[HN Gopher] Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?
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       Ask HN: Anyone working 4 day week here, as an employee?
        
       This is a question for salaried employees (or those who charge by
       the hour, but are expected to work full 40 hours for an employer).
       Where/How did you find your job? If you started at 40 hours per
       week, how did you negotiate it to 32?
        
       Author : akudha
       Score  : 75 points
       Date   : 2022-08-21 20:54 UTC (2 hours ago)
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | jokethrowaway wrote:
       | Fairly common among contractors.
       | 
       | You just negotiate how many days you want to work on that client.
       | 
       | Plenty of coworkers from Italy do it to avoid paying higher
       | taxes: they increase their hourly rate until they hit the 65k pa
       | limit and then they just start dropping days. If they were to
       | earn even 66k, they would start paying way more taxes and they
       | would need to earn ~30k more to get the same salary after taxes.
        
       | i_like_robots wrote:
       | I work four days in my current role and will continue doing so in
       | my next one. I don't have much choice in the matter so I always
       | raise it at the earliest opportunity and have even added it to my
       | CV to make sure I don't waste anybody's time.
       | 
       | I've found the majority of the companies I've spoken to over the
       | last few years (in the UK) have been open to me working 4 days a
       | week but I've also had the frustrating experiencing of being told
       | this isn't an option after interviewing successfully.
       | 
       | At the moment people with my experience are in huge demand so
       | having this leverage must be a big help and I'm happy to take
       | advantage of it while it lasts.
        
       | StevenWaterman wrote:
       | Just accepted a 32hr week job. Was advertised as, and applied for
       | it, as 40hrs. After having an offer from them, I got another
       | offer elsewhere at a much higher salary.
       | 
       | I knew the first was a better cultural fit, so went back and
       | asked them to work with me. No room to negotiate on salary, so
       | they offered 32hr weeks and I jumped at it.
        
         | runnerup wrote:
         | Did it come with a pro-rated lower pay or same pay as the
         | initially negotiated 40hr week?
        
           | StevenWaterman wrote:
           | Pay and holidays stayed the same as the original offer, not
           | pro-rata. It was a case of "not enough money in the budget"
           | rather than "you're not worth more"
        
             | Marazan wrote:
             | Well done.
        
       | nameless912 wrote:
       | My company has pretty flexible PTO (though most of the work is
       | client driven so our deadlines are pretty firm). My partner and I
       | are expecting a baby in January, and my partner has one day off
       | of work per week (they work 10's at a hospital). I basically just
       | _told_ my boss that I'm dropping to 32 hours to accommodate for
       | my family's needs, and he more or less accepted it. It helps that
       | I'm a staff engineer and I've always gotten my work in on time,
       | and after a couple weeks of adjustment I'm right back up to my
       | normal productivity.
       | 
       | So, I guess what I have to say is: - have a good reason (and your
       | own mental health/WLB is a good enough reason, but you need to
       | have one for people to take you seriously) - show you're capable
       | of getting the work done - accept that not everyone will be
       | accommodating, and figure out how valuable this accommodation is
       | for you.
        
       | aeze wrote:
       | We made the change company-wide a few months ago. No reduction in
       | pay, employees are able to choose their 32-hour schedule based on
       | their needs. Some people take off Mondays, some Fridays, some
       | work 5 days but shorter hours. We're just expected to coordinate
       | with our coworkers which has worked out fine so far.
       | 
       | As someone who has historically worked long hours, I wasn't
       | expecting to enjoy the change so much. It will be very hard to
       | move back if/when I move companies in the future.
        
