Globe
The 3½ Day Work Week
This idea would involve a radical change in our working world.
All business operations would be open every day of the week, not just essential services such as Fire, Police, Hospitals, etc. Saturdays and Sundays are not paid at a higher rate. Indeed, the "Weekend" as we know it, would cease to exist. There is no paid overtime. As far as possible every job has two people sharing one position. This is why it is a 3½ day work week. For example, Employee A works from Sunday p.m. to Wednesday. Employee B does the same job from Thursday to Sunday a.m. Sunday is chosen as the slit day to recognize the traditional "Day of Rest". There is no reason, however, not to have a mutual arrangement between the paired employees to split the week differently. In some cases there may be only one position possible, for example, the CEO of a Company. To accommodate this in the system, there could be two "Executive Days", say Tuesday and Wednesday, where every chief decision maker is at work. Vice Executives would all be at work on Thursday and Friday.
Advantages of the 3 1/2 Day Work Week
With full employment the great wastage of manpower would end, and the burden on the State of paying out unemployment benefits would be lifted.
The need for Employment Insurance payments would disappear. The money saved by the employee could be transferred to a National Medical Plan, since illness would be the only reason for a person not being able to work.
Stress caused by overwork would be reduced or eliminated by the long break.
Services, including Mail Delivery, would be available every day. Machinery and plants would not have weekly shut down periods, allowing more efficient use of equipment.
Half the working population would always be free to go to stores and offices, and to use recreation facilities.
Pressure would be lifted from public facilities that are presently heavily used at weekends.
People would have more time to enjoy the material goods they have worked for, and to enjoy recreational activities.
Time spent together in the family would increase. Parents could arrange to be off work on different days to look after children. The effect of this arrangement would have a good effect on family life and the life of the community.
There is free time available for re-training or up-grading skills. An employee could give up two days of free time to go to school or do apprenticeships.
Real equal opportunity for the sexes would be possible where the same job could be shared by a man and a woman.
Minorities would be assisted by regulations requiring firms to show that they were using a fair proportion of such workers.
Pay equity between the sexes would become normal in all occupations.
