Working hours | How many are too many?

[Uruhara]

8 hours a day is the constant all across the world for common employee but the hours doesn't relatively proportional to the productivity, it solely depends on the individuals that is why new generation companies are offering convenient working hours and most of the jobs are task based not hourly based so the individual has to work until the task done no matter he is doing it in a day or a week and in my opinion this is more effective than increasing or decreasing the working hours.

yeah that would be better.

now many companies or factories that make daily production targets that must be achieved by their employees. so that the working hours can be longer or less depending on our skills in completing the work. I think this type of work is more effective than one that only relies on a matter of hours. because with the target that must be achieved will make the employee continue to focus on working to meet their daily targets. so if you want a shorter working time, employees must improve their skills so they can work faster and if the target has been achieved, they can go home faster.

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[lixer]

According to the country you live in and the job you have, the situation can be very different. For example, if I were to tell you about my job and country, the working hours would be more than 40 hours per week, which is very much for a normal person who has almost no technical knowledge, whereas I work 28 hours per week and earn a lot more money than what they do in 40 hours, so if you have more knowledge, you are more likely to get a better job with fewer hours. However, regardless of that, many people will not sell their time or their everyday job and they think that having a 9-6 job is just like selling your time to someone else and that having a 9-6 job is just like selling yourself to them.

I tried to divide 40 hrs into 6 days and I came up with 6.6 hrs as a result. I didn't include 1 day because I think it's a day off for most common jobs while for some job they have a 2 day off which are very decent. Working 6.6 hrs a day is not too much because the normal working hours is 8 hrs per day.

Many people are knowledgeable and have completed different courses in college but I believe that the majority of them are still low earners and work's in a 9 to 6 job while there are those who are less educated or less knowledgeable than them but can manage to earn twice or thrice than what they are earning and can work in a lesser number of hours.

[stomachgrowls]

According to the country you live in and the job you have, the situation can be very different. For example, if I were to tell you about my job and country, the working hours would be more than 40 hours per week, which is very much for a normal person who has almost no technical knowledge, whereas I work 28 hours per week and earn a lot more money than what they do in 40 hours, so if you have more knowledge, you are more likely to get a better job with fewer hours. However, regardless of that, many people will not sell their time or their everyday job and they think that having a 9-6 job is just like selling your time to someone else and that having a 9-6 job is just like selling yourself to them.

I tried to divide 40 hrs into 6 days and I came up with 6.6 hrs as a result. I didn't include 1 day because I think it's a day off for most common jobs while for some job they have a 2 day off which are very decent. Working 6.6 hrs a day is not too much because the normal working hours is 8 hrs per day.

Many people are knowledgeable and have completed different courses in college but I believe that the majority of them are still low earners and work's in a 9 to 6 job while there are those who are less educated or less knowledgeable than them but can manage to earn twice or thrice than what they are earning and can work in a lesser number of hours.

Degree isnt something that could give out guarantees on someone's success and its indeed true that no degree holders could outmatched those who does have but it wont be suggestable because
it do really require up some luck on things that you are trying out to engage on.

8 hours of work is the most common working hours and even there are people who do really pushes up theirselves for OT just for having that extra pay.Some companies do allowed
it and some arent thats why other people do find out other ways or jobs which would really make even more money since having that 8-5 job earning
wont really be sufficient most of the time.

[sulendra12]

In here, they are working mostly at 9am-5pm for 6 days(Sunday off) on some industrial services, constructions, offices, factories etc. That's round up to 48 working hours/week with really low wage compared to other countries.

The thing about working on less than 6 days/week that in here it requires you to actually have good bachelor degree to even enroll in those companies. But yet, most of the people here are uneducated hence they'd prefer to work at the aforementioned jobs. They wanted to have less work hours but in reality they can't do that with the uneducated skills.

[South Park]

8 hours a day is the constant all across the world for common employee but the hours doesn't relatively proportional to the productivity, it solely depends on the individuals that is why new generation companies are offering convenient working hours and most of the jobs are task based not hourly based so the individual has to work until the task done no matter he is doing it in a day or a week and in my opinion this is more effective than increasing or decreasing the working hours.

While it is true that technically eight hours per day five days a week is the standard around the world, the problem is that many times people have to work way more than that and they receive no payment for it, and many people are willing to accept that kind of treatment because getting a job is difficult and if they do not accept it they may get fired and they may need months or even years before they find another job, employers know this which is why they abuse their employees and make them work for longer than what they should.

[Ultegra134]

A 4-day work week will reduce their income and that will sink many people financially. 

That is true. I have noticed that on a day without work I tend to spend more. Free time = more spending. Maybe this is more individual and I only spend more because I spend time with my family, try to diversify their life and routine.

I am sure that employees wont like that4 day work week either. For example, are you ready to receive 1/5 less salary, because employees wont pay same as 5 day work week. It looks like it is unprofitable for employee also. 3 days of rest is disastrous for business. A lot of business will hire extra employee for that period, and that means more taxes, more expenses.

