The Real Reason Why Singapore Hasn’t Implemented 4-Day Workweek

By
Zhi Hao
-

Last Updated on 2022-10-10 , 2:23 pm

For years, we’ve dreamt of it: An honest to goodness… four-day workweek.

One day less of work and the same monthly salary?

It was, as a wise old man would put it, a genuine wet dream.

But of course, we knew it for what it was; a dream, with no possibility of becoming reality.

4 Day Workweek

Or is it really impossible? Well, maybe not after all.

If you prefer to, you can watch this video to the end and you’d understand:

Lest you’re unaware, it was not a five-day work week all along.

It used to be 5.5. And before that, six.

This means that as time goes by, work weeks do get shorter in length.

And here’s the thing; some politicians around the world are, indeed, lobbying for a four-day work week.

Over in the UK, politicians have allegedly promised a four-day work week after a successful trial over in Iceland.

Apparently, work hours were cut from 40 to 35 per week, and results were positive.

With a distinct change in working habits during the COVID-19 period, the situation has called for a possible shift in working duration.

Apparently, four-day work weeks have been experimented with since some time ago. And they have incurred great results.

Workers have reported up to 40% increase in productivity, and companies spent less money since fewer people were in the office using their air-con and electricity.

“Why the increase in productivity despite one less day of work?” you may wonder.

Well, it’s down to one thing: focus.

With shorter working hours, people would pay more attention to the task at hand.

And though it sounds ironic, more work ends up getting done.

In essence, with shorter working hours, the deadline will be tighter so people will become more focused. As a result, more work is done.

But if it’s so goody, why do we still need to work every Friday?

Cultural Norms

But the case, unfortunately, may not apply here so soon. And the core reason behind it?

Cultural norms.

Just as guys are conventionally expected to have short hair, and how girls should be more ladylike, these are acceptable rules that we have to follow as part of cultural norms.

But here’s something positive; it will happen.

After all, the cultural norm was a six-day workweek back in the early 1900s. It then became a 5.5 day work week, and later on a five-day work week in the early 2000s.

So it’s essentially a game of time.

Though unfortunately, it probably won’t happen within our lifetimes.

Maybe by 2100 though. Our descendants will, at the very least, be able to benefit.

Featured Image: vichie81 / Shutterstock.com

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]