Summary Of A Six Hour Work Day Will Never Work
Both "A Six-Hour Workday Is Plenty" and the opposition "Six-Hour Days Will Never Work" provide compelling arguments. I will proceed to elaborate on the compelling points and weaknesses presented, and conclude by stating which article I support.
"A Six Hour Workday Is Plenty" (henceforth mentioned as the first article), illusstrates the wealth Henry Ford tapped into by reducing hours, increasing weekends to two days, and paying his employees a generous wage. Ford saw his profits double. While this is an isolated incident, it certainly catches the attention of the reader. The article continues to inform us about the lull one experiences upon waking up, and the cognitive impairment many of us suffer in the early morning. Apparently an educational institution remedied this by delaying the start of classes. This had a substantial (19%) average grading increase. …show more content…
Lastly, the fact that Sweden and France have allegedly had success with this model of 6 hour work days is mentioned as objective fact. Perhaps this provided as a form of reassurance that it has in fact been implemented effectively. As we come to read in the next article, this may in fact be misleading.
In "Six-Hour Days Will Never Work" (henceforth mentioned as the second article), we are informed that France has tested the 6-hour work week for 16 years, ultimately finding it unsustainable, and reverting back to a traditional 8-hour work day. In this second article, the obvious is made blaringly clear. With a reduction in the hours being worked, either the employees are being paid a percent of what they were, or the employer has to additional staff to adjust for the diminished hours of staff. However, one could argue that there is a possibility that increased productivity could compensate for the reduced hours. I would be remiss in not mentioning that the passage refers to the employees in this 6-week workforce being sick more often.
No supporting evidence was provided, however. It would be interesting to hear more on this front, as this could hinder an employer's staffing costs. The second article wraps up with a valid point: there are other great issues in our work force that require more urgent attention. Both issues of discrimination, and maternity leave, require further legislation and implementation.
It is my opinion that while six hour work days sound appealing, other issues must be addressed first. Additionally, other alternatives exist as well. Four-day work weeks, for example, are more appealing to someone like myself who is confronted with an extremely long drive to and from work. My ideal would be to work longer days, but dramaticly fewer of them. It is my stance that it is imparitive to be willing to change our system, even overhaul it. As Ford had great success reimagining what a job can and should be, maybe another revolutionary idea could usher in greater productivity and employee
satisfaction.
"A Six Hour Workday Is Plenty" (henceforth mentioned as the first article), illusstrates the wealth Henry Ford tapped into by reducing hours, increasing weekends to two days, and paying his employees a generous wage. Ford saw his profits double. While this is an isolated incident, it certainly catches the attention of the reader. The article continues to inform us about the lull one experiences upon waking up, and the cognitive impairment many of us suffer in the early morning. Apparently an educational institution remedied this by delaying the start of classes. This had a substantial (19%) average grading increase. …show more content…
Lastly, the fact that Sweden and France have allegedly had success with this model of 6 hour work days is mentioned as objective fact. Perhaps this provided as a form of reassurance that it has in fact been implemented effectively. As we come to read in the next article, this may in fact be misleading.
In "Six-Hour Days Will Never Work" (henceforth mentioned as the second article), we are informed that France has tested the 6-hour work week for 16 years, ultimately finding it unsustainable, and reverting back to a traditional 8-hour work day. In this second article, the obvious is made blaringly clear. With a reduction in the hours being worked, either the employees are being paid a percent of what they were, or the employer has to additional staff to adjust for the diminished hours of staff. However, one could argue that there is a possibility that increased productivity could compensate for the reduced hours. I would be remiss in not mentioning that the passage refers to the employees in this 6-week workforce being sick more often.
No supporting evidence was provided, however. It would be interesting to hear more on this front, as this could hinder an employer's staffing costs. The second article wraps up with a valid point: there are other great issues in our work force that require more urgent attention. Both issues of discrimination, and maternity leave, require further legislation and implementation.
It is my opinion that while six hour work days sound appealing, other issues must be addressed first. Additionally, other alternatives exist as well. Four-day work weeks, for example, are more appealing to someone like myself who is confronted with an extremely long drive to and from work. My ideal would be to work longer days, but dramaticly fewer of them. It is my stance that it is imparitive to be willing to change our system, even overhaul it. As Ford had great success reimagining what a job can and should be, maybe another revolutionary idea could usher in greater productivity and employee
satisfaction.