this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2023
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Gah... already getting those "this weekend is too short" vibes and it hasn't even started yet. If they're going to make us work longer, can they at the very least give us a bit more time in our lives now and just mandate a four day work week already?!
I'm very close to making the leap to a 4 day week (if not a 9 day fortnight). When I look at how much I've been spending on dealing with the consequences of burnout, it's worth it in the end.
I've been thinking about it a lot more lately too... at least a 9 day fortnight. I wanted to go back to study and with everything happening in my life right now it was just too much. Giving myself a day back every fortnight would help. The 10% pay cut would hurt, but I could manage.
At this point I'm willing to take the 10% cut to claw back some control of my life. And start finding the time and energy to visualise and act on what I think is actually possible for my life instead of being stuck in this rut :( I acknowledge that's a huge privilege right there - luckily I have no dependents.
Interestingly enough I know a few people who have dependents and found that it's actually cheaper for one of them to drop down to part-time (or in the case of one family, both dropped a day as we are discussing). They took the pay hit but found the additional benefit of spending time with their younger family far outweighed the hit to the pocket.
And yeah, part of it is a huge privilege, but also I think it's all relative. A have mates back home (East Gippy) who live off a single income. They're happy to live a sleepy life away from the rat race and seem to have far fewer cares, or at least their cares aren't the same as ours. I maintain that those of us who work within the confines of the city gain and lose a lot of things simultaneously - one of which is time. If we're able to work towards a means that aids in that then I think that's a positive.
I reckon for dependents it's easier if you have a partner. But I guess I feel like I'm in a good position because my choice of career and working hours doesn't generally impact the quality of my dependents' lives (whether it's about children, parents, disabled relatives). I have friends who have to stay full time to afford a mortgage because they want a home for their kids. Friends who have had to move back to places they hate to support their parents. Others who are working their arse off to support impoverished extended family back in the old country. I'm very grateful I can choose to take the financial hit and the main person impacted really is me and that's it.
Re your second paragraph. I am seriously considering moving out to a sleepier town (maybe not as far as East Gippy - beautiful country though and some lovely hippies up in the Errinundra). Regional Vic or quite likely interstate. You know that oft quoted quip by the dotty philosopher Diogenes about lentils and being subservient to the king? Yeah that's me to a tee. Forget aspiring towards power and recognition, I'd be much happier dialing down my needs and now that I have PR this is an option available to me. Not gonna change it all in one go just yet though.
Yeah that's a fair point - I don't have huge amounts of sympathy for families, but single parent households... yeesh, my heart does go out to them.
And yeah, I can definitely see the benefit of heading out of the city. I knew a few who did just that, strangely enough through ice hockey. One mate ended up on the Vic/NSW border, another picked up a decent plot of land outside of Bendigo I think it was. They commute one or two days into the city, but otherwise say that while they've had to give up some stuff, knowing their kids aren't growing up in the city is a blessing. As someone who was born in the city, lived his childhood out in the sticks... all I wanted was to be back here in Melbs. I don't think I can handle not being here.
I really do miss bonfires, the smell of woodfire smoke saturating my clothes, starry nights and good mates though. I took those times way too much for granted.
I luckily only work 11 - 5. But even with that limited time it'd be nice if I could work 4 days a week instead of the full 5. I asked my boss after probation is over if I could at least work from home for one day (mostly due to chronic pain, it's not so bad, but my job has stairs to the office since it's in a complex with other places). Just got to wait till December when the probation is off.
That's a decent arrangement - and yeah, hopefully getting at least one day WFH down the line will make it even better. Shouldn't be too much to ask for in this post-Covid era, yet the hoops people have to jump through is ridiculous.
It's just so weird how government and bosses are pushing for people to come into the office. Like wasn't there a big boom in mental health for people who could work at home (obviously not including the mental health for when we had to stay inside 24/7 but still).
Wild, absolutely wild.
That’s the big life changing thing that Covid brought us - work from home, allowing people who are disabled/chronic health issues be able to work without dealing with the physical issues and fatigue from going to an office.
Exactly. Like I honestly would work better if I could work from home. I would still be in pain obviously. But it wouldn't be so bad because I'm at home so I can walk around more or have hot water bottles/wheat packs on me while I work.
Like my job isn't intensive. But just some small accommodations would be nice. Again, going to try and ask about that when my probation is up, I understand not doing it right now. But here's hoping!
Cutting back to three days was the best brain thing I’ve done in ages. Not great for the house buying fund though.
Granted it relies on people getting opportunities when they're younger, but I wonder if it's just going to force more people into "part-tirement" where they don't fully retire until they pretty much can't work anymore, but will work two or three days a week. Kind of depressing though to think that for your entire life you're working. This is what I'll never understand - how society has been happy enough for this long to just... live to work.
But yeah, to your point, I'm wondering whether or not I do something similar. Like you said, not the best for the hip pocket, but it also blows my mind that so many people in higher roles still think money is so vitally important when 99% of them will never accumulate enough wealth for them to ever be satisfied.
I had a friend of that mindset. Always poking for something higher and more. To the extent of overseas where an armoured bus from a compound was needed. No thank you!
I’ve heard podcasts where people retire, but get bored do come back to work. Wtf???? Get some hobbies. I’d love to retire, so much to do and so little time to do it in.