How long does it take to get everything done? The working week is set in accordance with the labor code and depends on several factors. This is the age of the employee, his state of health, as well as the work that has to be done. Someone has the ability to carry out their duties 11 hours a day, and for some 6 hours is enough to feel tired. What is the normal working week? Let's try to figure it out.
A bit of history
Even before the revolution in Russia, working time was not controlled by law. At the end of the 19th century, a shift duration of 14 hours was considered normal. And people worked because there was no other way. It was necessary to feed the family. Only representatives of the aristocracy allowed themselves to relax. Under the pressure of the labor movement in 1897, the working day was officially reduced to 11 hours. On weekends, factory employees had the right to work for 10 hours. Women and children worked no more than 8 hours a day. Ordinary employees could not afford a vacation. But overtime was welcome. Everyone wanted to spend more time at the factory in order to get more rewards. This completely negated the innovations associated with working time.
After the October Revolution in 1917, the maximum working week was set at 48 hours. At the same time, employees could not spend more than 8 hours a day at the factory. One day off and paid leave was provided. Its duration depended on the complexity of the work performed.
In 1928, enterprises switched to a five-day work week. At the same time, employees were at the enterprise 7 hours a day. However, such innovations did not last long. In 1939, the Second World War began. Due to the complicated situation in 1940, I had to switch back to an 8-hour working day. The working week in Russia was set at 56 hours. Only minors could afford to be less at the factory. They worked 6 hours a day, seven days a week.
What is the working week today?
Under current labor law, an employee cannot spend more than 40 hours a week at the workplace. At the same time, you have to work 8 hours a day. A five-day work week with two days off is considered standard. Some employers may set a 6-day work week. However, in this case, employees receive additional benefits. Paid leave may be extended.
The concept of working time is regulated by article 91 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. If the employer violates the rights of the employee, he will be punished legally. The duration of the shortened working week is established for categories of citizens who fulfill their duties in hazardous work. For example, people who work with radiation or chemicals have to spend only 6 hours a day at the enterprise. Work time is also reduced for some categories of medical personnel and for educators and teachers.
A longer work week can be set only at the request of the employee. All the nuances are negotiated before signing the employment contract. If an employee agrees to a long working day, this is officially recorded. Therefore, claims cannot be brought against the employer.
The latter has the right to keep track of the time actually worked by each individual employee. For this, almost every enterprise has a checkpoint. A journal is kept here, in which it is recorded when a person came to the workplace and when he left it. In some plants and enterprises, this procedure is automated. Control is carried out using special access cards, and the data goes directly to the employer's computer.
Four day work week
Some experts believe that the normal working week should not exceed 4 days. This will solve several problems at once. First of all, there will be much more jobs. In many factories, production is ongoing. This means that more people can take a job. In addition, a shorter working day will benefit the workers themselves. For three days off they will be able to perfectly restore their strength and begin to carry out their duties. Staff turnover will significantly decrease, and the number of errors in production will decrease. Rested staff will do their job more efficiently.
The working week in hours may remain the same. That is, 40 hours a week can be worked out in 4 days. Many employees agree with this. They are ready to work 2 hours more daily to get more days off.
Is Russia ready to switch to a four-day week today? According to studies, only 50% of citizens agree to such innovations. Many today work almost seven days a week to get more rewards for their work. If you have to spend 4 days at the factory, employees will begin to look for additional sources of income. In addition, if the working time per week is reduced, the cost of manufactured products will increase significantly. Russia cannot yet be compared with European countries that have gone far ahead in development.
What is the working week in other countries?
In most developed countries, as well as in the Russian Federation, the working week lasts from Monday to Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, everyone has the opportunity to spend time with friends and family. But in some states other holidays are set. So, for example, in Israel, Sunday is considered the first working day. But employees finish their workdays on Friday afternoon. The standard working week is 43 hours. In a factory or office, people spend 8 hours daily.
In most Muslim countries, the main day off is Friday. Most of the population works from Saturday to Wednesday. In some cases, Thursday is also considered work. At the same time, the generally accepted working week is 40 hours.
The Chinese are considered the most hardworking. Employees work here for 10 hours daily. At the same time, only Sunday is considered a day off, vacation does not exceed 10 days, and only 20 minutes are allocated for lunch. It is not surprising that most of the achievements of science and technology are the merit of the Chinese. The Japanese were also nearby. Employees here have to spend 50 hours a week at the workplace. In Japan, a six-day week is also welcome.
The shortest working week in the Netherlands. Employees of offices, factories and factories work for 6 hours. At the same time, they rest 2 days a week and are entitled to paid leave, the duration of which is 30 calendar days.
What are the alternatives?
More recently, one of the richest people in the world, Carlos Slim, proposed reducing the working week to three days. In his opinion, people can work much less than the standard 40 hours and still be in time. However, Carlos believes that the working day should be 11 hours, and employees should retire no earlier than 75 years. Given that the average life expectancy in Russia is 70 years, a pension for many citizens does not shine at all.
There are many hypotheses about the work week. Everyone who expresses this or that opinion gives his reasons. Consider the most common options.
