or going.

[JohnDenver]

The Phillipines is experimenting with a four day work week to conserve fuel: link
What are your views on the pluses and minuses of a four day work week?

[nocar]

If you have children returning home from school or daycare in the mid-afternood it becomes impossible to work four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days. If it is four 8-hour days, no problem (-except reduced salary?)

Otherwise, lots of people would like it.

[Sys1]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')therwise, lots of people would like it.

[Kingcoal]

Personally, I'd rather work 13.3 hours for three days. Commuting is a huge area of fuel consumption. Imagine the entire USA going to a three-day week. The days could be staggered among companies and departments and employees. You'd get a 1/3 reduction in rush hour traffic and a huge reduction in fuel consumption. In fact the reduction in consumption might be so large that the price of crude might go down.

Add to the above the quality of life improvements because you'd have the time you would have spent commuting back and a four day weekend.

I think that this happening is very likely in America. Why? Because businesses would seize upon this as a way to make people work 60 hours a week instead of 40. Professional employees would naturally be required to take their notebook computer home and their company would gladly pay for an extra phone line and high speed internet access at home! Before you know it, the two extra days home would be known as work from home days! Of course none of this would be official, but would be done the way it's done now: "the guy in the next cube is working this weekend, why aren't you?" "If we loose this contract, there might be layoffs!"

[Sys1]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '1')3.3 hours for three days

[Grimnir]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sys1', 'b')y working 10 hours a day, they'll become really exhausted thursday evening

[Yavicleus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sys1', '"')13.3 hours for three days" Are you insane? Can you imagine a surgeon, a policeman, a teacher, a driver, or worker in a factory working so much in a day? How many deads? Sure it's not difficult for a webmaster or someone in a library, but not everyone has the chance to do such restful jobs

[Sys1]

Grimnir : how much time left to get informed, to vote, to participate in the life society, to stay with wife, childrens, friends, to go on hollydays, cinema, theatre ?
It's nonsense.

[DriveElectric]

Expanded tele-commute policies and car-pooling could achieve more fuel savings.

[Bubbling_Crude]

Most high tech manufacturing plants operate on three 12-hour shifts one week + four-12's the following week.

[frankthetank]

Police officers? Maybe if they get a call towards the end of their shift. Heck most cops i know hardly work! (comp time is very popular). Around here cops work under 8hrs per shift. You have a few guys who take all the overtime they can, because of greed(need?).

The local hospital offers a shift thats 12hrs. Its popular because you get paid overtime after 8, so your work week is really only 36hrs (unless you work extra).

[Grimnir]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sys1', 'G')rimnir: how much time left to get informed, to vote, to participate in the life society, to stay with wife, childrens, friends, to go on hollydays, cinema, theatre? It's nonsense.

[pip]

I've seen construction schedules that were 4-10's, 5-10's and even 6-10's. Pay the overtime to get it done.

[aflurry]

what about just four regular old 8 hour days? part of the point of reducing to a four day workweek is to cut down on working activity, not just commuting.

we produce too much. too much crap nobody needs. many of us work feverishly all week trying to convince others of us that we need the things that another groups of us break our backs to produce. we need to relax. i know i could be flooded with counterexamples of necessary products and occupations, but a huge excess of work only produces waste.

of course, this won't happen, at least not in the US, because anyone who slacks will be replaced by some greedy soulless zombie willing to work 6 12-hour days a week because they wouldn't know what to do with a little free time if they ever allowed themselves to take it. universal health coverage would help mitigate this situation because it would allow businesses to hire a greater number of people who each work shorter hours without having to offer full benefits for all of them.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('aflurry', 'w')e produce too much. too much crap nobody needs. many of us work feverishly all week trying to convince others of us that we need the things that another groups of us break our backs to produce. we need to relax.

[MarkR]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '"')13.3 hours for three days"

Are you insane? Can you imagine a surgeon, a policeman, a teacher, a driver, or worker in a factory working so much in a day?

[airstrip1]

It is a common response to an energy crisis. During two coal miners strike in the UK in the period 1972-74 the British government was forced to introduce a three day working week in an attempt to curb electricity usage. Those of us who remember those days will recall that the power was off for up to 6-9 hours at a time. It gives just an inkling of what life after an energy crash could be like.
BBC

[formandfile]

Less hours worked per day and hire more employees. Or any such scheme that requires the hiring of more workers...i think France and Germany have done this for the longest time (to cut down on unemployement figures) but im not sure to what degree of sucess or whether the work patterns of other nations have forced them away from that...

[aflurry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') agree. But who is going to advocate the collapse of the US economy, which is based upon waste and excess?