The Five Day Weekend: America's salvation? Or harbinger of doom?
When we took the Work Less Express on the road a mere week and a half ago, our No. 1 goal was to start a discussion about how our nation works — and doesn't work.
Well, we've definitely sparked some conversations, with people airing strong opinions on both sides. We thought we'd share a few of the e-mails and online comments we've received, both positive and negative.
LOVING THE FIVE DAY WEEKEND:
"A friend of mine mentioned your cause to me and I was sold immediately. I am sorry I missed you guys yesterday when you were in Atlanta. I would have been there. If there is anything I can do, please let me know." — Mark A.
"Awesome. I've already started the movement here in KC. I'll gladly promote it more." — Darren P.
"I am a high school student and I have taken interest in your movement. However, many of my friends would like to know if the five-day-weekend will apply to school too; if so, I think that I could muster up a whole lot of support for you movement. I hope this goes somewhere, I think it would be really cool to have a five day weekend. Thank you very much." — Eli W.
"Please give me some serious feedback on this plan as I would be happy to look at instituting it with my company." — Kerry L.
"Hats off to your organization. Two-day work week is great. We can use the time to relax and be revived and stop being so grouchy. We Americans are some of the most irritable people in the world. I think it is because we are over worked." — Loraine S. (One of the many, many excellent comments posted on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's story about our rally.)
"I happen to remember when everything close at 12:00 on Wednesday and stores were open till 12:00 on Saturday's and everything was closed on Sunday. Now it seems like the norm is to be open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Something needs to be done now and maybe the 5 day week-end is the best thing." — Chuck
NOT SO MUCH LOVING THE FIVE DAY WEEKEND:
"Please get realistic or give up this lost cause. Your unrealistic plan causes other plans to loose credibility. If you think it is so great in France, MOVE THERE! Their economy is in the toilet and their unemployment rate is through the roof." — David M.
"Most Americans already are a bunch of spoiled, self serving, lazy, over-weight, over paid, slobs now. This idiotic idea will surely put us under, economically and health-wise. ... If this flies are you going to take responsibility for the futher collapse of America's work ethics? If everyone would work 6 days a week for one year America's debt would be paid in full." — Kelly
"Your idea has such a socialist undertone I wonder if you have a liberal hidden agenda since you seem to place the onus on corporations for “making people work so hard”. Well the facts are simple: Nobody is forcing anyone to work beyond what is required of them." — Rick A.
"Y'all are a bunch of ass clowns." — Ryan N.
So ... what do you think?
14 comments:
How do expect this to work. It is such a pie in the sky idea. What about people with children or pets what would they do with them for two days. Over night day care? Also I am not sure this work schedule would fit every busines modle. For expamle, sales. You are not going to close deals in a two day work weak.
I am all in favor for working less. I just think you should think about the ramifications of reversing the work schedule. To get this accomplished you would have to prove that it would better for the economy. The final vote is made by the dollar.
You know, as much as I want to I just can't take this seriously. Not so much because it is a crazy idea, but rather it smacks of a guerrilla ad campaign for Asheville, NC.
Kind of reminds me of the ad campaign that Universal Studios Theme Parks did a few years back (see www.Iwantmyvacation.com). They had stark billboards that looked like PSA's. In the end it was just a ploy to get people to spend money in their parks.
I'd love to go along with y'all, but I cannot figure how a "grass roots" movement can pay for a tour bus, billboards, and a well designed and produced website. Plus all the machine printed signs.
In fact it's all a little insulting. Yes people are overworked, but that's only because gas prices are over $3 / gallon, taxes are killing the middle class, and most of are struggling just to feed our kids. So then you come along and try to encourage people to work less, which would result in people making less, and therefore being able to support their families less.
If you all are for real, then you should work for a real cause. Help get our boys home from Iraq safely, get the government to do something about gas prices, support the USO, but for pete's sake do something more worthwhile with your money than this.
I agree with "anonymous." It seems highly unlikely to me that you're for real.
Personally, I do agree many people work too much. I've worked many different schedules in my career. I would get behind a move towards a 4-day work week with 3-day weekends. But a 5-day weekend? How does that even make sense? Employers would have to more than double their number of employees to maintain comparable production -what do you think that would do to the cost of EVERYTHING?
So, what's your real agenda?
Nice idea but be realistic! IF you were pushing a 4 day work week then maybe. I know my employees can squeeze the same production of 5 days into 4. We cant even do that because of outside influences. A 3 day weekend is much more realistic than a 5 day weekend. Someone needs to rethink their motivation and their justification for this preposterous notion.