4 hours
Many will say that the normal working week cannot be 4 hours. This is impossible for most professions. The follower of the short week is the author of many best-selling books Timothy Ferris. The writer claims that in the past he had to work 14 hours a day. However, he did not have much time and felt miserable. If a person will work less, his performance will be significantly higher. This is due to the fact that it takes only 20% of the available time to complete 80% of the planned. This is a scientifically proven fact.
Ferris believes that planning is crucial. The most difficult tasks need to be solved in the first place, and secondary ones can be entrusted to assistants. From this we can conclude that a 4-hour work week can be suitable for people who own their own business and have achieved a lot. For an ordinary employee, 4 hours a week will be very small.
21 hours
Halving the work week will solve several problems at once. First of all, the unemployment rate will be significantly reduced. That is, two vacancies will appear in one place at once. In addition, people will be able to relax more, which means that it is better to restore strength. This will certainly affect the quality of the work performed. Many today live for work, and not work for life. This is the wrong approach. Reducing working time will help improve the condition of workers, and also affect the development of the economy.
The duration of the shortened working week may not exceed 21 hours. How to distribute this time, each employer decides independently. A three-day work week is considered ideal. At the same time, employees will have to be at the factory or in the office for 7 hours. In 4 days it will be possible to recover perfectly and to begin to perform work duties with renewed vigor.
Theory is still far from practice. Most domestic enterprises today are not yet ready to switch to a four-day work week. The economic situation does not allow this to be done in the first place. After all, a 7-hour working day should be introduced while maintaining the minimum wage established by law. Some employers are still taking this step. Indeed, with a reduction in the duration of the week, the working capacity of employees improves. Thanks to this, it is possible to obtain a greater income, and, therefore, to increase wages.
30 hours
At the height of the Great Depression in 1930, corn tycoon John Harvey conducted a small experiment. He decided to reduce the standard working day per week. Factory employees began to work 6 hours instead of the generally accepted eight. As a result, the employer was able to significantly increase productivity and reduce the cost of their products. Employees began to work 2 hours less daily, they had more free time. The tycoon noted that the last two hours of the shift are the least effective. Having reduced the length of time that people spent at the machines, he lost nothing. After all, it was not necessary to hire new employees.
Such experiments are carried out today. In Sweden, for example, at one of the Gothenburg factories, workers were divided into two groups. Some work 8 hours a day, others - 6 hours. At the same time, both groups retain the same salary. The length of the working week in hours affects the overall ability to work. A group of employees who work less shows better results. Experts argue that reform in the labor sector in favor of reducing working time can bring the state more than one billion dollars.
32 hours
There are many supporters of the 4-day work week. Moreover, experts are sure that the average working week should not be less than 32 hours. That is, employees will spend the same 8 hours a day at the machine or at the office desk. During this time, it will be possible to solve the maximum number of tasks. Three weekends will appear that can be spent with family and friends. To date, in the United States, 36% of companies operate on this principle. Friday is considered the same day off as Saturday or Sunday.
There is an opinion that it is possible to increase labor productivity by increasing the number of days off. The maximum working week can be 33 hours. Employees will spend 11 hours at their primary place of employment. But retirement will not be at 50 or 60 years old, but at 70-75. According to scientists, such a schedule will allow people to relax more and significantly improve living standards.
Different opinion
Some employers notice that even 2 days off is too much. Only those who work tirelessly succeed. Numerous studies show that on weekends people actively communicate on social networks and discuss the news. This time can be spent more productively. Today, it is considered normal to have a working week in Russia of 48 hours. On Sunday, many manage to regain strength in order to again begin to work actively for the good of society.
From a medical point of view, the 6-day work week still negatively affects both employees and the enterprise as a whole. Workaholics are much more likely to exacerbate chronic diseases. When recycled, they run the risk of personal injury. Studies have been conducted that have confirmed that a longer working week adversely affects employees. People who work more than 50 hours have a much smaller vocabulary and cannot properly express their thoughts. What is the normal working week? It turns out that it is optimal to spend no more than 40 hours on the performance of their basic duties.
Is it worth it to work seven days a week?
Today, no country in the world has a 7-day work week. However, many citizens in Russia still manage to work seven days a week, settling in several places at once. Working hours per week are also increasing for those who decide to start their own business. It is necessary to constantly keep abreast of events, to control expenses and incomes. However, most businessmen do not spend 8 hours in the office daily. They can do business at home.
Changing activities allows you to work daily. For example, 5 days a week you can devote to work in the office, and on weekends to find something for the soul, which will also bring income. Of great importance is quality rest. If you manage to establish a full night's sleep and rest during the day for at least two hours, it is quite possible to count on a 7-day working week. But even in this mode, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to work for a long time. Work from Monday to Friday provides the domestic Labor Code. The duration of the working week does not exceed 40 hours. Work longer or not, everyone decides for himself.
To increase labor productivity is possible for those employers who were able to dilute the main responsibilities of employees with training and corporate parties. Monotonous work quickly tires. If the employee will receive positive emotions in the office or in the factory, he will be able to fulfill his duties much more efficiently.