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Are you in favour of a 4 day week to beat the recession?

2

Comments

  • #32
    shamblertine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 888 ✭✭✭shamblertine


    Ass Face wrote: »
    I'm wowing at how dumb and naive your post was.

    Please educate me as to why it is dumb and naive. It worked in the last recession, it'll work this time too.


  • #33
    mikemac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,967 ✭✭✭✭mikemac


    shamblertine wrote: »
    People do the same amount of work, instead of doing their tasks in 5 days they work a bit harder and do it in 4. The company saves 20% in wage costs with a lesser fraction lost in productivity. Simple really.

    You're asking people to cram 5 days work into 4?
    What if it's not possible, do they still until 8pm or 9pm on Thursday evening without pay?

    I can see what you're getting at but no employee would ever sign up to such a scheme and they'd be a fool to do it

    Their workload hasn't decreased. They do the same work every week and get 20% less for doing it.
    I clock up a lot of late nights in my job but it's paid overtime. And to hell am I'm working 60 weeks without the overtime, I'd leave at 5:30 as in my contract instead
    And we had this debate in work forum last week. Some people are suckers and some of us aren't


  • #34
    thebman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,001 ✭✭✭✭thebman


    It would work for some departments in some companies. Sales have to be there or else no sales one day a week.

    Our IT department on the other hand, 4 day week and just the admins on call to come in if something goes wrong as one lives right around the corner from the office.

    It would work where I work for my department I think. I don't think they'd do it as it might increase morale though. Oh but I wouldn't work overtime to do the same work and get paid less. That would just be stupid. I don't work for free, I'm not a slave :cool:

    I do like my job but I expect to be paid for the work that I do. The odd bit of overtime is fine but every day is a bit crazy.


  • #35
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    Elimination of Monday as a day of work. :)


  • #36
    shamblertine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 888 ✭✭✭shamblertine


    mikemac wrote: »
    You're asking people to cram 5 days work into 4?
    What if it's not possible, do they still until 8pm or 9pm on Thursday evening without pay?

    I can see what you're getting at but no employee would ever sign up to such a scheme and they'd be a fool to do it

    Their workload hasn't decreased. They do the same work every week and get 20% less for doing it.
    I clock up a lot of late nights in my job but it's paid overtime. And we had this debate in work forum last week. Some people are suckers and some of us aren't

    yeah and those people who aren't suckers end up out of work, wish I was one of them


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  • #37
    stovelid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,252 ✭✭✭✭stovelid


    I'm more in favour of a four-week beating for anybody who mentions the recession again.


  • #38
    thetyreman
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 451 ✭✭thetyreman


    shamblertine wrote: »
    OBVIOUSLY IT DOESN'T APPLY TO EMMERGENCY SERVICES AND THE LIKE!!! Jesus, I can't believe I had to spell that out. :mad::mad::mad:


    OH RIGHT,,i do beg your pardon,i should have known,simple really...


  • #39
    shamblertine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 888 ✭✭✭shamblertine


    ScumLord wrote: »



    I'm all for it, tell the government to go ahead with it.


    Ok so, whats bertie aherns email address? I'll tell him we all agree with the idea and to go ahead and make the announcement.


  • #40
    shamblertine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 888 ✭✭✭shamblertine


    stovelid wrote: »
    I'm more in favour of a four-week beating for anybody who mentions the recession again.

    recession? what recession! ........oh yeah the one that cost me my jab


  • #41
    thetyreman
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 451 ✭✭thetyreman


    shamblertine wrote: »
    Ok so, whats bertie aherns email address? I'll tell him we all agree with the idea and to go ahead and make the announcement.


    Yea and Bertie can email Brian Cowen,the taoiseach:):)


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  • #42
    Susannahmia
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,229 ✭✭✭Susannahmia


    Everyone else seems to be assuming that the business would have to be open for less hours. I don't think so.

    I'm not sure if I'd agree to it but for discussions sake the only really feasible way I could see it working and being of any benefit to the economy would be that it could increase the availability of job openings.

    I.e. People would work less hours but businesses could open for the same hours as before, they would just have to employ more people to compensate.


  • #43
    mikemac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,967 ✭✭✭✭mikemac


    shamblertine wrote: »
    yeah and those people who aren't suckers end up out of work, wish I was one of them

    If you don't have a job, maybe stroll into your next employer and tell you are willing to work harder and for 20% less then everyone else.
    See how far that gets you as that's what you have proposed, good luck!

    Did someone say
    scab?


  • #44
    shamblertine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 888 ✭✭✭shamblertine


    thetyreman wrote: »
    Yea and Bertie can email Brian Cowen,the taoiseach:):)

    berties not the taioseach any more? damn, I've been away for a while


  • #45
    tony1kenobi
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,755 ✭✭✭tony1kenobi


    shamblertine wrote: »
    Are you in favour of a 4 day week?Its one of the strategies being considered to counteract the recession and make Ireland more competitive, so would you be in favour of it? I would, think it would be fantastic.