I actually forgot to quote the articles that covered this topic. In them, it was mentioned that salaries were not affected/reduced in those who embraced the 4 work days/week. Supposing that's true, I'll agree with you, you're way more likely to spend more money having 3 days off. Personally, I wouldn't mind, I'm currently working with no actual day off, 16 hours a day, with only a few exceptions on Sunday and Monday (12 hours and 8 hours respectively), and I'm hardly spending any money. Honestly, I regret it, I don't have time to even have a proper break to vent and relax, I'm constantly stressed and tired. It's not worth it, no matter how much money you might earn.

My free personal time is vital for my well-being and cannot be bought off with any kind of money.

[jrrsparkles]

8 hours a day is the constant all across the world for common employee but the hours doesn't relatively proportional to the productivity, it solely depends on the individuals that is why new generation companies are offering convenient working hours and most of the jobs are task based not hourly based so the individual has to work until the task done no matter he is doing it in a day or a week and in my opinion this is more effective than increasing or decreasing the working hours.

While it is true that technically eight hours per day five days a week is the standard around the world, the problem is that many times people have to work way more than that and they receive no payment for it, and many people are willing to accept that kind of treatment because getting a job is difficult and if they do not accept it they may get fired and they may need months or even years before they find another job, employers know this which is why they abuse their employees and make them work for longer than what they should.

So talking about increasing the working hours and reducing days is almost impossible in those places so we have to take them out of these discussion.

Yes it is pretty bad to abuse the employees by the employers but its the job of government to ensure the safety and better policies for the workers by whatever company is operated in their region.

[Mauser]

How many hours/week is the typical in your country? How many hours are you actually working and how does a 4 day work week sound?

In my country the usual employment contracts includes a 40 hours week, which is a rough indication because in many sectors they rely on overtime and even if you got a 30 or 35 hour contract you might have to work longer each week to finish work in time. I would say that most people work at least 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, with 1 hour lunch break. Saturday and Sundays are usually off with only people in the service industry have to work on those days. A 4 work day week sounds awesome and I would like to see my country try it out for some time. Among my friends I know that several wifes work only part time, a 20 day week which is usally 4 days with 5 hours. Like this they can be home in the afternoon and look after the children. Problem is that it results in a big paycut and with energy and rent prices increasing each year it might be necessary for both spouses to work fulltime again.

[bakasabo]

A 4-day work week will reduce their income and that will sink many people financially. 

That is true. I have noticed that on a day without work I tend to spend more. Free time = more spending. Maybe this is more individual and I only spend more because I spend time with my family, try to diversify their life and routine.

I am sure that employees wont like that4 day work week either. For example, are you ready to receive 1/5 less salary, because employees wont pay same as 5 day work week. It looks like it is unprofitable for employee also. 3 days of rest is disastrous for business. A lot of business will hire extra employee for that period, and that means more taxes, more expenses.

I actually forgot to quote the articles that covered this topic. In them, it was mentioned that salaries were not affected/reduced in those who embraced the 4 work days/week. Supposing that's true, I'll agree with you, you're way more likely to spend more money having 3 days off. Personally, I wouldn't mind, I'm currently working with no actual day off, 16 hours a day, with only a few exceptions on Sunday and Monday (12 hours and 8 hours respectively), and I'm hardly spending any money. Honestly, I regret it, I don't have time to even have a proper break to vent and relax, I'm constantly stressed and tired. It's not worth it, no matter how much money you might earn.

My free personal time is vital for my well-being and cannot be bought off with any kind of money.

If the salaries are not affected, then this is extremely unprofitable for employer. Paying for a 4 day work similar to 5 day work is disastrous, as you pay more for less job done.

As to my job, I remember we had a working day 8:30 to 5 with a 30min lunch break, later it has changed into 9 to 6 with 1 hour lunch break. Same 8 hour working day, but it is more profitable for employer. Previously a lot of people were late for job and 30 min lunch break last almost for an hour, as it is impossible to have a lunch in such a short time in our surrounding. Now people rarely came late for job and instead of 1 hour lunch spend around 45min.

I find 8 hour working day 5 times per week perfect timetable. If I work more, similar to you, I wont have time for a proper rest and do my own things.

[batang_bitcoin]

Totally, I'm not taking care of my self nor my relationship, certainly an example to be avoided. I hate it that employers treat you like rubbish for pointing out obvious things, to be paid for any overtime you do and for willing to have a personal life.

You should take care of yourself. It's the actual investment that you use and your partner to earn money so it should be the first thing to take care of. Because once you feel some unusual health conditions, it will affect your daily work or worse, you can no longer work because of it.
It really sucks that as an employee, we need to allocate overtime if they dictate to tell it when you're already set an appointment or told your family that you'll go home early. But you can contest those things if you have to and I've seen those people posting it anonymously in reddit that instead of contesting it, they're quitting when they're always treated like that.

