The five-day workweek is dead- The calls for something better are getting louder.
今日は"週 5 日勤務の時代は終わった"と言う記事を見ていきましょう。あなたは貴方の働き方に満足していますか？-- 週 5 日勤務は、アメリカの生活に根付いており、他のすべてに優先して適用されます。このスケジュールがアメリカの労働法の一部となったのは、1930年代になってからです。19世紀には、多くの工場労働者やその他の低賃金労働者が、ほとんどずっと職場にいました。そして、1日8時間労働、週5日労働が法律として定着したのです。しかし、1970年代に失業率が上昇したため、組合の指導者たちは雇用を守ることに全神経を集中させ、それ以来、多くのアメリカ人の労働時間は悪化する一方です。60社以上の英国企業が週4日勤務を半年間試した結果、アイスランドは大きな成功を収め、労働者の幸福度と生産性を向上させました。米国の労働者はまだ他の国のような交渉力を持っていないが、彼らの声は大きくなり、不満は日に日に伝わってきます。(English) Today we will look at an article that says, "The days of the 5-day work week are over." Are you satisfied with your way of working? -- The five-day workweek is so ingrained in American life that it overrides everything else. It was not until the 1930s that this schedule became part of American labour law. In the nineteenth century, many factory workers and other low-wage workers were at work almost all the time. And the eight-hour day and five-day week became the law of the land. But rising unemployment in the 1970s led union leaders to focus all their attention on saving jobs, and since then, many Americans' working hours have only gotten worse. After more than 60 British companies tested a four-day workweek for six months, Iceland was a big success, boosting workers' well-being and productivity. Although workers in the United States don't yet have the bargaining power they have in other countries, their voices are growing louder, and their discontent is more palpable by the day.
The five-day workweek is dead - The calls for something better are getting louder.
//Summary - Level-B2//
The traditional five-day workweek, established in the 1930s due to labour activism, is being reconsidered due to rising stress and overwork. While some Americans work more than 60 hours per week, others work part-time and have unpredictable schedules. During the pandemic, it became clear that work dominates many people's lives, and some people called for change. Other countries, such as Iceland, have tried shorter workweeks and have seen improved productivity and worker well-being. However, implementing a shorter workweek in the United States would require significant changes to the current system.
//Summary - Level-C1//
The traditional five-day workweek, a part of American labour law since the 1930s, is under scrutiny, and calls for a better alternative are getting louder. Many Americans' work schedules have only gotten worse in recent years, with the average salaried worker working 49 hours per week as of 2014 and many working more than 60 hours. In addition, technology, such as smartphones and laptops, has blurred the lines between work and home, and just-in-time scheduling makes life difficult for hourly workers, especially those in low-wage service jobs. However, some employers are experimenting with shorter workweeks, and a study of a four-day workweek in Iceland was successful in boosting worker well-being and productivity. Although making such changes in the United States would require significant changes, there has been a growing push for workers' rights and more livable schedules, which may lead to a new workweek revolution.
1)
The five-day workweek is so entrenched in American life that everything, from vacation packages to wedding prices to novelty signs, is built around it.
2)
But there's nothing inevitable about working eight hours a day, five days a week. This schedule only became a part of American labour law in the 1930s, after decades of striking by labour activists tired of working the 14-hour days demanded by some employers.
3)
After more than 60 British companies tested a four-day workweek for six months and 90 per cent of the companies decided to continue the experiment, even US policymakers are calling for a change in American work culture.
4)
Over the past few decades, work for many salaried employees has ballooned far beyond 40 hours a week, thanks to weakened labour laws and technology that allows bosses to reach workers at any time of the day or night.
5)
Some employers are testing out four-day workweeks. For example, a recent study of shorter workweeks in Iceland was a big success, boosting worker well-being and productivity.
During the pandemic, there was a growing feeling that "we have one life - and are we working to live, or are we living to work?"
7)
The 40-hour workweek was a hard-won victory for labour activists
In the 19th century, many factories and other low-wage workers were at work nearly all the time. By the 1880s slogan, "eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will."
