Working Less Improves the Economy

Economists are going to hate me for pointing this out, but digest the title of this post while I wash it down with some cold hard facts. What needs to happen?

Proposed Corporate Work Schedule:

M - Work From Home 6 Hours

T, W, TH - Work in Office 6 Hours

F, S, Su - Off

Now allow me to explain why working less is better for the economy based on my proposed corporate work schedule. Let's start with an important question...

How much do employees really accomplish in a 40+ hour work weeks? On avg. 15 hours...

Wasted Time

-10 Hours/Week

Americans typically waste about five to ten hours each week, in their commute to work. That means they may be clocked in for 40 hours each week, but really they invest closer to 50 hours each week.

-10 Hours/Week While at work corporate employees must foster and nurture their relationships with their coworkers. That's at least an hour or two of water cooler talk and gossip.

-15 Hours/Week

Then there are constraints of managing our existing relationships in our lives through social media and cellular devices that take two or three more hours of our time.

That leaves about three hours of work that actually gets done each day, equalling on average 15 hours of productive work per week. It is next to impossible to expect employees to work productively for such long periods. You will not get their best work since science explains mental and physical fatigue will set in, no matter the amount of caffeine consumption.

Here's the tough part of the sell for the companies to digest. Pay your employee the same salary that you've paid them for the 40+ hours they currently work. Now wash that down with some cold hard facts.

Cold Hard Fact #1:

Most employees have been more productive since working from home.

Cold Hard Fact #2:

Fatigue limits productive work.

Cold Hard Fact #3:

Happy employees are more productive and perform significantly better.

Monday - Work From Home 6 Hours

Monday is work from home for six hours. This eliminates the 'Monday Blues' that most employees go through. Imagine after a relaxing Sunday, attending church and finishing errands to prepare for the week ahead, you get to work from home. Your employees become elated, generating more endorphins, which ultimately peaks productivity during this work period (and the rest of the week).

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - Work In Office 6 Hours

Doing this eliminates fatigue of your employees. Ultimately, maximizing peak performance periods. Less time, equals more attention to detail and more focus, which maximizes this 18 hour period. This also increases revenue for coffee in the morning, and happy hours after work because more time is available. And let's face it, going to work creates a different moral and team chemistry that is ultimately necessary to benefit the company.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday - Off

What do most people do on a three day weekend? Travel locally, travel on quick weekend trips, and ultimately spend more money. Most people are typically paid on Friday. People typically spend their money on the weekend. Increasing the time on the weekend, increases the opportunity for people to spend more money.

Spending more money = Better for the economy

And ironically, by following the weekly model listed above, your employees will get even more done in less time...