Finding a healthy work/life balance is extremely difficult.
Depending on their jobs, some people are barely home in time to spend any quality time with their loved ones, and weekends are hardly relaxing, as they are often devoted to chores and errands.
These are only a few reasons many people have pushed to adopt four day work weeks.
And while there seem to be multiple advantages to one's mental health and self-esteem, could eliminating 8 hours of work possibly have any downsides to it?
Redditorupvoteifurgey was curious to hear how people really felt about the possibility of a four day work week, leading them to ask:
"How do you feel about a 4 day work week?"
Improve Mental Health
"Working a 5 day work week just makes life seem so much more pointless."
"By the time I get the other things I need to do, grocery shopping, appointments, etc., done, it's Sunday night."
"A 4 day work week might give me time to play the piano I bought to combat depression."- IHateCarShopping123
It Works, As Long As You Go All Or Nothing...
"My employer gives us every other Friday off."
"We work 80 hours over 9 days (M-F, M-Th)."
"It’s really helpful to have those Fridays to schedule appointments, and I have less desire to burn PTO throughout the year just to take a much-needed Friday off."
"Through the end of October, I had only used 2.5 PTO hours for the year, mostly for doctor’s visit.
"The only real downside is that on the Fridays that we do work, nobody wants to do anything."- MuppetHolocaust
No Downside Whatsoever
"My company switched to 4 10 hour days."
"We are diesel technicians and work 7-5:30."
"Half of us work Monday through Thursday and the other half work Tuesday through Friday."
"We have did this for over two years and we all love it."
"It is so nice to have a three day weekend every week."
"Another thing about it that is nice is if you doctors appointment or something I can make it on a Monday and don’t have to miss any work."
"Plus I forgot to mention having a two month this helps out a ton."
"More time for me to be with my wife and daughter."
"And if there is a lot to do I can just come in on Monday and boom 10 hours of overtime."- skatermofo101
Working For The WeekendGiphyBut Would You Hate Tuesdays?...
"I would probably hate Mondays less."- tonksdc
So Much More Time To Devote To House And Home!
"Life would be that much better."
"I would have somewhere around 50 extra days a year to do all the yard work and home projects that I don't want to spend all weekend doing."- forman98
Yet It Still Hasn't Caught On?
"They talked about this in the 70s."
"Yay everyone said."
"My dad did it."
"He worked 4 12+ hr days and took off Friday."
"Everyone else was like, if I work the 12 hrs the 4 days plus another 12, I can make even more money!"
"Yay!"- implodemode
Excited Jonah Hill GIF by MOODMANGiphyShow Me The Money!
"Provided there's no drop in salary, f*cking brilliant."- PM_ME_CURVES_OR_TOES
A Weekend Could Actually Feel Like A Weekend!
"I would gladly work 4 ten hour days to have an extra day off."
"2 day weekends are too short."
"They’re gone just as soon as you start to feel comfortable."- witdaSlime
Improved Motivation
"I liked 4 10's on mid and day shift."
"Doing it on graveyard shift sucks, but I'm sure 5 8's would make that feel worse."
"I would almost rather just work 5 or 6 10's and make a bunch in OT."
"I feel like it would be better overall to just not bother having 3 days off."
"I have a hard time switching between staying awake during the day on my days off and back to nights for my work week but don't really have another option."
"Being on graves completely kills my motivation for anything." - Tsiah16
Lets Go Comedy GIF by CBCGiphyOld Hat...
"This is what we do, 4 10's for construction."- ReckIess5
No Thank You!
"I was a 16, now 17, year old labor worker and exterior renovator."
"I did this all my summer and I'm trying to work as much as i can during school."
"5 day 8 hour shifts with a 30 minute lunch doing hard labor on most days really killed me."
"But I don't want to complain."
"Making 18 an hour in Canada is amazing for me."
"I had it when my friends who do puss for their jobs complain about how its hard."
" I's annoying and they think no one can relate, but we all have hard days, some more than other, and for me personally, a 4 day week of work sounds like crap to me."
"Id rather make money on a day instead of hangout with these so called 'friends and family'."- Dann_yo17
Season 9 Smh GIF by The OfficeGiphyNo Disadvantage In Sight!
"Would love 4 days work day."
"Fantastic for busy and single families, less transit cost."
"I think you get more out of 4 days work ."- orchid59
The Evidence Speaks For Itself
"A 4 day work week would make workers more productive."
"Look At Germany they work much less hours and they have the strongest economy in Europe."- Alasdair3
Case By Case Basis
"Depends on the job."- keeksnewacc
Diminished Payoff?
"It kind of takes the joy out of retiring."- cometmace
Makes For A Flexible Schedule
"Back in 2017 I worked a job where I worked 12 hour shifts."
"However I only worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday."
"Being a 22 year old male at the time, but not much for the night club life, working the weekends never bothered me."
"The schedule allowed me a lot of free time."
"For example; One day I got off and my neighbor in my apartment complex was a bartender so he asked me over and made me and his attractive coworker drinks and we talked and hung out."
"As we were talking over drinks my roommate at the time was texting me about how he was going to Maryland the next morning to go to the MGM Casino in Maryland to gamble for his 21st birthday."
"I was invited to go with and the next day we work up early and drove up to Maryland and spent 12 hours in the casino."
"I only played slots and other machines and started with $60 at the end of the 12 hour gamble extravaganza I left with $200."
"Definitely not a huge jackpot but I was just happy to not of lost money."
"We spent the night at a hotel and drove back the next afternoon."
"Having a free schedule for the whole week allowed me to do spontaneous things like this so I definitely miss that schedule."- Cubomatic
GiphyLonger Weekends, But Shorter Evenings...
"I work 36 hours over 4 days which gives me every Friday off."
"It's good for errands and other things but the the evenings are really short."
"Our Union is in negotiations to make 32 hours full time in 2021-2022 which will make a big difference."- Tijdloos
When companies and organizations were forced to regroup and restructure when the global pandemic first hit in March of 2020, several companies also took the opportunity to re-evaluate their operations in the long term.
With all the evidence suggesting an overall improvement to everyone's mental and physical well-being that a four day work week provides, one can only hope it becomes more commonplace with each passing year.