       | oddeyed wrote:
       | I have negotiated a four day week twice. I would recommend a four
       | day week to anyone who can afford it. Don't forget that because
       | of tax bands the effective pay cut is less than 20%.
       | 
       | The first time I just straight up asked my boss in a conversation
       | and with a request in writing. I said I was unhappy in my life in
       | general and wanted more time to spend on other things than work.
       | There is legislation in the UK that means that employers must
       | consider these requests and reply with an answer and explanation
       | in a fixed time frame. They accepted and I worked it for about 4
       | months before other circumstances meant I had to relocate and
       | leave that company.
       | 
       | The job I moved to was a start-up. After a string of executive
       | resignations and engineering team redundancies I was left as the
       | most experienced team member. I had another job offer in hand
       | that I didn't really want but took it to the only remaining
       | senior lead and asked for 4 days (at full pay this time) or I'd
       | leave. They accepted in an informal way rather than modify my
       | contract in this case and just called it "taking a day off when
       | you need it". I would not recommend accepting this in general as
       | it puts you in a vulnerable position for being punished for doing
       | what you thought was the agreed deal. In any case, working 4 days
       | at this job was a disaster because the company was such a mess
       | and I had so little support that I spent my day off and my
       | weekends obsessing about work unhealthily. I ultimately went back
       | to 5 days in a more senior role to try to help right the ship but
       | couldn't take the stress then either so ended up leaving.
       | 
       | I'm now at 5 days again. If I stick my new job out I plan to
       | request 4 days after my probation period ends.
       | 
       | The decision for an employer comes down to retention - do they
       | want to keep you enough to accept 4 days instead of the risk of
       | you leaving? So if you have a manager who can understand your
       | value and represent that to internal decision makers then that's
       | the main key.
        
       | kqr wrote:
       | "For the foreseeable future, I'm going to take Fridays to be with
       | my family. Can we make that work?"
       | 
       | "Good for you! Coordinate with your team and make sure you fill
       | HR in on your absences."
       | 
       | This was after working the full 40 weeks for four years* with an
       | employer that knows how important work--life balance is.
       | 
       | ----
       | 
       | * Well, I did take one afternoon/week off for medical reasons for
       | half a year. And arranged 60 % work to have time for university
       | in parallel another year. And was away on parental leave for most
       | of yet another year. I guess a good employer does not make it
       | hard to stay with them.
        
       | taurusnoises wrote:
       | In NYC "summer Fridays" were a thing where some 9-5 jobs gave
       | Fridays off for a couple months. Back in 2005-2010 I worked at a
       | magazine that did that until my boss was like, wait, if we can
       | put out the magazine in four days for a few months, we can do it
       | in four all year. No one objected, and thus began the best job I
       | ever had. Managing editor for a 4-day-a-week magazine.
        
       | outsider7 wrote:
       | Currently working 35 hours a week, in a unionized job with banked
       | time starting at 36h (1:1), (2:1 at 40+ hrs), 4 weeks vacation &
       | unlimited sick days up to a point(6 per year I hear...), meaning
       | I can take a day off whenever I'm too tired/sick. Due to the
       | negotiated conditions, it's also really not advantageous for the
       | employer to force us to be on call or have us do any amount of
       | OT. Thus the workload is really stable. In a way I now have too
       | much free time.
       | 
       | It's been a bliss overall on my work/life balance. I've never
       | been that healthy and my stress level has never been so low in my
       | life. I know I'll live longer and once I am more stable
       | financially, I'll be able to have time to contribute to my
       | community.
       | 
       | The salaries are also quite good. I highly encourage people to
       | unionize, it is the only way to get proper leverage in this
       | highly inequitable period we live in.
       | 
       | The union we have is small and consists exclusively of people
       | with at minimum university degrees. Most of them have some form
       | of life accomplishments due to the hiring process also. Due to
       | the conditions negotiated, the well provisioned pension fund and
       | general job advantages, most people coming in are experienced (5+
       | years) except for some amount of diversity/equity hires (which
       | the company kinda needed since everyone stays there until
       | retirement...).
       | 
       | Thus, the union is well organized to have leverage, well
       | structured and reasonable with whom they should defend when there
       | is abuse on the side of the employer. People are mostly diligent
       | in their work obligations.
       | 
       | There is some rare exceptions, some employees with too much
       | mastery of transferring issues to others. Frankly, I've seen the
       | same or worst in Big Corpo, mostly in middle management, the only
       | difference here is some employees do it instead of the
       | managers...
        
