4-day workweeks and 'sick note culture'

Welcome to Clock In, TIME's monthly LinkedIn-only newsletter about the changing world of work. The first day of May is dedicated to workers' rights, so this month's collection of must-reads is centered around labor conditions and how we look at work.

What It’s Really Like to Have a 4-Day Workweek

Jamie Ducharme reports: There’s growing momentum for a more condensed schedule, with companies including Panasonic, Kickstarter, and the online thrift store ThredUp trying out four-day workweeks.

"Pilot studies in countries including the U.K., Spain, Portugal, and South Africa suggest that shorter workweeks can help employees reduce burnout, manage stress, get more sleep and exercise, spend additional quality time with loved ones, and feel all-around happier and healthier. Employers see perks, too, including lower rates of turnover and absenteeism," she writes.

TIME spoke with employees at four companies trying out these schedules to learn more about the real-world effects of a shorter workweek—and if they’re as life-changing as the hype suggests. Read here.

American Airlines Pilots Union Warns of ‘Significant Spike’ in Safety, Maintenance Issues?

Mallory Moench reports: The Allied Pilots Association (APA), the union for American Airlines pilots, issued a recent alert to its members warning that the group “has been tracking a significant spike in safety and maintenance-related problems in our operation.”

Problematic trends include tools left in wheel wells, an increasing number of collisions between aircrafts being towed, improperly closed out maintenance actions with repeat writeups, pressure to return aircrafts to service to maintain on-time performance due to a lack of spares and increased intervals between routine aircraft inspections, according to the membership update posted on the union’s website on April 13.

The alert comes as airplane manufacturer Boeing and several U.S. airlines are under scrutiny following multiple safety incidents this year.?Read more here.

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Sparks Debate Over Plan to End ‘Sick Note Culture’

Armani Syed reports: U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for an end to Britain’s “sick note culture” in a speech on April 19.

Sunak set out plans to reduce the number of people turning to sick leave if the Conservative party is re-elected in the upcoming general election, which has to take place no later than Jan. 28, 2025.?

"A record high number of 2.8 million people are out of work as of February, according to the Office for National Statistics. NHS data showed that almost 11 million fit notes were issued last year in England, with 94% of those signed 'not fit for work,'" writes Syed.

Sunak’s proposal invited swift criticism from medical bodies and professionals.

“We do recognise the health benefits of good work, and that most people do want to work, but when they are unwell, people need access to prompt care. With a waiting list of 7.5 million—not including for mental health problems—delays to diagnostics, and resulting pressures on GP practices, patients cannot get the treatment they need to be able to return to work,” said Dr. Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of General Practitioners Committee England, the British Medical Association’s GP committee.?

Read more here.

Side Hustle or Scam? What to Know About Data Annotation Work

Will Henshall reports: Data annotation sites, often subsidiaries of larger companies, can offer legitimate avenues for earning money. As the AI industry continues to grow, demand for human labellers has grown with it. But potential users should be aware that the data labeling industry is poorly regulated, and because the industry is opaque, it can be difficult to navigate.

Find out what to know about this line of work here.

When Meaningful Work Backfires

"As a burnout researcher, my work has been focused on pinpointing the most reliable and effective resources people can connect to in order to protect themselves from burnout," writes Kandi Wiens.

"While having a high level of engagement with your work can protect you from burnout, being over-engaged in meaningful work can come with some potential risks."

Learn more about those risks here.

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Must read stories from TIME:

• The Coronavirus Outbreak Has Become the World’s Largest Work-From-Home Experiment
• New FTC Rule Bans ‘Noncompete’ Agreements for Most Employees
• About One in Four U.S. Adults Over 50 Say They Expect to Never Retire, Study Finds

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This newsletter was curated by Kari Sonde and edited by Samantha Cooney.