Amayzine

Wow: no one should work 5 days a week

If you work eight hours a day, you still have eight hours left for yourself and eight hours to sleep. Sounds quite manageable, right?

Yet, the 40-hour workweek is a bit outdated. According to CBS, nearly half of all Dutch people between the ages of 15 and 64 now work part-time, that is: prefer less than 35 hours a week. For women, this is even 75 percent. Working from nine to five until it's finally Friday afternoon and time for drinks is something from history – we want flexibility, days off, even more days off when we want to take a big trip, and we want easy hours. Starting later and going home earlier, that idea. No more longing for those two free mornings a week and never being able to go to the dentist.

There is a reason for that. Research shows that working less brings health benefits. For example, you would be happier if you worked four days instead of five. And what they are testing in Sweden, that six-hour workday? Seems to be a hit. People experience so less stress at work AND are more productive. At Netflix, employees are never monitored on the number of hours they work. No way. They can also take unlimited vacation days. As long as you do your job well and finish it. Employees who work between 25 and 28 hours a week are reportedly the happiest with their job, in case you have saved a bit.

Well, that got us thinking. What if we all really got five days of weekend from the boss and only worked two days, for the same salary? Just turning that old Dutch rudder around. Work had, effectively, two days. The rest you fill in yourself. Say, you go to the office on Monday and Tuesday, and then? This is what we think would happen:

The pubs make more profit: suddenly the weekend starts on Wednesday afternoon.
No one ever does Dry January anymore because you have so much free time that that one day with drinks always works out. And it always happens.
On top of that: it gets tougher for everyone's liver.
You have a much more social life: everyone has all the time for coffee, lunch, dinner. And those drinks, of course.
There is much more time for your hobbies: that makes a person well happier, that compensates for that poorly functioning liver a bit.
Books are being read again. And magazines. Time.
Booking.com is also doing good business. Every week a long weekend away, that's just fine. You don't need a sad Pentecost weekend, ha.
We are all housewives and househusbands, so that discussion about which father or mother works less with kids has also disappeared. It also creates a bond with your fellow human beings: everyone only works two days.
You have something to talk about with the neighbor.
We don't get bored: Netflix is doing good business and we are also a lot more active. Hop, to that tennis court on Thursday.
We spend more money. Well, you want to look good in all that free time with friends.
You can visit your grandma a bit more often. And that's quite cozy. Older people are also a bit less lonely, we are more active... Well. Just add it up.

Ah, let us dream of those 16-hour workweeks. But never say never. After all, we once started in the Netherlands with a standard of 48 hours and now 36 hours of work is a bit the norm. Just hold on for a few more years, girlfriends. Who will tell Rutte?