         | carabiner wrote:
         | Wild guess, but is this in a smaller, suburban town, rather
         | than a big city?
        
       | zackify wrote:
       | I told the employer that I currently work 4 days so I won't join
       | without keeping that schedule.
       | 
       | Before that, I just asked for 4 days and made it clear I provide
       | the value of those who work 5 days a week. No pay cut required.
        
       | Marazan wrote:
       | Was working fulltime.
       | 
       | Asked my manager to go down to 4 days. They said yes.
       | 
       | Now down to a 3 day week (spread over 5 days) as it fits my
       | situation better.
        
       | TomVDB wrote:
       | A friend on mine quit his FAANG job, took a one year sabbatical,
       | and went back on the job market. He found a remote-only job at a
       | boutique bank in NYC, negotiated his compensation, and then told
       | them he'd only accept the offer if it was 4 days instead of 5 at
       | the same salary. They accepted without any pushback. He totally
       | loves his 3-day weekends.
        
       | thrawn0r wrote:
       | I work 4 days at Microsoft in Germany (PM at Github) In Germany
       | employees have the right to demand part time. for new hires it's
       | usually 40h and then reduce after the probation period. might
       | reduce your career growth but I still got promoted and am happy
       | with Fridays off
        
       | RyJones wrote:
       | We switched to four day weeks last year. In practice, it means I
       | now work six days a week instead of seven.
        
       | ErrantX wrote:
       | I don't, however I am generally able to flex my days a lot due to
       | working mostly from home and also being able to complete my work
       | fairly quickly.
       | 
       | A lot of people at my employer do work different schedules
       | though. Either 4 day weeks or compressed hours (9 longer days &
       | one day off).
       | 
       | I think it's a cultural thing where the organisation recognises
       | work is work and you also deserve a life on your terms.
       | 
       | All of us seem pretty happy with our setups...
        
       | mfashby wrote:
       | yes :)
       | 
       | > Where/How did you find your job?
       | 
       | Referral from an old colleague.
       | 
       | > If you started at 40 hours per week, how did you negotiate it
       | to 32?
       | 
       | Asked. Took 80% full time equivalent pay. Had just received a pay
       | rise, so there wasn't much actual reduction.
        
       | heikkilevanto wrote:
       | I used to work 4 days a week for some years. Used to hate
       | Mondays, then I loved Mondays, and hated Tuesdays instead. Worked
       | fine until the company changed direction and the work got too
       | stressful, so I ended up quitting and retiring. It was an easy
       | negotiation, we already had one guy taking every Wednesday off.
        
       | thejackgoode wrote:
       | I negotiated this year down to 36 hours, being 4 days of 9 hours
       | and Wednesdays off. It's amazing.
       | 
       | How to do it? I think it's one of those things you can target on
       | purpose.
       | 
       | Regarding my case, I have a good relationship with my superiors,
       | I fulfill the goals which are put in front of me, team is happy
       | etc, etc.
        
       | 0x20cowboy wrote:
       | The company just started doing it after the pandemic hit. They
       | mostly did it to support the mental health of engineering, but
       | has now become a perk to try to entice talent.
        
       | nr2x wrote:
       | It's an interesting question. I'm at a fairly senior level so
       | aside from meetings I'd say my work is semi-continuous as I think
       | about the problems I'm working on regardless of if I'm at my desk
       | or not. So I don't really think the "hours on the clock" paradigm
       | applies in one sense.
       | 
       | It's not unusual for me to knock out a couple casual meetings on
       | Friday morning then just sign off and go for a hike. But again,
       | there's a good chance I'm thinking about work on that hike. Is
       | that a 4 day week? Is it 4.5? Is it 7? I dunno!
        
         | Aeolun wrote:
         | > I'm at a fairly senior level so aside from meetings I'd say
         | my work is semi-continuous as I think about the problems I'm
         | working on regardless of if I'm at my desk or not.
         | 
         | This is true for me as well, but somehow my boss doesn't seem
         | to think that way. For the sake of consistency I think we
         | should say time not spent at your desk is time off.
        
