4 Day Work Week, All In Favor...

[GWN7]

I've been working 4 on 4 off for 30 yrs. There is a adjustment period when all your friends work M-F 9-5 but when they are sitting at their desk on a Tues I can be out at the lake without the weekenders scaring all the fish.

[Hugh R]

I can't work those kinds of shifts. In my business, we blow stuff up on Friday and Saturday nights, late, late, late. It's the only time we can close a freeway. I traveled to San Juan, PR last Sunday night and arrived Monday at 9:30AM and went on a Tech Scout starting at noon until 7PM. Did another Tech Scout on Tuesday, all day. Off Wednesday, but calling productions in Vancouver, Albuquerque, Boston, Austin, and Atlanta. Got home last night, and Wednesday morning I fly to Albuquerque for another Tech Scout and Production Meeting. OTOH, some days I finish with a show at 3 or 4PM and go home. I've spend a month on a production away from home; London, Prague, Budapest, Auckland, St. Vincent, Dominica, I'm salaried, not hourly, so if I travel on weekends or am gone and getting screwed out of my evening time, I eat it. Having said that, I don't feel I take advantage of the company, and I don't feel that they take advantage of me.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Gogar

IMO 4-day work week won't work in the USA until

Americans learn

what WORKING is.

ie: NOT on PPOT, NOT on your phone, NOT Texting, etc.

Only then do I think it could work.


You always see studies about how Americans are the Hardest workers out there, and you and I all know its complete BS. MAYBE americans are "At the workplace" the most, farting around on the internet and texting and talking on the phone and walking very very slowly to the water cooler.

Two types of work. One is labor and takes constant attention and constant work. Completing tasks. Constant flow of tasks, performance is easily measured and tracked by productivity. I used to do that. Worked really hard too. Surfing the net or PPOT would never be allowed.

The other type of work is higher level decision making.
I now get paid to make decisions, and not the small detail type of decisions. I provide direction to a group, an organization, in other words I get paid to influence others. I take them in a direction that will lead to success. The beauty is they believe they are taking me in that direction which is partly true, but they probably wouldn't have been able to do it without my influence.
That's not something that happens spur of the moment. Sometimes I need to ponder, to relax, to kill some time until I'm in the right frame of mind.
It might seem like I'm wasting time but it's part of the process. I seem like I work about an hour a day but developing that work in my mind, what to say, what to do, and how takes time to develop. I get paid based on other people's productivity, because I influence it. Hopefully in the right direction.

So far it's worked very well.
In a year I reduced the headcount in the biggest department I'm responsible for by about 25% (through contractor lay-offs and retirements), the average turnaround time for a job has dropped to about 6 days from 11 days, and the average cost per job has dropped to about $8k from $12k. Oh, and the mean time between failure rate is up about 10% and trending higher.
Overtime is up but who cares, it puts money in the worker's pockets and keeps them happy and the company is still benefiting. i did that without pissing anyone off either. I treat the people in my departments with respect and courtesy and I show them that I care about them. Notice I didn't say I care for them, I care about them. Big difference. If they are not responding or performing, I talk to them. I tell them how I envision them being really good at what they do. being really proud of what they do. Feeling good about themselves, taking real pride in themselves. Being all pumped up.
Then I ask them what it's going to take to reach that point if we both work t0ogether to make it happen. Sounds all HR'ish, but when it's sincere and there's already trust, it actually works. If you mean it.
If you don't and you are blowing smoke and don't care about them, forget it.

Mostly I'm a cheerleader and an example and a salesman.
Sure most of it is an act but I need to sell my attitude, my ideas, my influence to the people who report to me and I need to sell my concepts, my successes, myself to the people I report to. Changing the culture it what it's all about. I try to get them to think like me, act like me, emulate me. Or at least the persona I present as me. They don't know the real me, only the role I play at work.

Just like an actor has to prepare for a role, I need to take time to prepare. It isn't as easy as it sounds. It's very draining. But when it works it provides freedom to do what you want how you want to do it without much interference.
My direct boss has gotten seriously involved in my business only a couple times. I can go weeks without direct contact with him. That means I am doing my job, taking care of things so they do not create headaches or problems for him.
I've inadvertently become his problem solver.

Another department that I'm not responsible for is not running as well. Lots of attitudes, union problems, low productivity, lack of and cooperation.
My boss hinted that I might be asked to take it on and try and solve the personnel problems there like I did in the other departments. I told him the company doesn't have the kind of money that would take. It's a highly technical group and completely out of my realm of expertise.
I almost hope they ask, I love negotiating on a job I don't want at all but they want me to take.
Oops, got carried away. See what happens when I type after a few beers?

[Racerbvd]

But Hugh, you get to blow things up, that HAS to be worth something

Most small business owners work 7 days a week and most hours od the day & night too..

[gt350mike]

Nothing really to add to the conversation but last year I worked 4/10s for several months, but changed over to 9 hr days during a two week period, giving me a day off every other Friday. With the warmer weather moving in soon, I'm thinking about changing back to 4/10s.

[Hugh R]

Racebud,

You mean like this?

[Oh Haha]

wcc(Bill) is one of the most motivated persons I have ever met. I've only known him for a few years but his fortitude is a trait that I respect.

I really don't know how he does it. I believe that some people are just made that way.

[wcc]

Originally Posted by Oh Haha

wcc(Bill) is one of the most motivated persons I have ever met. I've only known him for a few years but his fortitude is a trait that I respect.

I really don't know how he does it. I believe that some people are just made that way.

Thanks guys for the kind words! As summer approaches (longer hours) I'm sure I'm going to be even busier.

Do you really want to know how I do it??? Read and say as fast as you can: Have you ever tried a Red Bull, they are so good, I just had a red bull and am getting ready to have another red bull they don't make you crash like people think and if you feel like you're gonna just have another red bull and when you're done reading this we should hang out and get a red bull wouldn't that be great..... LOL! J/K! I've actually never had one. BTW I got this from 'Yes Man' with Jim Carry we watched the other night after Joey's basketball practice.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

I need to sell my attitude, my ideas, my influence to the people who report to me and I need to sell my concepts, my successes, myself to the people I report to. Changing the culture it what it's all about. I try to get them to think like me, act like me, emulate me. Or at least the persona I present as me. They don't know the real me, only the role I play at work.

Very interesting perspective. It is always strange to me that many people don't realize that ultimately their job is selling too. You obviously get it.

Ian

[Esel Mann]

A reduction in the days per week I could see as relevant to many who punch a time card. 9-hour, 10-hour, even 12-hour days are tolerable when one only needs to do so for a fraction of the week.

For those that don't punch a time card I fail to see how it matters. I've been around such "reduced" work weeks but for some reason it never applied to design engineering, just everyone else.

Not punching a time card and putting in 60+ hour work weeks indefinitely no matter how you slice it, it's going to be a **** sandwich. An no those hours are not spent on PPOT, pinching a loaf, talking at the water cooler, or surfing porn (though it would be nice to have that stated as a benefit). The only plus is well, one has a job, but no time to spend ones earnings.