Jose Gonzalez Campello/The Cougar
The four-day workweek should become the new normal as it is the first step toward restructuring the toxic work culture that affects employees across the country.
American workers emphasized Stress levels have reached all-time highs and are more than they were in 2020. Low wages, production prioritization, and long working hours contribute to this stress, which only increases if no effort is made to change the system.
On average, Americans end up working extra Moon of work for the year. Whether it’s pressure from employees or attempts to make ends meet, American work culture promotes an agenda that people are machines meant to work and do nothing else. increase.
This is what you need to change.
The way capitalist societies are built is to profit from “hard work”, and in the end only a certain minority are rewarded for that work.
A new term has emerged chronomativity It explores how society pushes our bodies to their limits and uses time as a measure to achieve success through socially constructed means that not everyone can achieve.
For example, by the time you turn 18, you’re expected to go to college, or by the time you’re 25, you’ll have a stable job, a significant other, and possibly a family. By the age of 60, you will be retired.
All of these are learned through what society sees as acceptable chronological milestones.
Today, people reach different milestones at different stages of life, which does not match the model that society has pushed forward.
Race, gender, nationality, class, sexuality, and other demographics all play a role in when and how people reach these milestones, as not everyone has the same opportunities. I’m here.
If someone derails, they are encouraged to get back on their feet. Otherwise, you make fame out of shame, stress, or contempt from others.
No one stops and wonders why things have to be achieved by a certain age, and why following a timeline that doesn’t align with everyone’s personal goals and aspirations is the solution. It is not.
The same is true for the classic five-day work week. It is no longer sustainable for him to work more than 40 hours a week.
There used to be a six-day work week and no labor laws, but persistent activism has changed that.
Flexibility in working hours is necessary not only to improve the human condition, but also to live a fulfilling life.
Society is more focused on maximizing people’s productivity than recognizing that they are individuals with their own personalities outside the workplace.
Work culture has changed dramatically during the pandemic as the majority of employees have moved to remote work. Working from home has become the new “normal” in society and was one of the first moves to make people aware that changes can occur in the workplace.
A four-day work week seemed not too far off if remote work was possible.
In 2022, 4 Day Week Global conducted a trial to try and implement a 32 hour work week. positive reaction. Of all employees, 97% wanted to continue the trial because their levels of stress, burnout and fatigue decreased during his six months.
Afterwards, when companies were asked if they would continue with the trial, 18 of the 27 who responded to the final survey were willing to continue.
This experiment alone proves that there is a long-awaited change in how much time people should spend working and how much time they should spend doing other things.
States like Maryland already push Recognize the benefits associated with your decision to move to a four-day work week.
A four-day work week not only eases the burden for many workers, but also gives them more time to pursue personal endeavors that a highly demanding five-day work week would not allow.
The pandemic has been a devastating time for many, but it has shown us that we can adjust when things change. If remote work can be realized, the four-day work week will soon follow.
Once people get a taste of what it’s like to live without the rigid, endless cycles of American capitalist society, there’s no turning back.
Cindy Rivas Alfaro is a sophomore journalism major and can be contacted. [email protected]