         | mensetmanusman wrote:
         | Same, mix in the 6 AM Tokyo meetings and the 8 PM Seoul and you
         | have to take afternoons off to stay sane.
        
           | nr2x wrote:
           | Ha, I'm in PST working with a lot of people in EEA. So yeah,
           | if I'm taking a 7am meeting I'm clocking out "early".
        
         | macNchz wrote:
         | > Is that a 4 day week? Is it 4.5? Is it 7? I dunno!
         | 
         | To me that sounds like 4.5 days-in this modern work environment
         | I see "working days" as days where there is an expectation of
         | availability and/or action. An off day therefore should involve
         | no expectation that you're reachable, or that you'll make
         | outwardly visible progress on your projects.
         | 
         | Personally I really try not to work weekends, but some weekend
         | days I'll have an idea, or feel the need to get ahead of
         | things, and I'll do some work. I don't consider myself to have
         | a six day a week job in that case-nobody has the expectation
         | that I'm reachable then or that things on my todo list will be
         | getting checked off.
        
       | Apreche wrote:
       | I just recently started a 32 hour a week salaried job. Here's my
       | story.
       | 
       | I was at a very good job. My ultimate goal is to just go to the
       | beach and not work at all. I realized that's too big of a leap,
       | so I set a shorter term more realistic goal of working 4 days a
       | week.
       | 
       | My employer at the time rejected the idea, so instead of ignoring
       | recruiters like usual, I answered them. If a job wasn't immoral,
       | the interview process wasn't arduous, and I felt I could do the
       | job, I went through with interviews in good faith.
       | 
       | Every time I did this, I got to the offer phase. With nothing to
       | lose, at that moment I asked to work four days a week. I didn't
       | demand it. I just asked for it. I think I even said the exact
       | words "I know you'll probably say no to this, but I want to work
       | four days a week."
       | 
       | One place made an offer that wasn't better enough compared to my
       | existing job. I didn't accept and moved on.
       | 
       | Eventually a place made an offer I couldn't refuse. I have been
       | here almost two months. Have yet to work on a Friday. I'm
       | actually working harder than ever on Monday through Thursday. I
       | am motivated to make this last, because honestly it is just as
       | fantastic as I imagined. My life is so good right now despite the
       | world being terrible.
       | 
       | My new salary is higher as well.
        
         | adventured wrote:
         | > My life is so good right now despite the world being
         | terrible.
         | 
         | The world is overwhelmingly amazing, not terrible.
         | 
         | For the majority of people this is one of the best times to be
         | alive in all of human history. Rivaled only by the years prior
         | to the pandemic.
        
           | icedchai wrote:
           | In the greater scheme of things, you're probably right. On
           | the other hand, 2019 was the last "normal" year we will
           | experience for a very long time. That doesn't feel good.
        
             | Aeolun wrote:
             | Just change your standard of normal? Those bland boring
             | years before 2020 in which nothing bad ever happened.
        
           | [deleted]
        
           | braingenious wrote:
           | GP didn't say that the world is terrible _because it is
           | comparatively worse than it used to be_ , that would be a
           | different statement. "Terrible" is not an objectively
           | quantifiable adjective subject to factual policing.
           | 
           | For example, one person can say "The world is terrible
           | because fascism is on the rise in many countries." Another
           | person pointing out that polio infection rates are very low
           | does not cancel out the first statement. Everybody gets to
           | have a subjective opinion!
        
           | roey2009 wrote:
           | War, Deglobalization, Climate Change, Resource scarcity,
           | Economic bubbles.
           | 
           | What the fuck are you on about, the world is olympic diving
           | into the garbage heap.
           | 
           | Edit: If you downvote, please have the decency to explain
           | your reasoning. Are you saying this opinion is incorrect?
           | Why? It is to my understanding a race against time, when
           | concerning climate change alone. One we are losing. Do you
           | just dislike hearing about it?
        
