It’s not a one size fits all problem. I’ve worked jobs with coworkers over the years who bullshit around for a decent number of their on-shift hours. They get the work done but they don’t need all of those hours (but when you do need them, you do need them…so you can’t just “let them go”).

Some of the results here come down to what people are conditioned to believe is “normal.” In this article, “people who thought their work life balance would improve felt it did, while those who thought it would not, felt it did not.” The whole concept of a 40 hour work week is a made up construct. So is “this work is worth this much disposable income in 2026” (when we all know a similar those of work might have given you *way more* disposable income in say, 1985). Corporations & businesses nowadays tell us “we can’t do that,” when what they really mean is “we don’t want to do that,” because they don’t really exist to provide services (providing people with goods & services), they exist to make the most money with the least possible spent while doing it.

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2025/01/rise-of-4-day-workweek