In an ideal world, our boss would be a talking golden retriever that we could cuddle, and we would work only on weekends instead of weekdays.
But, alas, we live in a world where 8-day workweeks are the norm.
Reader: 8 days a week?
I know what I said.
It’s no secret that Singaporeans work too hard; according to one study, residents here clocked an average of 45 hours a week, making us the second hardest-working city in the world.
But that was before COVID-19.
The pandemic has certainly changed the way we work, and now one MP is calling for a drastic shift in our workforce culture.
WP MP Calls for Four-Day Workweek as COVID-19 Has Changed How People Work
Workers Party (WP) MP Louis Chua has made a proposal that all of us will surely say yes to: four-day workweeks.
Speaking in Parliament, he noted how companies with even the most rigid employers now allow more flexible working arrangements, due to the pandemic.
Boss: That’s true, I now allow you to use the bathroom twice a week.
One “seismic shift” that has already occurred is that more and more people are working from home.
Quoting a McKinsey report, Mr Chua pointed out that the number of workers in advanced economies who now telecommute is four to five times the number before COVID-19.
Woah.
Now, Mr Chua, like many others, is calling for a shorter work week.
“While (it is) not the only reason for our low birth rates, the ‘five-day work week’ has gone beyond its intended definition and consumed our daily lives,” he said.
The Sengkang GRC MP brought up a speech made by PM Lee Hsien Loong back in 2004 during the National Day Rally, where he said there was a need for a better work-life balance.
Here’s an extract of that speech:
“Married couples also need good work life balance. I think we are working longer hours. I am not sure why, but hours have become longer, the pace is more intense,” PM Lee said.
“Maybe it’s the Internet, maybe it’s email, maybe it’s globalisation, but whatever it is, you wake up at six o’clock in the morning, you check your email. Eleven o’clock at night, before you go to sleep, you check it again and next morning, you come back, somebody replied at 2.00 am. How to have children?”
The Case for Four Days
A shorter work week certainly sounds good, but is there any evidence that it would actually work?
In short, yes.
In 2019, Microsoft Japan experimented with a new working schedule where employees would work four days a week and get a three-day weekend.
Called “Work-life Choice Challenge Summer 2019”, it gave workers five Fridays off in August that year, but paid them the same salary.
Contrary to what many predicted, the shorter workweek actually led to a 39.9% increase in productivity.
92% of employees said they were pleased with the arrangement. What the heck was up with the remaining 8%?
Mr Chua used Microsoft’s example to support his proposal, as well as four-day workweek trials in Iceland, which were also found to be a success.
If you’d like to know how to achieve more with fewer hours, watch this video to the end:
Manpower Minister Responds
In response, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said there was no “legal impediment” to companies who wish to implement shorter work weeks.
He added that the government is aware of trials in other countries and their results.
However, the authorities are prioritising other things at the moment, such as uplifting low-wage workers, creating jobs, developing the Singaporean Core, and enhancing the effectiveness of fair employment rules, Dr Leng said.
In other words…
Reader: Let’s all move to Japan and apply for a job at Microsoft?
Exactly.
Read Also:
- MP Proposes 4-Day Workweek As New Norm in S’;pore After It’s Been Proven to Increase Productivity
- An Experiment Shows That 4-Day Workweek Increases Productivity
Featured Image: Facebook (Chua Kheng Wee 蔡庆威)
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
