Reply to is it possible to work a 35-hour week?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here. Yes, only 30 minutes for lunch (and they CLOCK it) so it's 9-5, 40 hours. 
They increased my workload. I handled it. I wish I were indispensable, but of course--no one is. Or as Charles de Gaulle said, "The graveyards are full of indispensable people."
I dream of working in government. I know very talented, hard-working people who do, and who are rewarded with more flexibility than my company allows or has ever allowed. They work very, very hard and get abused (by the media, etc.) all the time. Of course, there are slackers, as there are anywhere, but if you want to see hard workers: check out the national park service, the social security administration, the federal trade commission, the national endowment for the arts, etc. I would love to join their ranks. Sigh. 
There might soon be a change in management --everyone is on edge. I'm hoping it might be someone who understands what it's like to be a working mom of a young child. 
Why does the workplace in this country make it so difficult to be a good mother and a good worker? It's HARD here. It used to be more balanced, I think--but now it's "lean in" or go home. [/quote]

I think the reason so few places allow a 35 hour week is that it's our culture. It's all we know right now and behavior is hard to change. In general, change scares people. Workers are afraid that reducing the work day by five hours will demonstrate they are not needed and lead to a massive layoff. Employers fear workers are taking advantage of them and they won't get the biggest bang for their buck out of each staffer. So, it's better to have people sitting there 9-5, or more, even if 1/3 of the time is spent dilly-dallying at the water cooler. At least they're there, at the office, being paid to be present.

How many people here would actually be willing to take a small pay cut but keep benefits if it meant you received every Friday off, only working M-Th, or worked a 5 day week 9-4. Would the pay cut in exchange for a shorter week be worth it to you? Does it really come down to sitting at your desk for an extra day basically simple for the money? I've taken a look at my own work day and I probably spend only 30 out of the 40 hour week actually WORKING, as in producing a product, sitting in meetings, assisting coworkers. But would I be willing to cut those ten extra hours? Would be nice to but then the benefits would be removed.  Then there's the commute. An hour each way in rush hour sitting on a crowded train taken out of my life to basically appear at a desk. In the end, at least for me, it's really all for the benefits. [/quote]

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