6-hour Workdays: A Mission Statement
“It’s a system, but we’re all human.”
Let's hope that the remainder of 2021 will exemplify empathy between CEOs and employees. 2020 certainly encouraged executives to appreciate their staff more. It was a wake-up call for many large enterprises; one upside being that they were forced to tailor to the wellness of workers across all levels of company hierarchy.
Recently, we've been inspired to propose a new 10-to-4 timesheet for increasing productivity, regardless of the industry or types of products/services offered. In retrospect, it's years in the making because we've already envisioned what we along with most employees would likely consider to be a healthy schedule for true work-life balance. It consists of 6-hour workdays (including the standard 30-minute lunch and two 15-minute breaks, daily), Mondays through Fridays, at a competitive full-time salary.
This would naturally equate to five hours of net work completed five days per week. Weekends would be off, without exception, with Saturday/Sunday emergencies, etc either being dealt with by doubling pay rates/wages — or simply hiring part-time employees to regularly cover those hours (whether they be dedicated to customer support inquiries, miscellaneous tasks, etc). An example of the latter would be two longer-than-average shifts, totaling 20-25 hours... perfect for students, paid interns, side-hustlers, and individuals seeking to forge a career path (i.e., get a foot in the door).
For regular full-time staff especially (working under a 10-to-4 schedule), the above-mentioned would be a means of allowing them to beat traffic both in the morning and at the end of the day, while, of course, being more high-yielding while on the job. Since it's understandable that we can't all have our engines set to 'full steam ahead', measures should be in place to compensate for potential workplace stress. Additional/paid time off (within the actual workday), possibly in a discrete recreation/relaxation room, can help with this; guaranteed yearly bonuses as well.
While the 9-to-5 schedule is hardly a form of abuse in and of itself, it definitely challenges a person's sanity when having to make the occasional phone call to their child's school/daycare, listen to an aging parent's worries/concerns, or simply take a moment to recharge their battery under the questionable fear of getting a figurative slap on the wrist. Respect and understanding should be at the forefront of every brand, business, and non-profit... extending equally to staff, clients, investors, board members, and virtually anyone involved in making the machine work. It's a system, but we're all human. Let us not forget that.
The Benefits
We'd like to conclude this mission statement with some additional benefits of the 6-hour workday, particularly those indirectly (yet very realistically) affecting employees. Feel free to add your own.
- The ability to complete home chores (eg: cooking, cleaning, etc) in a non-rushed manner
- Assisting children with their homework
- Grooming their pets
- Spending quality time with family
- Getting to work on time
- Not leaving work nearly void of energy
- Improving mental health
- Being recognized/appreciated as a valuable contributor to the company, which might lead to an overall sense of well-being (further fueling productivity)