8)
It wasn't until the 1930s that the Great Depression and more mass strikes convinced President Franklin Roosevelt that something had to change.
9)
The result was the Fair Labor Standards Act, passed in 1938, which - among other reforms - required overtime pay for many employees if they worked more than 40 hours a week. For millions of workers, the eight-hour day and five-day week became the law of the land.
10)
There were battles in the '40s, '50s and '60s over whether or not the eight-hour day was sufficient.
But rising unemployment in the 1970s had labour leaders focusing all their attention on saving jobs. As a result, the idea of a shorter workweek fell by the wayside.
11)
But since then, many Americans' work schedules have only gotten worse.
As a result, as of 2014, the average salaried worker worked 49 hours per week, with 25 per cent working more than 60 hours - and working hours for many have gone up, not down, during the pandemic.
12)
Meanwhile, the rise of smartphones and laptops has broken down the barriers between work and home, allowing bosses to contact employees at any time of the day or night.
13)
Hourly workers, especially in low-wage service jobs, have faced a different problem: the rise of just-in-time scheduling. Employers decide on worker schedules just days in advance, depending on factors like how busy a particular store is.
14)
One-third of retail and food-service workers in one 2019 survey said they were involuntarily working part-time, wanting more hours than their employer would give them.
That can make it difficult or impossible for people to pay their bills, necessitating a second job - except that unpredictable schedules make juggling two or more jobs complex.
15)
A constantly changing schedule meant that Madison Nardy, a former beauty consultant at a Philadelphia-area Target, never knew how much money she'd be taking home each week as she struggled to balance work with attending community college and caring for her mom, who has a disability.
16)
Sometimes she was scheduled to close the store at 1 am and return the following day at 7 or 8. Her constantly fluctuating schedule left her so exhausted and stressed.
17)
The pandemic may have paved the way for a new workweek revolution
Nothing in the Fair Labor Standards Act prohibits the practices Nardy said she experienced - employers switching up workers' schedules with little notice or giving each employee too little work to live on.
18)
Recently, however, there's been a growing push for workers' rights in general, not just around scheduling.
For example, the Fight for $15 has won minimum-wage increases in many states, drawing policymakers' attention to issues facing hourly workers.
19)
Record numbers of Americans across economic sectors quit their jobs in what was eventually dubbed the Great Resignation.
"Our whole life should not be at the mercy of a job that does not allow us to thrive."
20)
More livable schedules have had success elsewhere in the world.
One of the largest and most high-profile recent experiments occurred in Iceland, where local and federal authorities working with trade unions launched two trials of a shortened workweek, one in 2015 and one in 2017.
21)
Workers reported better work-life balance, lower stress, and greater well-being.
22)
And perhaps surprisingly, worker productivity generally stayed the same or increased during the trials.
Having more rest may have helped people be more productive - overwork can lead to fatigue, which lowers productivity.
23)
Encouraged by the trial results, many Icelandic workplaces have embraced shorter hours, with 86 per cent of the working population working shorter hours or on contracts that will phase the reduction in the coming years.
24)
But making something like the Icelandic trials work in the United States would require significant changes.
For one thing, unions in Iceland, which represent 90 per cent of workers, played an essential role in negotiating both the trials and the long-term adoption of shorter hours that resulted.
But union density is much lower in the United States, with just 10.8 per cent of workers represented.
27)
Such nationwide changes can seem far-off, and in a country as work-focused as the United States, it can be hard to imagine reforms that would help people work less.
But some say the pandemic and growing worker activism in recent years have created conditions similar to the 1930s, where significant changes finally seem possible.
28)
Nardy is one of the workers agitating for change. She was part of a coalition that helped push Philadelphia to pass a fair workweek law in 2018. Now she's studying political science at Temple University to run for city council.
29)
But one day, that person might be her. And although workers in the United States don't yet have the kind of bargaining power they wield in other countries, their voices are growing louder, and their discontent more palpable by the day.
It's a "spontaneous realization by millions of people that they could do better."
