4 or 6 day work weeks. Who you got?

2 opposing ideas can be simultaneously true.

The 4 day work week and the 6 day work week. Both ideas are great and terrible at the same time.

The context:

👉In the UK, the South Cambridgeshire council ran a 4-day work week trial for their garbage collectors and desk staff.

Turnover down. Productivity up. Money save.  (Details here.)

Predictably, some people hated it.

👉In Greece, the government passed a law mandating a 6 day work week for businesses that are open 24 hours a day.

Basically, the population is shrinking and they don’t have enough skilled workers. They decided it was the best way to keep the country running. (Details here.)

Even more predictably, some people hated it.

And it’s the same with the 5 day week. Some people love it. Some people hate it.

(Friendly reminder: Henry Ford invented the 5 day, 40 hour work week for factory workers. And Office Dorks™️ still use it today. There’s nothing more or less ‘natural’ or ‘normal’ about the 5 day week. It’s just the status quo.)

Plot twist: this post isn’t even about work weeks. It’s about how 2 opposing ideas can be simultaneously true. And THOSE things are what we spend our time arguing about. Because everyone is right.

👉Job seekers who are victims of ghosting often become hiring managers some day. And ghost other job seekers.

👉Promoting internally can boost loyalty, morale, and retention. But it can also result in a lack of fresh ideas and perspectives compared to external hiring.

👉Remote work can increase work-life balance, productivity and retention. But it can also result in isolation and reduced collaboration.

There’s limitless examples. Just think about the last argument you go into. Your antagonist had a point, didn’t they?

And that’s really the point of this little rant: empathy.

You can’t solve anything in the workplace if you don’t understand why people think you’re wrong.

James Hornick

Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.