    That would be fantastic alright. Which 3 days will we get rid of? Or are we just going to make up new names for the four days?

    Will we still even call them days,weeks and so on?

    I don't see how it will affect a recession, smashing idea though.


  • #46
    shamblertine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 888 ✭✭✭shamblertine


    mikemac wrote: »
    If you don't have a job, maybe stroll into your next employer and tell you are willing to work harder and for 20% less then everyone else.
    See how far that gets you as that's what you have proposed, good luck!

    Did someone say scab?

    Thats pretty much how I got my first job after university. There was so much competition that I decided to undercut the market, and it got me the job.


  • #47
    Sam Vimes
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    here's an idea: one guy was worried that if he had a four day week he'd have more time to spend less money. And the idea of this is to save businesses money. So why don't we all work the same hours for 20% less money!? Or maybe even work saturdays too! That'll drag us right out of this recession and we won't have to worry about all this spare time where we waste our money


  • #48
    Sanjuro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,241 ✭✭✭Sanjuro


    Here's a crazy idea... I know it's a bit out there, but bear with me. This unusual concept is called... DISCIPLINE. Nobody's putting a gun to your head and declaring, "SPEND, DAMN YOU!" You don't want to spend money in your spare time? Then don't. It's a novel concept, but one that might just work.


  • #49
    Húrin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,045 ✭✭✭Húrin


    I favour it, but who is considering it other than us?


  • #50
    gurramok
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,992 ✭✭✭✭gurramok


    A public sector union proposed it to save 'costs' for the public finances, not the private sector!


  • #51
    egan007
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,934 ✭✭✭egan007


    Lazy B*as*rds cause recessions not fix them.


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  • #52
    Whispered
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,772 ✭✭✭✭Whispered


    I already do a 4 day week. I love it, my money dropped slightly when I moved to 4 days but you get so much more done with the extra day, like a full day on boards instead of just a few mins here & there. :)


  • #53
    Morrisseeee
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,152 ✭✭✭Morrisseeee


    Yep, I'm in favour, as I only work a 3 day week at the mo !!!!!!:eek::p


  • #54
    Quazzie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 30,777 ✭✭✭✭Quazzie


    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    Elimination of Monday as a day of work. :)
    I'd rather have Friday off. Which means if my business trades with yours on a large scale basis then we only have three trading days where we can contact each other. Can anybody see where I'm going with this?


  • #55
    iPlop
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,822 ✭✭✭iPlop


    shamblertine wrote: »
    Its one of the strategies being considered to counteract the recession and make Ireland more competitive, so would you be in favour of it? I would, think it would be fantastic.

    How in the name of god would they do this? I mean sat & sun used to be the traditional days off but everywhere is open and some are gettin' paid double time for sunday.And as for the private sector an empty factory ,office etc all goes down in overheads usually a set payment for site services weather people are there or not ,I can't see it working.


  • #56
    S.I.R
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,836 ✭✭✭S.I.R


    i enjoy working quite alot, when im not working, im not happy.


    i think a few good days work a week is good for you, mentally and physically, so lessening it isnt good for you :(


  • #57
    oeb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,793 ✭✭✭oeb


    Firstly, it would not make Ireland more compeditive. A ~20% pay cut across the board would simply put people into serious debt. The huge loss to average earnings would cause the housing market to devalue even further, and result in more negitive equity for many many people.

    If your industry is slowing and they drop hours, it's not usually to become more compeditive, it's just to lower expenses, and typicially leads to closure.

    Some of us are busy enough that it's simply not possible to fit 5 days work into 4 days. If they want to pay people 20% less for 20% less time, you can be sure as anything that it will result in 20% less work. This will of course lead to 20% less profits, and the client will be able to reach you 20% less of the time.

    I do 40-50 hours in a typicial week, and as a result, I can bill out 40-50 hours to clients. If I do a 32 hour week, I can bill out for 32 hours worth of work. That certainly sounds like a wonderful business idea!


  • #58
    Dragan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,497 ✭✭✭✭Dragan


    shamblertine wrote: »
    Its one of the strategies being considered to counteract the recession and make Ireland more competitive, so would you be in favour of it? I would, think it would be fantastic.

    Do you have anykind of proof what so ever, that this seeminly insane strategy is being considered, or is this something you heard down the pub?


  • #59
    Savman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,323 ✭✭✭Savman


    :eek: @ 4 day week.
    2 ftw, unless you're in the joy/Cloverhill.


  • #60
    Stephen
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,484 ✭✭✭✭Stephen


    Didn't they try this in the UK during the 1970s fuel crisis?


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  • #61
    kelle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,243 ✭✭✭kelle


    Wouldn't be possible in my case as I work in a hospital and people don't stop getting sick or injured just because it's a certain day of the week. I'd certainly take a pay cut though if i knew it would help.


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