One question has kicked off a huge conversation about the four day working week in Australia
A “shocking” question asked during a Zoom meeting between a Boomer CEO and Gen Zer has sparked a debate that’s split Aussies down the middle.
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Aussies have weighed in on a simple work question - and it has become clear that Generation Z and Boomers can’t agree on an answer.
The conversation kicked off because Gabrielle Judge, who describes herself as the anti-work girl boss, dropped a clip of a Zoom conversation she was having about the four-day work week movement with a Baby Boomer CEO.
CEO of SparcStart, Maury Hanigan, outlined that she felt she could make the most of a four-day week and do work that she thought was productive, but she didn’t understand what she’d do on the fifth day.
“What do I do with that fifth day?” she asked.
The CEO explained that she was still determining what to do on that extra day and how much time she should still devote to working.
“The extra fifth day, you can do whatever you want. That is the exciting part,” Ms Judge said.
The Gen Zer revealed was “absolutely shocked” and “astonished” at Ms Hanigan’s response to the debate, with her followers claiming it was “sad” idea of not having to work and just having free time was “foreign” to the CEO.
The wider response to Ms Hanigan’s question has been mixed.
While some Aussies claim it unearths the toxic work-at-all-costs culture that Boomers were forced into, others believe that the CEO is right to be confused by the concept of a four-day working week because they think it’d never work in reality.
One Aussie commented that they felt Boomers had been “conditioned” into thinking they only added value when they were at work.
“It has taken me years to realise I don’t have to work seven days a week in my own business to be considered busy or successful,” she revealed.
Another member of the older generation shared that they thought a shorter week was something they were happy to throw their weight behind.
“This Boomer fully supports the four day work week,” they said.
Yet among the excitement at the concept of being able to work less, there were plenty of older Aussies that claimed workers shouldn’t be paid the same if they are going to score an extra day off.
“Great work four days, but only expect to be paid for 30.4 hours,” someone commented.
“Happy to have them work a four day week as long as they are happy to earn 80 per cent of pay,” another shared.
“Work whatever suits the balance you’re after, but don’t then complain you can’t afford a house or the extras. You reap what you sow, but you can’t have it coming and going. Easy,” another wrote.
“Simple get paid for what you work. Work four days, and you get paid four days. Work five get paid for five,” another wrote.
Another person agreed that if people wanted to work for four days then they should expected to be paid accordingly, claiming they needed to “wake up” to the situation.
An Aussie business owner even weighed in and declared that the concept of a shorter week just wasn’t “profitable” for businesses in 2023.
“If you can work a 40-hour week in 4 days, go for it. But as a business owner having staff work only 32 hours but expect 40 hours of pay isn’t going to be profitable,” an Aussie business owner claimed.
The business owner’s response was quickly questioned, with one Aussie responding and asking if they’d be happy to still pay their employees the same if the productivity stayed the same.
“If they can get 40 hours productivity into 32 hours … sure,” they responded.
Meanwhile, Generation Z and Millennials have a wildly different reaction to the idea of working less, they aren’t critical, instead they are thrilled.
“As a Millennial, please save us Gen Z. We are tired,” someone commented.
“As someone who is lucky enough to have a four day work week, it has truly redefined what rest can actually look like,” someone praised.
“Millennial here, I always wanted a four day week and I’m so here for it,” another wrote.
Someone else said that, while Boomers claimed they wanted a normal working week, they barely ‘worked’ on day five anyway.
“This is what I need!” another shared.
“I want higher pay and less work time,” another said.
Chief Content Director at Her Economy Ashlee Trout said that the concept of the four-day working week is a positive one for everyone.
“It frees up time and allows for people to spend more time with their friends, family and on their personal health,” she told news.com.au.
Ms Trout said you can easily see how effectively a four-day week can work because of how “ideal” people find the working week after a public holiday.
Ms Trout explained that Boomers are gun-shy about the concept because it is not how they’ve been “wired” to understand work.
“I think Boomers say we used to work harder; from my generation perspective as a Millennial, we are just very efficient,” she said.
Ms Trout said that just because younger people do something “quicker” doesn’t mean they are rushing it or the result isn’t of quality.
She believes it all comes down to that classic saying “work smarter, not harder” and that, ultimately, a shorter working week would allow all workers to reclaim their “lives.”
Originally published as One question has kicked off a huge conversation about the four day working week in Australia
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