             | Group_B wrote:
             | As if none of that existed in the past?
        
               | roey2009 wrote:
               | Are you of a differing opinion? If so, I am desperate for
               | some hope.
        
               | stack_framer wrote:
               | Take a look at https://www.humanprogress.org
        
           | DawnQFunk2 wrote:
        
             | DiggyJohnson wrote:
             | You can disagree strongly without ridiculous hyperbole. GP
             | doesn't deserve to be banned for being a radical optimist,
             | get a grip.
        
           | jokethrowaway wrote:
           | The pandemic is still ongoing, plenty of countries still
           | enforce masks.
           | 
           | Inflation is indirectly taxing people more and more and our
           | society is going to hell because wealthy people brainwash
           | people and destroy families.
           | 
           | Governments all around the world are becoming closer and
           | closer to China every day.
           | 
           | Sure, we may have more technology nowadays (thanks
           | capitalism) - but frankly I would have preferred being born
           | in the 50s.
        
           | na85 wrote:
           | The world is objectively a shitty, awful place for billions
           | of people.
        
             | SaltyBackendGuy wrote:
             | When in history has that not been true?
        
               | wizofaus wrote:
               | Before about 1800, when the world didn't have billions of
               | people? And who knows how shitty it really did feel for
               | most people throughout history, when they had little else
               | to compare against.
        
       | viraptor wrote:
       | I was happy doing 40h, but after we had a baby I asked for 4 days
       | instead for an undefined amount of time. Tbh, I don't think my
       | productivity changed at all with the day dropped so it's a bit of
       | a shame that the salary did.
       | 
       | But given I work in tech and basically get a very comfortable
       | lifestyle either way, I don't think I'll go back to 5 days if
       | possible. I know the current company won't push me to do it, and
       | I interviewed with another which was fine with 4 days.
       | 
       | My wife also does 4 days (different), so my son gets an extra
       | weekday with each of us independently which is also a great
       | thing.
        
       | philmcp wrote:
       | In my previous job I asked my boss if he would let me drop down
       | to 3 days per week (60% salary). To my slight surprise, he was
       | totally fine with it
       | 
       | I did this after working hard for ~1 year at the company. Once
       | you prove your worth, it's in your employers interests to keep
       | you i.e. it would cost them way more if you left for another job
       | with shorter working hours so don't be afraid to ask
       | 
       | If it was doing it again though, I'd request this during my
       | yearly review, and I'd ask for a 4 day week with no drop in
       | salary
       | 
       | There are already companies offering a 32 hours work week though:
       | 
       | https://4dayweek.io/
       | 
       | Disclaimer: I'm the founder
        
         | tokinonagare wrote:
         | Awesome! I joined the industry temporarily but the 5 days week
         | (with 3 hours commutation) is soul crushing. Four days makes it
         | fine to cope with. I hope I can find something using your
         | website so I can work more on my personal projects.
        
           | vbezhenar wrote:
           | After few months if everyone's happy with your work, you can
           | definitely ask for some days being remote and gradually
           | increase it to fully remote, if you can manage yourself
           | responsibly. 3 hours commutation is definitely not something
           | you should endure for the rest of your life.
        
         | akudha wrote:
         | Awesome, thank you for the link and the answer!
        
           | garciasn wrote:
           | While I'm already very much an advocate for paying my team
           | what why're worth, the recent shifts with remote work has put
           | extreme pressure on companies to meet salary expectations in
           | much larger markets.
           | 
           | I have an employee who needed a 33% increase due to market
           | pressures. While we were going to already meet 15% of that at
           | his next annual, budgets didn't easily allow for the other
           | 18.
           | 
           | Instead, he got a significant raise and a 4-day week to boot.
           | He's happy. I'm happy. And, frankly, we don't see any
           | productivity loss.
           | 
           | It is absolutely possible.
        
