A Reddit user wants to know how well others are coping with the 40-hour week. It turns out that many would like to reduce their working hours.
More and more people want more free time and less work. A study by the insurer HDI and the opinion research institute YouGov has shown that three out of four respondents would even accept salary losses for a four-day week, as the Handelsblatt reports. Half would switch to part-time work if they were given the opportunity by the employer. And a study by the University of Cambridge and Boston College even shows that a 4-day workweek would increase employee productivity.
Conversely, long working hours and a lot of overtime have a negative effect on employees: According to a study by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, they are often directly related to stress and psychological strain on those affected. It is therefore hardly surprising that the question arises more and more frequently as to whether the 40-hour week is still up to date. The discussion was recently held again on the Reddit platform. The user "u/yellowpeanut22" wanted to know from the other users: "How can you cope with the 40-hour week?" The answer: Many cannot.
"I can't do it": Many users would like to see a shorter working week
"Because of depression, I don't have a lot of motivation or energy to do a full-time job without digging deeper into depression. It really makes me wonder how other people can deal with it," says the questioner on the subject. It turns out that many users do indeed want shorter working hours – and some have already put this into practice, as the following comments show, for example:
- "I can't. I'm on 32h and never go back."
- "My boyfriend and I both reduced it to 30 hours last summer and it's amazing how much more quality of life it has brought us. Whether you finish work at 17 p.m. (with a 1h lunch break) or 14 p.m. (because you can save yourself a break at 6h) is a difference like night and day."
- "Not at all. I reduced it to 5/h 30 years ago and it was one of the best decisions."
The 40-hour week is tugging at the nerves of many employees, as a Reddit discussion shows. © Svetlana Karner/Imago
The majority of users agree that a 40-hour week is difficult to cope with if you also want to have some quality of life. But for many, the plan of a shortened working week fails because of the money:
- "I can't do it either, but I can't afford a 32-hour week financially."
- "I don't really have energy and motivation either. It is the choice between this working life with relatively large monetary resources for my private life and citizen's money without these funds."
- "I have neither motivation nor energy, but bills need to be paid. So I have to."
- "Good question. Not at all. I hate every day, but my wife and dog force me to persevere. Another 30 years, then it's done."
40-hour week: Satisfaction can be increased by a good environment
For some users, however, other factors also play a role in whether they can master a 40-hour week: Good colleagues, a pleasant boss and the option to work from home all ensure that employees are more satisfied with their job and can work their hours better. For example, a user has "changed jobs several times over the years" until he finds a job he enjoys. This user also draws his strength from good working conditions and a collegial environment: "Flexitime, unlimited home office and nice colleagues/bosses help me cope with my 40-hour week."
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Overall, the question of the 40-hour week has caused a lot of reactions. Users have left over 1,000 comments on the topic. In any case, the discussion shows one thing: a good work-life balance is extremely important for job satisfaction – and often also for health.