Why can't we all just work less and be happy and INCREASE production?
The idea that this is possible is really really dumb. Having personally worked more than 36 hours in 2 days, I'll attest that you cannot get decent production or performance from 2 days of really hard work. People are too tired by the end of it.
Managers intimidated by political correctness and adveserial employees are afraid to require that REAL work is accomplished. In the Army we have a maxim, it goes like this "trust, but verify". Production is not "verified", that's where waste comes from. At least i've experienced issues like this.
OH, and yeah, it's clearly a tourism ploy. Read the FAQ. Particularly, read the answer to the question "where did this thing get started?"... The real reason for this is in there.
"Come visit Asheville, NC and don't waste your vacation time"
total BS
Who is this five day weekend going to benefit? Maybe a construction worker, wait nothing will get built only working two days a week. Maybe a school teacher or college professor, wait kids would learn even less than they do now only going two days a week. How can we go on vacation without any money? If all people wanted was time off then just quit your job.
Hey here is an great idea to go with this 2 day work week... lets have kids go to school for only 2 days as well! Then we can eventualy become dumb and lazy! Great idea guys. Do you really like the way the French and Germans are living? Over taxed and terrible ecnomy, I'll work an extra day to help you transfer your citizenship if you really like that lifestyle. Adam N.
Otto from The Simpsons at Movementarian film: "This whole place reeks of the whacky tobacky"
But in all seriousness, the 5 day weekend may actually make a lot of sense. It's may actually make a lot of sense because those of us who wants to work will continue to work and support our economy...
...and the lazy people of Asheville, N.C. can take as many days off as they want - but in return we simply take N.C. off the North American map and put a toilet with fecal matter in their place on the world map.
Quid pro quo.
We get to continue to work
They get to kill themselves.
Sounds like a plan...
I like the idea of a shorter work week, however, there is a line, a point that when reached, creates a negative. Without productive work weeks, no one will make money. Like it or not money makes the world turn, and with as many people as America already has on welfare, this government cant afford more. We need to be doing things to encourage people to get off welfare and go to work, in jobs that will support families without government support.
Only two days of work means what, 24 - 36 hours of work. I don't know about you, but I hate 12 hour work days, I've only done 16 hours once, and I was DEAD the next two days. So in order to get any hours in, and therefor pay worth something, I will work 12 - 18 hour days for two days, sleep for three, and have ... two days to spend doing stuff.
I agree this is a "come spend money in NC" thing, not a true political campaign. If it were, they would only spend two days a week on it - but then they would not get anything done... surprised anyone?
And what about those people who would work where you "vacation"? Should mom and pop places have to pay more people because each person only can work two days a week, yet they need 10 people a day... that is about 35 employees, where now they have 15 or so. That is 20 extra people to pay unemployment for, taxes for, and train.
I but that no one who has signed this petition has a job that includes financials, upper management, or any actual business. Never ran a business, or have any desire to, because they would know you can not make money working only two days a week.
five days off sounds good but I don't think it is do-able. I have always thought the work week was un-balanced. working five with only two days off. working four off three is better. We have counter parts that are in france and they only work half day on friday and they get 6 weeks of vacation. and this is not 6 week after working for the company for 20 years, it is 6 weeks as soon as you start.
I've seen several comments on working extra days to pay off america's debt. This debt was not created by america not working hard enough but the government's mis-mananagment of money. The more you give them, the more they will mis-use. The major of the gas price is TAX. Do you see them lower them to help out america?
And america's are pushed to work more. We have postions in our company where you don't get paid for overtime. and I know many people that work on weekends as well as the work week.
People think the more you work the better a company will be which is true to a certain extent. Our manufacting employees worked very hard. and the company rewarded their hard work (which gave them the sucess they enjoy today) by laying them off and moving their jobs to mexico and china. This is how american's are being rewarded for their hard work. it was us that made the company what it is and so CEO's can make more money and high levels managers get bigger bonus, they move jobs oversees for cheap labor.
I think the work week does need to be reviewed. Weekend time is hard to get in errors such as grocey shopping and rest. We do need more time off and a shorter work week but I would not go for five days.
I work on the weekends, overnight no less! There are certain businesses, such as hospitals, health care facilities and other 24-hour facilities, that would have to increase the amount of money that they pay each employee to work on the new "weekend". This could destroy the medical field as we know it now.
There is no weekend for 24 hou facilities, however they do have to offer higher pay for people to work overnight or on the weekend. This could become expensive and could make our health care degrade while employers are trying to emloy less people on the "weekend" to save money.
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