       | marvin wrote:
       | Yup. Been for a few years now. Hired through normal application,
       | full time developer on a team of 6-ish. Worked there for a few
       | years before negotiating down to 90%; a day off every other week.
       | Then a year after that negotiated down to 80%. Proportional
       | salary cuts in both cases.
       | 
       | Wasn't very hard to convince them. Made sure I was available for
       | whatever coordination is required. Made sure I still meet
       | expectations. Argued that my productivity wouldn't fall
       | proportionally to the drop in time. No one has complained. Was a
       | few months of adaption to make people realize I'm normally not
       | available one of the days a week, but everyone has taken it in
       | stride. Most are a little jealous.
        
       | cnorthwood wrote:
       | When joining my current company I said in the negotiation phase
       | that I'd like to do a 4 day week in exchange for 80% of the
       | offered salary. They agreed.
        
       | 2muchcoffeeman wrote:
       | I have worked a 4 day week for a year and a half and it is indeed
       | as glorious as people make out _IF you retain control of that day
       | off_. If it turns out that people expect you to do chores for
       | them, it feels like you 're just working for no pay.
        
       | gedy wrote:
       | Company wouldn't budge on salary (~20% lower than I was aiming
       | for), but manager really wanted me so I proposed 4-day work week.
       | Fair compromise imho.
        
         | bootloop wrote:
         | Same salary then or also 20% less?
        
           | gedy wrote:
           | Same salary
        
         | StopHammoTime wrote:
         | That is some 4D chess on your part. Well played!
        
       | flyingfences wrote:
       | Earlier this summer, my employer switched the entire company from
       | a 5x8 to a 4x10 schedule. We're still working 40 hours per week,
       | but the three-day weekends and the avoided commute definitely
       | outweigh the earlier mornings.
        
       | schrodinger wrote:
       | I'm not, but I manage an engineer who recently asked. He's
       | fantastic, why would I care? I just filled out a form with HR and
       | he's now at 80% pay 4 days a week.
       | 
       | I treat him with respect and he treats me with respect. If it
       | ends up turning into a really difficult situation for the team,
       | we might have a discussion about how to improve. But honestly
       | knowing he's out every Friday will probably be a good forcing
       | function for us to have a day with few meetings etc.
        
       | maveonair wrote:
       | Yes, I have been working 4 days a week (80%) in Switzerland for
       | ten years.
       | 
       | Here in Switzerland there are many job opportunities in different
       | positions, from junior to very high positions, including
       | engineering management.
       | 
       | Nowadays it is not uncommon for other colleagues to work 80% as
       | well, especially if they have become parents.
        
       | slater wrote:
       | Negotiated it to 32h due to COVID pandemic; there wasn't enough
       | work for 40h, so I floated the idea, boss was OK with it. Never
       | going back to 40h though, 3 days off in a row is pretty spiffy :D
        
       | isomorph wrote:
       | I went down from 5 days to 2 days and then up to 3 days all in
       | the same FAANG role thanks to a doctor's note for a chronic
       | illness
        
       | Nimitz14 wrote:
       | Yup, in switzerland. The work-life balance is amazing. I asked
       | for it when negotiating the job offer, employer had to accept
       | since there were no other candidates and I was a perfect fit.
       | 
       | Tired of being the most knowledgeable person in the room though,
       | so accepted a full-time position in the US I will change to soon.
        
         | nhooyr wrote:
         | Will you miss Switzerland?
        
         | hobo_mark wrote:
         | So... are they hiring? :)
        
       | bamboozled wrote:
       | Yeah but really I work 5
        
       | simonblack wrote:
       | Many employers are looking for the hours to be filled, without
       | necessarily specifying that each employee works the whole hours.
       | That is especially the case for enterprises that work 7 days a
       | week or (say) 12 hours a day.
       | 
       | In those cases, you either negotiate upfront before you start
       | that you are only available for 3, 4 or five days a week or
       | whatever number you want. Or you state at some point that you
       | want to reduce your hours to whatever figure suits you, in which
       | case there is an opening for another person to fill those now-
       | unstaffed hours.
       | 
       | If the employer is only open for business 40 hours (5 x 8 hours)
       | a week, then there is a situation which is more difficult to
       | vary. But it's still doable to have two or more people sharing
       | that single position: that's called "job-sharing".
        
