Today's Demanding Work Culture

We're used to working a lot. A person gets up in the morning, goes to work, comes back in the evening. There are studies that say that if you're still at work at 8pm then your family is probably not in good shape, but that's what we're used to. It could be some huge tycoon who runs international corporations. It could be a programmer who works endless hours because he has to. This could be a teacher who makes calls to the parents of her students until late in the evening. Everyone is used to working a lot. This is today's demanding work culture.

Why did we make such a reality?

Because we think that by doing so we will have a better life. So at some point we started measuring our happiness in life, and our success in life according to the number of hours we work. Supposedly if we work a lot, it's sure to be a special job, or a special salary, or there is a special importance in what we are doing and so on.

The only problem, which is also the only solution, is us humans. We're probably still unable to answer the question of what to do with ourselves with the rest of the free hours. Because once we know how to answer it, what sane person would not want to work only four hours a day? And spend all the rest, with family, friends, working out, relaxing, etc.

Once upon a time we thought that technological advancement would free us from having to work so many hours, but the exact opposite happened. On the one hand we have made great progress technologically, and on the other hand we are working more. How did it work out that what we thought would happen didn't happen, and the exact opposite ended up happening?

Apparently we do not want to be released, because we have moved to a situation where our job is our life. We replaced life with work, as if it were life. We look at people and the first question is, what do you do? what's your occupation? Everyone is just talking about work. Because it's obvious, if a person is busy at work for ten hours a day, then what else does he have going on? What else can he talk about? Everything revolves around the profession. His whole life is designed around it. Of course it's twisted. We were not born to work.

Out of the eight to twelve hours we hold an employee every day, four of those hours are efficient and high-quality, and the rest is a kind of must-fill time. So anyone who knows how to calculate can tell us how much money can be saved from making such a move. Shrink the organization to four hours of work a day with the same volume of work and even more. In addition you get an employee who is really comfortable working for you, and this convenience will be used in a far more productive way. Everyone benefits - the organization, the employees, etc., so what's the problem? If this is true then why isn't everyone doing it already? And especially after everything we've been through.

The only problem, which is also the only solution, is us humans. We're probably still unable to answer the question of what to do with ourselves with the rest of the free hours. Because once we know how to answer it, what sane person would not want to work only four hours a day? And spend all the rest, with family, friends, working out, relaxing, etc.

Like all the other topics covered here in my newsletter, it will eventually happen - it's just a matter of time. Why is it only a matter of time? Because these concepts are already being shared in our human network that we're all connected to. And actually they started appearing way before the pandemic - thanks to And with each day that goes by we're seeing more evidence that this is the way things will go - so why wait? Why wait for your best people to walk out the door? Who knows if and when they'll return? Make things convenient now. ?

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The 4-hour workday is not a crazy idea - Quarts

The Great Resignation has morphed into the Great Sabbatical - Fast Company