Microsoft’s Reduced Workweek Increased Productivity by 40%

1. Productivity in terms of work output per hour (or workday, since we're probably dealing with salaries and not hourly wages) worked…so yeah exactly as Wolff put it, the workers got squeezed. Did they all of a sudden become so much more efficient that they magically produced 40% more in 80% of the time? No. 20% of their work became extracurricular, roughly. They may have worked harder and longer hours on the days they worked, too, but they undoubtedly had to find ways in the "free" time to continue "getting the job" done on essentially a volunteer basis. Competitiveness and careerism demand this; you definitely don't want to be the one caught slipping the next time the stock takes a dip and there's a layoff.

2. It's my man, Richard Wolff

3. I believe that reducing the work week to 4 days can be productive, for, if a person earns enough income with 4 days, then they'll have more time off for recreational activities, gardening, …. , and they'll return to work more refreshed. This interview, though, seems a little confusing at times. F.e., at 0:37, you say that the avg work hours in the US is only 70 or so hours more per YEAR than in Japan, and this is hilarious. If you take 70 and divide by 365 (days per yr), I get about 0.191 hrs/day, and if we multiply that by 5, for 5-day weeks, we get still less than 1 hour per week. Doesn't at all seem sig. to me.

4. 1 day per week reduced paper by 59%? I call Bullshit!

5. It’s actually to get you use to working less before you loose your job to A I.
   People will fall for it.

6. I like to say that I'm tired of working for other people because I hate begging for my own time off. My brother argues that the law firm where he works as the IT guy will give him any time off he wants. I try to explain to him that that's the case ONLY if he asks for time (and he ALWAYS has to ask) that complies with their timeframe. What if he asked to start working a 32-hour workweek (4-8 hr days) or a 30-hour workweek (5-6 hr days)? Or if he asks for a month off so he can go to Europe? I'm 58 years old and would LOVE to cut my work week down to 4 days a week, but no employer would hire me with such a request (let alone requirement). It's crazy, to me, how employers dictate such things. It seems like they would be more than happy to allow someone to work less or even more time based on their personal life situation and have a much happier, more productive workforce, but I think most management just can't wrap their heads around the concept of not being dictators. Even the "work from home" process for people who work on computers all day is barely catching on. It's amazing to me how slowly our ship turns.

7. Thanks to Professor Wolff for exposing the facts about the propaganda of "sacred profits".

8. They aren't implementing it because they want to keep the workers in control, as simple as that. Free time means personal development, regeneration, socializing, sex, education, time to think, sleep, exercise, time with your loved ones, time to make good food, etc. All this leads people out of their slavish mindset and towards enlightenment.

   This is exactly what happened in Sweden in the 70s, the social welfare state was the greatest in civilized history and people were becoming radicalized. There was a real possibility that Sweden might achieve socialism through a mixture of parliamentarian politics and popular activism, that set the elites to destroy the welfare state. Contrary to some pseudo-Marxian dogma, socialism is not more likely to take power when there is a crisis, it can, but socialist revolution can only occur with organization, education and the will to struggle. In more welfarist states, there exists more of these things than in deprived states, so in many ways you are in a better position to establish socialism than in states where there doesn't even exist public healthcare. Again, it can absolutely happen in poor states (they have a less sophisticated indoctrination and propaganda system than the wealthy states), as it has happened all the time and is occurring right now in Lebanon, Chile, Haiti, etc. but the organizational and even psychological seeds are more developed in welfare states so you when you begin the struggle with a more roomy cage.

   One should also know that the early socialist movement, particularly it's most radical elements such as the anarchists were very keen on the reduction of hours and more free time. This is because they knew that it wasn't only going to develop people's consciousness (which is revolutionary), but had a deep healing effect on the workers which would regenerate them from their slave state and finally be able to see things and life clearly (or more clearly as they still work many hours). The amount of time human beings work in civilized – especially capitalist societies – is poisonous to every aspect of a human being. The natural amount of time human beings are meant to work is around 15 hours a week (based on pre-civilized hunter-gatherer life) and it wasn't "work" as we understand it. It was more or less a state of physical rituals which one does by instinct and education, its in fact the fundamental healthy activities we do today, hiking, camping, foraging, exploring, crafting, sports, etc. Socialism is based exactly off of this, Marx didn't call hunter-gatherers "primitive communists" for nothing, socialism is about returning to that intrinsic, creative, communitarian, non-repressed, healthy, free state of being, evolved with all the positive aspects of civilization.