       | baobob wrote:
       | I've worked formal 3 and 4 day week arrangements. Net experience:
       | it's pointless, if you're working 4 day weeks and you're feeling
       | behind, you may well end up working that 5th day without anyone
       | asking.
       | 
       | Similarly in a 5 day week arrangement, I've never felt compelled
       | to actually work the full week especially when I'm ahead.
       | 
       | Ignoring any formality, I think most folk work a 2-3 week if they
       | were honest about it.
       | 
       | I wouldn't sweat having a 3/4 day arrangement as a reason to pick
       | one company over another, especially if the offer is implicitly
       | part of attempting to screw you on salary
        
       | Cockbrand wrote:
       | German here, where part-time arrangements in tech are somewhat
       | normal. I negotiated my 32 hour work week right at the beginning,
       | and there was no discussion about it, and none was expected.
       | 
       | I kind of get only an 80% salary, which seems a bit unfair as
       | studies prove that part-time workers are more efficient [1], but
       | the way better work-life balance is definitely worth it.
       | 
       | [1] Researching the validity of this claim is left as an exercise
       | for the reader.
       | 
       | [EDIT] I have Wednesdays off, which is fantastic and somewhat
       | based on science:
       | https://www.rdasia.com/healthsmart/conditions/mental-health/...
        
         | schrodinger wrote:
         | Agree on the 80% thing but it's so hard to quantify output that
         | a simple formula probably ends up feeling the most fair to most
         | people. Also, remember what another person pointed out--it's
         | not really a 20% pay cut because it's your highest-taxed salary
         | that's been cut.
        
       | detaro wrote:
       | "Hey boss, I'd like to go down to 32 hours/week at least for a
       | bit"
       | 
       | "sure, email HR to adjust your contract and tell your teamlead"
        
       | jen729w wrote:
       | Yes.
       | 
       | I'm a contractor at a large IT integrator in Australia.
       | 
       | It helps that my boss was (see below) a good friend. I think it
       | was mid-last-year, I just realised I'd be mentally healthier if I
       | worked 4 days a week. So I said, I'm going to start working 4
       | days a week. And he said, okay. Because he's great.
       | 
       | And it is _glorious_. You go from spending almost three-quarters
       | of your life at work (71.4%) to just over half (57.1%) and I know
       | those numbers are silly but I put them there because that's
       | really what it feels like.
       | 
       | Previously the weekend was this fleeting thing that came and
       | went. I barely remembered it before it was over. Now ... well,
       | right now it's Monday morning, and Monday is the day that I don't
       | work. Monday is the day that I spend on my side projects. Monday
       | is the day that we go to the movies or go shopping or to a
       | gallery.
       | 
       | FAQs, do I still work 40 hours? No. I did for a spell, when it
       | was busy. I'd say my average has been 36. But now I'm on 32.
       | 
       | Do I get less done? Not really. There's so much wasted time in
       | the typical day, and I do think that this has focused me the
       | times that I am at work. When I'm on, I'm on.
       | 
       | I'll fight tooth and nail to keep this arrangement. I'm looking
       | for a new job. The boss moved on to a different role, it's that
       | transition time when everyone seems to move on.
       | 
       | I've put my 4 day thing in the front section of my resume. Which
       | is on GitHub, so if anyone in Canberra is reading and wants to
       | hire the guy behind Johnny.Decimal, all my details are here.
       | 
       | https://github.com/johnnydecimal/resume
        
         | lethologica wrote:
         | Bit if a tangent but I absolutely love the Johnny Decimal
         | system so much. It has become my defacto way of sorting things
         | now. Didn't know the person who invented was Aussie too, very
         | cool! Good luck with your job search.
        
       | gaadd33 wrote:
       | Does anyone do this in a management role? Team lead or better,
       | department head?
        
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