4-Day Workweek
The popular 5-day workweek has long been a staple in U.S. business. With employees working 8 hours a day for a total of 40 hours a week, it has been seen as a model of efficiency. However, some companies and government agencies have begun converting to a 10-hour-a-day, 4-day workweek. This conversion offers numerous benefits to both businesses and employees and should be seriously considered.
First, a 4-day workweek will alleviate some considerable expenses for the average employee. A recent national survey found that 34% of prospective employees turned down job offers because of long commutes to work. With the high cost of gas and vehicle maintenance, eliminating one day’s driving per week will reduce expenses by quite a bit, making the idea of working far from home more appealing and giving employees the opportunity to use the money saved to cover other, more pressing costs.
Second, reducing the number of working days will lower the operating costs of most businesses; employers won’t need to keep their business open an extra day. This will result in less money spent on fixed expenses, such as lighting and air conditioning, helping to improve a company’s profitability. By eliminating one business day, companies will not only save significantly on operating expenses but also have the additional benefit of a more efficient workforce continually energized with a 3-day weekend.
Third, a 4-day workweek will improve the ability of employees to spend time with their families. Work is often cited as the major reason why parents don’t spend time with their children and one reason why some stop working. With a reduced workweek, they will spend an extra day with their children and other loved ones, helping to improve their overall quality of life and thus sending them back to work happier.
The article avers that there are numerous benefits to both employees and businesses if employees work 4 days a week, working 10 hours a day versus working 5 days a week, working 8 hours a day, and provides three reasons of support. However, the professor casts doubt on the article's claims and refutes each of article's points.
First, the reading states that 4-day workweek will alleviate considerable expenses for the average employee. However, the professor refutes the statement by explaining that the amount of money is saved by not commuting to work one day a week is about 15-20$ per day and total of 850$ per year, considering average employee drives around 30 miles a day. The lecturer states that this does not seem strong enough to change a 5-day workweek to a 4-day workweek.
Second, the article claims that 4-day work week decreases the operating cost of businesses. However, the professor rejects the idea by saying the idea is misleading. He mentions that businesses lose 20% of their business. Moreover, he says that the last 2 hours of day is usually not effective and many employees leave by that time. He concludes that few hundred dollars of operating cost does not justify vhanging 5-day week to the 4-day work-week.
Third, the reading claims that reducing the number of working days will improve the ability of employees to spend time with their families. However, the professor contends the statement by explaining that people with younger kids have to pay more to day care facilities, and also it is extremely hard or impossible to find a day care which is open late at night. On the other hand, for the families with older kids who attend schools, the first half of the day is gone because they have to spend that time at school. That is why the professor thinks the idea of 4-day workweek is weak and unconvincing.
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flaws:
No. of Words: 318 250
Write the essay in 20 minutes.
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Attribute Value Ideal
Score: 26 in 30
Category: Very Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 14 12
No. of Words: 318 250
No. of Characters: 1491 1200
No. of Different Words: 161 150
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.223 4.2
Average Word Length: 4.689 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.447 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 100 80
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 80 60
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 52 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 33 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 22.714 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 11.228 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.714 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.343 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.554 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.075 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 4