   "in communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticise after dinner, just as I have a mind, without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic." • Karl Marx

   A crisis without organization or a left means fascism, or reactionary politics, crisis and suffering are the basic foundation of their chaotic politics. People who have or are suffering are more likely to have self-destructive or suicidal tendencies than healthier people are. Socialism is about health and enlightenment, fascism is about suffering and mental degradation. Just read about fascist and reactionary psychology, its based on things like repression, trauma, fear, and all those things which civilization has done to humanity.

   Even sexual repression has a radical effect on ones political beliefs, people who are sexually unhealthy are more likely to be right-wing and fascistic (which largely explains incels and such). People who are sexually healthy are more likely to be leftists, Wilhelm Reich talks about this and explains this may have been a partial reason as to why Russia became red and why Germans went fascist. All this trauma and suffering in fact leads to people accepting and keeping the the same system that represses them going, it's a vicious cycle. Being aware of this and committing to self-development, socializing, healing, education, meditation, sex, exercise, struggle, etc. is actually a deeply revolutionary thing to do, this is how you create real revolutionaries. These things are as inseparable from struggle as training is to becoming a soldier. It's more and more apparent to me that good things bring about more good things whereas bad things lead to worse things, it's a feedback loop. The more we establish welfare and such the closer we get to socialism and become healthier people, if we don't then it's a feedback loop of increasing suffering. Life is a lot like a tug of war.

9. Overwork is a problem all over the world I have a son that I get to spend 2 hours with awake and the rest sleeping because I work 8 hours a day and he spends more time with a stranger at daycare then with his own parents because me and my wife got to work for what what is the rat race why are we working our self to our Graves we should Implement that law or suggestion work at least 3 Days 12 hour shift or 4 days 8 hour shifts and have good quality time with the family when the week comes close to the end I have no interest in my job or work and I sit around thinking about my family instead of doing what I have to do maybe if I spend more time with my family and less time at work or an equal amount on both side I will show interest in both fields and guaranteed everybody else would do the same

10. So true about companies trying to get you to work outside the work place. One company offered to give me a company cell phone but they expected that if I took the cell phone I would be available for technical support anytime I wasn't in the office and would always take the calls of upper management. They got upset when I pointed out that my cell phone bill was a bad trade off for weekend and night tech support.

11. Thanks for bringing Richard Wolff on – Sanders is a fan.

12. These corporations do what they want because the United States government protects them and we vote in these devil's who work against us

13. This 4 day week is getting more common in UK in my area but u end up doing 12hr shift 4on 4off, if u unlucky it rotates days & nights. I did it 6months by which time I felt like a zombie with no idea what day of the week it was. I don't recommend it esp if u don't get enough sleep. Purely done for profits as this done my health no good. Thankfully don't work there no more.

14. Quantum computers will generate more work than a million humans.🤔

15. This is fine and all, but there's no reduction in hours with this, right? So it's a complete scam.

    I also think there should be some distinction between careers/vocations and slave jobs. Lots of people working the former want to work more hours. Most people working the latter want to work less.

16. Good more detailed explanation of productivity and wages and how in the past 40 to 50 years this helps fuel social tensions. Thus also is always part of the basis for the justification of racism and other discriminations.

17. This guy is a DREADFUL interviewer. It seems clear that he's not listening to his guest or doesn't understand the subject matter. On all of his videos, he asks a question, the guest replies, and he just goes "Hm." then goes on to make his own point. Never a question about the point just made, never a comment. He's the epitome of the saying "He's only waiting for the other person to stop talking so he can make his own point." It's never a conversation with him.

18. Yes because every company and worker are high end IT jobs where most the job is sitting down.

    Lmao i wanna see supermarket employees get 4 days of.

19. Microsoft sold american workers out to exploit workers in low-wage countries for corporate profit they pay little to no taxes on.

20. We are slaves to work…

21. I keep saying 30hr work week with 20hr minimum wage.

22. Its good for everyone around the world..Your avg petson already knew 4 days or less hours is best for peoples sanity..they can spend more time with family..possibly live longer..more sociableTHIS AINT A NEW DISCOVERY..

23. Walmart Distribution Centers, in AMERICA, only works 4 days a week too! 4 / 10 hr shifts. It's awesome to have 3 days off! Fuck Microsoft in Japan!

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