[Marykeller]

Due to the level of unemployed rate and the lack of job opportunities in my country. Any job you managed to secure, there is every inclination that you are going to work 8 hours per day for 5 days a week, depending on the type of job.
The kind of job that you will be working like an elephant and receiving minor pay. You will find a workload of two people given to one person to work, all in the name of you're working to be paid monthly

[Pierre 2]

Hi to OP, neighbor from opposite side of Aegean sea. I am from Türkiye. I personally work 40 hours a week. My job is far lower than average for Türkiye. In general most people here work more than 55 hours here.
I personally like idea of working 3 or 4 days a week. In 2022 modern times I feel like we work too much than what is necessary. Most jobs are possible to be done through computers and internet anyways. I always remind my friends that working class should definitely try hard for 4 days a week job. Keynes once said we were gonna need lot less hours to work in future. Yet we still spend hours at job.

[ChiBitCTy]

Here in the United States 40 hours is typically a pretty standard week. I personally will spend some weeks working around 35 hours and others working around 45-50 hours, just depending on how my work week plays out. I think working anything over 50 hours would start having negative effects on your performance.

[Gyfts]

How many hours/week is the typical in your country? How many hours are you actually working and how does a 4 day work week sound?

There are studies out there that suggest 4 day work weeks, 40 hours/wk, increase productivity versus a 5 day work week with the same hours. Though, a 4 day work week only has limited practice in most countries so the studies are a small sample size.

I wouldn't be oppose to 4 day work weeks in the private sector for office related jobs. Seems that most of their tasks could be performed from home anyways, perhaps a 4 day work week and 1 day working from home. With energy costs rising, it might be more economical for corporations to keep operating costs down by shortening the week too.

[Cookdata]

In my country - Nigeria, most public sector works for 7 hours to 9 hours per day, making it 35hrs to 45hrs per week. My country public sector works for 5days in a week. From Mondays to Fridays, the idea of 4 days is not in my country. Then some private sectors work for 6days and some work on Sundays making it 7days.  Some private workers work for 10 to 12 hrs a day. While some works on shift, it depends on what you like.

But someone I worked with believes in working at your own pace. Infact he recommends we work from home and give us task to accomplish within a period of time. I advice we learn to work smart and get good skills so that we could chose or reject jobs that come our ways.

That depends on the nature of the Job actually, not all can be delivered from home but I think the online skills can be delivered online without any discomfort to the employer and the employee, that could save a lot of expenses.
The Idea of working for 4 days a week is actually working in some part of the Nigeria North, Kaduna Precisely where Public and Private Teachers are to work from Monday to Thursday and their weekends start from Friday and it is still working, the idea was implemented by the Governor.
I think companies that do work from Monday to Saturday and Sunday are just meant to stress the hell out of employees, they could even go overtime and the pain full thing is that you don't get paid for extra hours in all these types of companies.

[$anounimus$]

This is a question that can only be answered by those who correctly judge for themselves the number of hours they spend working. If you're honest with yourself, you might be surprised how much time is spent on billable hours. For example, people in Canada and Australia work less than in the US or UK. However, those who live there are more productive and make more money. In my view, All countries seem to be in the 2x-3x range. If I had to speculate, I would say that at least a third of it is not working but paying the bills or other annoyances associated with running your own business.

[Strongkored]

How many hours/week is the typical in your country? How many hours are you actually working and how does a 4 day work week sound?

40-48 hours/week is common working hours in my country especially for the government sector, for the private sector it may be slightly different and it depends on the regulations in the company.
My working time is the same as most people in my country which is 40-48 hours/week.
If a 4 day work/week can be implemented that's good in my opinion because people will have more time to rest and do other things. Especially in my country, quite a lot of people live very far from they workplace so it can take up to 2 hours or maybe more to get to work, meaning that in a day they spend 4 hours on transportation and 4 working days will allow them to save on transportation costs and time, but I'm quite doubtful it will be implemented soon in my country, because as far as I remember the implementation of 5 working days in the country is carried out slower than many other Asian countries.

[Lubang Bawah]

Formally I work in the office about 8 hours a week, but the trip can reach around 3 hours so that almost 12 hours time is used for the road and work, when it is off then I garden from morning to evening or more than 10 hours, this is because more and more needs that must be fulfilled.

[inthelongrun]

In my country, 8 hours is the standard daily working hours. But in reality, many of our companies and employers provided too much work to do that it consumes 10 to 12 hours daily. Overtime works are just fine if people are getting paid for their extra working hours. But many of our employers here are not paying for extra time spent at work. Some are paying but not the usual standard rate. And many jobs in my country wherein people need to work 6 days a week instead of just 5 days. These are just some of the reasons why many left for other countries to find better jobs.

[FanEagle]

Honestly I am not like this, I do not believe in this situation. If you like your job, which I do, then you can work 24 hours straight and you would be happy about it. However if you hate it, even 1 hour is terrible. I have never been a good student, I hated school, but as soon as I started working, I took more and more whenever I can, I did the jobs and tasks that others didn't want to, I worked as many hours as I possibly can, life sometimes makes sure that you can't, but whenever I can, I tried to work as hard as possible.

This is why I believe that I have been in a good job, and if I am required to work 24 hours, sometimes I do that, and I am very happy to do it. I get paid for it anyway, not like I am tricked into working, I work hard, but I am very well rewarded for it too.