The five-day workweek is dead
https://www.vox.com/22568452/work-workweek-five-day-four-jobs-pandemic
Will the "three-day weekend" catch on in Japan?
https://www.bizreach.jp/column/career-news-05/
In addition, 60.1% of the respondents answered that having a three-day workweek at their current workplace is impossible. Specifically, the reasons were "too much work" and "lack of manpower". Labour practices differ from industry to industry. In Japanese companies, long working hours, such as wages, have become the basis of treatment. Therefore, many people continue to work in a way conscious of operating hours. For the three-day workweek to lead to improved productivity, it is essential to foster the awareness that employees can earn higher rewards than before if they demonstrate high performance and workability even with short working hours. To that end, in addition to reforming personnel and compensation systems that place too much emphasis on working hours on the company side, it seems essential to improve the mindset of individuals.
4-Day Workweek Trial: Shorter Hours, Happier Employees
Add info)
Level-B2 Word List and Meaning:
entrenched: firmly established and difficult or unlikely to change
Example: The five-day workweek is so entrenched in American life that everything, from vacation packages to wedding prices to novelty signs, is built around it.
inevitable: sure to happen; unavoidable
Example: But there's nothing inevitable about working eight hours a day, five days a week.
Depression: a prolonged and severe recession in an economy or market
Example: It wasn't until the 1930s that the Great Depression and more mass strikes convinced President Franklin Roosevelt that something had to change.
involuntarily: without the person's intention or choice
Example: One-third of retail and food-service workers in one 2019 survey said they were involuntarily working part-time, wanting more hours than their employer would give them.
fluctuating: rising and falling irregularly in number or amount
Example: Sometimes, she was scheduled to close the store at 1 am and return the following day at 7 or 8. Her constantly fluctuating schedule left her so exhausted and stressed.
Add info- No2)
Discussion
1) What are your thoughts on the findings of the UK four-day workweek trial?
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I think the following results are surprising.
We needed to think more flexibly about how we work.
Not surprisingly, employees reported benefits, with 71% feeling less burned out, 39% less stressed and 48% more satisfied with their job than before the trial.
2) Do you find it surprising that a four-day workweek has many benefits?
->
Yes, I was shocked.
Because, at first glance, it seems very unlikely.
However, as we sometimes have weekdays off, going to the bank or hanging out in an empty cafe is very beneficial and refreshing.
3) How do you imagine you'd benefit from switching to a four-day workweek?
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I believe that we can have a healthy body and mind.
Because I can do what I couldn't do if it were only two days on the weekend.
And short trips might be easy.
4) Do you expect many companies in your country to switch to a four-day workweek shortly?
->
No, I don't think so.
Because we can't easily change the habit of spending a lot of time in the office.
However, the younger generation is different.
They take work-life balance very seriously.
The next generation can bring significant changes.
5) How common would you say stress, fatigue, and burnout are at your workplace?
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At my company, we rarely have such problems.
Because you can work from home and flextime is introduced.
We have a very flexible working style for young mothers.
Further Discussion
6) Would your current job offer an excellent work-life balance?
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Yes, I think so.
I can work from home anytime.
And we always encourage you to take paid vacation.
Every month we receive data comparing how many days off we take in different departments.
In other words, it presents which departments can take a lot of time off and encourages us to take time off.
7) What are the most satisfying parts of your job?
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You can work from home anytime.
And since my customers and colleagues are Japanese, I have a standard way of thinking, so it's not difficult to negotiate and solve problems.
8) What aspects of your job tend to be stressful?
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However, I am sometimes annoyed by the Japanese culture of "hesitate".
It's a great culture of caring for each other.
However, not communicating things clearly can cause more problems later on.
9) When was the last time someone quit at your workplace?
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If the person is a temporary employee, it will be time to quit in three years.
I remember a few people quitting last year.
10) Would you be happier if you didn't have to work at all?
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No, I don't think so.
We can earn income by working and gaining confidence and freedom.
It is something that you can contribute to society, and you can recognize that you are a helpful person.