Getting more by working less
A shorter workweek would produce happier, healthier workers and put many of the unemployed back to work, said Richard Schiffman at The Washington Post.
Richard Schiffman
The Washington Post
We shouldn’t have to “kill ourselves at work just to make a living,” said Richard Schiffman. Too many Americans are sacrificing their sleep, health, and happiness for their jobs. We plug away late at night and on weekends, working hundreds of hours more each year than people in other developed countries.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Yet even as corporate profitability continues to soar, the buying power of our wages is on the decline. Someone is getting rich off our productivity, “but it is not the American worker.” That’s why it’s time we consider “a wide-scale reduction in work hours.” This may seem an odd moment to do so, given the weak economy. But it may be just what we need to stop corporations from prioritizing profits above the health of the economy and of “those whose hard work made that economy flourish.”
A shorter workweek would produce happier, healthier workers and put many of the unemployed back to work. Some paychecks might be smaller, but that’s a trade-off plenty of Americans have said they’re willing to make for more leisure time with their families. “With so much to gain,” we would be wise to do a little less.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - October 23, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - loving thy neighbour, an HR matter, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Giuliani must hand assets to women he defamed
Speed Read The former New York City mayor must turn over his apartment and other possessions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimes
Speed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mall rats don’t foster prosperity
feature Our promotion of consumption “as the key to health and wealth” has whittled the savings rate from an average of 9.6 percent in the 1970s to 3.3 percent in the 2000s, said Caroline Baum at Bloomberg.com.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Consumer debt is not to blame
feature Given the circumstances, in fact, consumer spending is pretty consistent and pretty healthy, said James Surowiecki at The New Yorker.
By The Week Staff Last updated