It has always been a struggle for people to maintain work-life balance. Working excessive hours poses a danger to workers’ health and to their families. Earlier all the work was done manually. However, with the help of machinery and computers, in modem times certain industries don’t require as many working hours anymore. Technology has introduced new ways to increase productivity. More recently, the global trend leans toward a four-day work week (counting one work day as eight hours).
Even the ILO standards on working time provide the framework for regulated hours of work, daily and weekly rest periods, and annual holidays. These instruments ensure high productivity while safeguarding workers’ physical and mental health. If the workers earn enough to pay for their necessities, they may opt to spend more time at home or in leisure. Countries around the globe are already experimenting and implementing shorter work weeks in varying degrees. So, in my opinion, the new policy relating to timing of employees should be a four-day work week.
