Festive Mood

This has been called “the most wonderful time of the year” and with good reason. People appear cheerier and more hopeful despite mainstream media news to the contrary. The strange thing though, is that those who work are mostly rundown and look forward to their places of work closing or taking the Leave they’ve saved up throughout the year. What would this look like if people were already on a four-day week though?

What is even more peculiar is that there will be those who don’t get time off at all. Some employers may be opposed to a four-day workweek, but when it’s government sanctioned there is really not much they can do about it. Though shops have to be open to take people’s money over this period, most close on 25 December and 1 January. Surely this is a day of productivity lost?

It’s insane to think that people have to use the time off they earned throughout the year, to spend it on rest at the end of that year. A reduced workweek gives you those little breaks in between so you don’t feel so exhausted come December. I would even argue that if more employees were on a four-day week, they would take less Leave.

It’s about finding that time to rest, in this marathon called life.

The festive season is a time to rest and spend more time with your loved ones. Government already imposes forced time off in the form of public holidays, so it makes sense that a company could do that once per week. Time off is sacred and we appear to have forgotten that. Are you taking some time off during the festive period or will you be working all the way through to 2025?

Tags

4 Day Week SA, INFJ, 4 Day Week, Future of Work, Work Time Reduction, Reduced Workweek Revolution, Wellbeing in the Workplace

David-John Wayne Bailey is an INFJ from Cape Town, a proud pioneer pilot participant of 4 Day Week SA and an advocate of a four-day week for everyone working in South Africa.