Switching to a 4-day 9 hour work week could positively impact the economy in several ways:
Potentially Slows Wage-Price Spiral: By making work hours more efficient, a 4-day week could reduce the pressure to raise wages in response to high inflation, helping curb the wage-price spiral (where wage increases lead to higher prices and vice versa).
Better Work-Life Balance: Middle-class and salaried workers might experience less stress and better work-life balance, which could improve overall quality of life without needing higher salaries to compensate for high-stress, longer hours.
Reduced Childcare Costs: Families could save on childcare expenses if one day is added back to their time at home, reducing a significant cost for middle-class households and potentially lessening the demand for wage increases.
Increased Productivity Gains for the Middle Class: Shorter weeks have shown that employees often accomplish more in less time, which could justify pay increases or bonuses without increasing inflationary pressure, benefiting middle-class earnings without triggering large-scale inflation.
Less Commuting Expenses: With fewer days commuting, workers save on transportation costs (fuel, public transit, maintenance), which could free up more disposable income and reduce the need for immediate wage increases to keep up with inflation.
Promotes Spending in Other Sectors: A 4-day workweek could shift middle-class spending from essentials like fuel and food toward leisure and other sectors, helping balance inflation by spreading demand more evenly across the economy.
Boosts Job Satisfaction and Reduces Overwork:
Lower hour’s can attract and retain talent in competitive labor markets by offering a more appealing work-life balance. Also, it will increas per-hour productivity as employees are more focused and less prone to burnout. It could help alleviate the increasing rates of mental illness.
So why the 9-hour day. Does 4 more hours of labor matter? Why not 32-hour work week? Americans are the only slaves on the planet that feel compelled to work this much without being threatened. If we increase automation in many sectors, we can still meet productivity goals with less “human” labor and us “hue mans” can then perform the “imaginative creation” projects that Divine inspiration provides through relaxation and meditation. Connection to our Source. Make America Invent Again! Also, Imagination meditation should be considered as a mandatory class in every grade level in school. Teach our little Hue Mans how to create again.
I’m skeptical of this idea. Part of me likes it, and part of me doesn’t. I’m not too sold on it just yet despite thinking about it for months now. Perhaps the best solution would be to test it first.
At the same time I also think about other work related work-schedule methods. Such as these ideas perhaps worth considering:
1 The Bi and Tri Work Schedule - this is where you have shifts only on Tuesday and Thursdays, or Monday, Wensday, and Friday (much like classes on college campuses).
2 The Half Workday - The typical work day in traditional small towns where businesses stay open only in the morning or the afternoon.
3 Tokyo Random Hours work-life style - nothing ever closes as long as there is someone working the shifts. This includes employees choosing their hours. When nobody has hours assigned, the business is not open for those hours. This also means people can pull off crazy shifts and has to be responsible for opening and closing the store. A mandatory meeting can be called for scheduling during specific hours, the use of a scheduling app can coordinate work shifts, or a shift manager coordinates schedules and acts as the mediator when there needs to be more hours of business.
Part of me also likes the French or Italian model of having long breaks to enjoy the day.
I also like the idea for a hybrid system for businesses to choose how they want to operate, but for optimal business, the five hour day, or perhaps even the four hour day work week, could be the most practical idea.