4 day week

[Fandangoes]

Apologies if someone has already started a thread about this, I did check but couldn't see one.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a good work / life balance but how on earth can SNP promise to introduce a 4 day working week for everyone, on the same pay and expect private businesses to accommodate that? Especially when so many businesses are fighting to survive coming out of this pandemic.

How is this supposed to work?

They can't promise it. For some businesses it just not work. Are they proposing compressed hours or everyone only works 80% of what they do now?

Have they published any details or is it just an idea that looks good at election time.

4 days, 32 hour week, same pay. Nicola has promised £10m to support the introduction. As usual, no actual details of how it will work just silly election promises to win votes!

They can't promise it. I seriously think they have a bunch of 12 year olds thinking up these policies.

How would that impact schools? Heads of department only in 4 days a week or are they proposing a 4 day week for pupils too?

4 day week for teachers too - & schools

As usual wee Nippy is talking pish to buy votes. Lots of things she wants to give away for free, no way of getting money to do that.

I doubt I will be able to avail of this, working at home for an English company on an English contract. Despite paying Scottish income tax. More SNP pie in the sky.

@ChangedName4TheSakeOfIt

As usual wee Nippy is talking pish to buy votes. Lots of things she wants to give away for free, no way of getting money to do that.

And people keep falling for it.

I've taken a pay cut for the last 15 years to work a 32 hour week, nowadays I do a 9 day fortnight. I'm I getting put onto full pay in that scenario? Means everyone doing 8 hour days so how is that going to work given that people will have childcare arrangements?

I appreciate that some folk already do a 8 hour day/40 hour week, but in offices 35 hours is pretty common and 37.5 is standard NHS I think.

She just opens her mouth and lets her belly rumble, surely people aren't stupid enough to lap that up.

@ChangedName4TheSakeOfIt

As usual wee Nippy is talking pish to buy votes. Lots of things she wants to give away for free, no way of getting money to do that.

It’s premium pish talk.

that's a very good point Redacted - are they going to give all the people currently working a short week on pro-rata pay a full time salary?

Our school is changing the school week after the summer so it will essentially be 4½ days with the ½ day on a Friday.

The same way the average working week has been reduced in the past. And the same way other contries have introduced it.

If you don't want to do this then that is fine, but don't pretend it can't be done, you sound like a mill owner from the 1800s.

Every improvement in pay and conditions is opposed by the right.

@RedactedTaeFeck

I've taken a pay cut for the last 15 years to work a 32 hour week, nowadays I do a 9 day fortnight. I'm I getting put onto full pay in that scenario? Means everyone doing 8 hour days so how is that going to work given that people will have childcare arrangements?

I appreciate that some folk already do a 8 hour day/40 hour week, but in offices 35 hours is pretty common and 37.5 is standard NHS I think.

She just opens her mouth and lets her belly rumble, surely people aren't stupid enough to lap that up.

Assume your hours would be cut pro rata, so you retain same salary but do fewer hours.

What about self employed who are paid by the hour? Do we change our hourly rate to reflect the loss of a days income?

beginningoftheend - there are many people that are over-worked and do extremely long hours, that needs to be addressed but please do not try telling me that a 35 or 37.5 hr week is equivalent to the dark ages.

Expecting struggling businesses trying to survive a pandemic to pay staff the same pay for less hours is just ridiculous. There are more important things to be sorted right now!!

@Fandangoes

beginningoftheend - there are many people that are over-worked and do extremely long hours, that needs to be addressed but please do not try telling me that a 35 or 37.5 hr week is equivalent to the dark ages.

Expecting struggling businesses trying to survive a pandemic to pay staff the same pay for less hours is just ridiculous. There are more important things to be sorted right now!!

Nobody thinks it is equivalent to the dark ages, but forever when people suggest something progressive, other people shout it down. It is just the way it goes.

Every bit of progress has been done against a backdrop of people 'saying either it cant be done or it doesn't need to be done.

It is a trial - what do you personally have to lose from seeing how it goes for both employees and employers?

the £10m that is going to be spent on the trial could be spent on so many more important things just now. It is blatant vote buying.

@beginningoftheend

The same way the average working week has been reduced in the past. And the same way other contries have introduced it.

If you don't want to do this then that is fine, but don't pretend it can't be done, you sound like a mill owner from the 1800s.

Every improvement in pay and conditions is opposed by the right.

This. Productivity doesn’t drop when people work fewer hours.

@Fandangoes

the £10m that is going to be spent on the trial could be spent on so many more important things just now. It is blatant vote buying.

ONe of the aims of the policy is it will address the rising cost of sickness absence and mental health problems. I guess the trial will see whether the cost/benefit analysis stacks up.

I have been in favour of a reduced week for a long time, will be interesting to see how it goes.

I get that people don't like the SNP but criticising a political party for putting forward popular policies is a bit odd IMO. Are Tory tax breaks for their voters not 'vote buying', or Labour investment in schools?

And people keep falling for it.

There's that vibe again. SNP supporters are so easily duped/ thick.

I think it seems an interesting idea for a trial.

that very much depends on the business / industry. When income is a byproduct of hours worked then a shorter working week very much reduces the income generated

It's ridiculous and hardly priority at the minute I would have thought.
I work a 4 day week by dint of doing slightly longer days on the other days and taking the reduction in salary because of my reduced hours. That's my personal choice though.

Where is the £10m coming from that's paying for this?

Shall I go and look for a leprechaun?

@rookiemere

It's ridiculous and hardly priority at the minute I would have thought. I work a 4 day week by dint of doing slightly longer days on the other days and taking the reduction in salary because of my reduced hours. That's my personal choice though.

Surely improving people's mental health and working conditions is always a priority?