Andrew Yang says it's time to supersize America's weekend

[TexasTowelie]

Like your long weekend? Andrew Yang wants you to get used to it.

The surprisingly successful Democratic presidential candidate says America “should seriously look” into switching to a four-day work week.

“3-Day weekends are better than 2-Day weekends,” Yang tweeted in a timely message as Americans mark the beginning of summer with a long weekend.

Link to tweet

Yang claims that studies show workers would be more productive and healthier if they only worked Monday to Thursday (or. Tuesday to Friday).

Read more: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-andrew-yang-three-day-weekend-20200525-3bshuddeebhwrjvkfpf4emgrwy-story.html

[blm]

1. I agree.

[jimfields33]

25. I'm not so sure of that.

Friday’s are the least productive days for companies as workers tend to be excited for The Weeknd. It would just transfer to Thursday’s being least productive day.

[Fla_Democrat]

26. Well, then I guess the next thing

Well, then I think the next thing will be calls for a 4 day weekend.

[jimfields33]

29. Why not 3-day weeks?

See where we’re going?

[Bev54]

2. They are talking about that in Canada as well

I am concerned about whether the companies will reduce benefits though

[a kennedy]

11. Ha ha ha......ya think??? Of course they'll reduce benefits.

[EllieBC]

16. They'd only reduce benefits

if the hours were less than 36-40. Most people that work 4 days work 10 hour days. Not 8 hour days.

[Bev54]

17. That is true is some companies

but I do not think that is what they are considering in this situation. It is about more time off, not working longer hours. It is about putting more people to work, even if on a part time basis.

[EllieBC]

18. It's hard to find part timers.

At least where I am. Unless you want to work 2-3 jobs you’ll never make rent on a shitty 1 room basement suite with a part time job. Also while basic health care is covered, most employers offer extended benefits to full time employees that take care of dental, vision, prescriptions, more physio sessions than regular medical covers, etc.. But again you don’t get them at part time which is another reason no one wants to work part time.

[Bev54]

19. I agree with you

but that is my concern the minute they start talking about 4 day work week, creates more part time no benefit jobs, people will need to work more than one job.

[Blue Owl]

3. First good idea I've heard in a while!

n/t

[Azathoth]

4. Another option is Wednesdays off

Just having a morning to catch up on sleep halfway through the week would mean a lot to many people.

[tulipsandroses]

5. I miss my 4 day "weekends". I worked 3 days a week as a hospital nurse for many years

Its been a hard transition since I became a nurse practitioner working in an outpatient clinic and having to work 5 days a week.

I got a whole lot done in 3 days. Definitely had more energy even though I worked 12-16 hr days.

[Blue_true]

14. I think hospital nurses here in my North Central Florida city work weeks of

4 days on, 3 days off then rotate to 3 days on, 4 days off the next week. I believe they work 12-13 hours each day when they are on.

[tulipsandroses]

23. Yeah it differs from facility to facility . I worked what's called a Baylor Shift

Work weekends -36 hrs and get paid for 40.

[JI7]

24. This is considered to be one of the best parts of working as a Nurse

based on what I have heard from them. They prefer working fewer days but longer hours and having more days off.

[sheshe2]

6. I agree with Andrew.

[Golden Raisin]

7. I'm retired now but when I was working I always

said I'd be happy to work longer hours for 4 days in order to have 3-day weekends.

[TexasTowelie]

12. I used to work four ten hour shifts on Monday through Thursday.

I would stay out of town on my weekends and paid to sleep at my friend's home the three days that I was in town. I was actually more productive with that schedule, but even though I drove 90 miles to work on Monday morning, for some reason the eight ladies that I worked with frequently didn't make it to work on time, I often ended up being the only employee in my department at work until 10 or later in the morning and I would have to answer all of the phone calls with the varying reasons why they couldn't show up.

[appalachiablue]

8. After 16 years of 5 days, I accepted a position for 4

days a week with Mondays off. I worked extremely hard at the job and had time for some personal life.

[House of Roberts]

9. I used to work four ten hour days as a regular schedule.

Middle of the afternoon on Thursday, the supervisor would stroll through checking due dates and work left to complete each project, and ask some people to work half a day on Friday, if there were enough to even open the shop on Friday. Friday was always overtime, so I never minded.

[Initech]

10. A 3 day weekend would be great if we had places to go and things to do.

Being stuck at home with nothing to do because of this god forsaken virus, every day is literally the same. With nothing to do and nowhere to go, weekends are kind of meaningless anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I like this idea, but right now the pandemic rules all, and if we can't go out of our houses and into society, is there any point?

[EllieBC]

15. A lot of people have had to go out and work.

Not everyone is privileged to have a white collar job that allows telecommuting. So plenty of people have been out there working already.

[Initech]

21. i know that.

I'm talking about doing things that we used to do, like take vacations. Go to parks. Go to sporting events and live concerts, things of that nature. Go out for a night of bar crawling or go to the movies.

It's not just a day off. We need to be able to leave the house and interact with other people. It keeps us going through the day and gives us an incentive to have a 3 day weekend.

With nothing to look forward to like this, it really sucks. And as I've said, a life lived on Zoom is not a life worth living. It's certainly not a life I want to live.

[Hortensis]

31. I think so. Good things often result from disasters that

force/enable needed and desirable changes by breaking stasis. This sounds like one of them.

Occurs that on top of the obvious benefits for people whose future work and leisure patterns would change, and big societal changes, it might have the additional benefit of helping to extend millions of jobs for a while as automation reduces the demand for "human capital stock." A flattening of the traumatic job disappearance wave.

[EllieBC]

13. My husband loves his 4 - 10 hour shifts!

3 day weekends are awesome. However it can’t be 3,8 hour shifts or he would lose his extended benefits.

[kevink077]

20. Absolutely

4 - 10 hour days are way more productive ....

[JI7]

22. While this is a good idea for many jobs not sure it would appeal to many right now

because a lot of people are mostly home these days.

[brooklynite]

27. A 20% cut in working hours is going to require more than an unsuccessful candidate behind it

[dsc]

28. Four ten hour days does have some benefit to it

and some places do that now. One of the things they are discussing with schools is to have an A day B day system where A's go to school MT and B's go RF while W if off for all with teachers using Wed as a work day to either shift to virtual for shift from virtual each week.

[smirkymonkey]

30. I'm all for it!

Seriously, If you have a job to do and you can get your work done in four days instead of five, that is your manager's call. If you are falling behind then maybe you need to put in the extra time.

I honestly feel that I am very efficient and productive during the first four days of the week and Friday is just kind of a joke anyway, so why not make it an optional day for those of us who are producing? I can't stand the concept of "face time". I think it's juvenile and authoritarian.

I work with a lot of people who spend half their day chit-chatting and screwing off, while others of us are working the entire time. If some of us can be productive in a shorter period of time, we should be rewarded with a shorter work week.

It should be up to the manager to decide if we are not measuring up to our goals and potential.

[Nature Man]

32. The workplace is a function of the plantation mentality:

1. Control the physical body in space and time

2. Control the mind through threats of punishment.