Looking To Get Out of the Rat Race? Two New Books are a Must Read!

Getting tired of the Rat Race? Have you been trying to get a Shorter Workweek for years, but the boss is not willing to listen? Are you tired of working Monday through Friday, and sometimes on Saturday with a 40+ hour workweek?

Two new books have been published that may offer you some hope as well as new ideas:

Real Success Without a Real Job: There Is No Life Like It! by Canadian author Ernie J. Zelinski

How to be Free by British author Tom Hodgkinson

Ernie's web site is http://www.thejoyofnotworking.com

Tom's web site is http://www.idler.co.uk

People for a Shorter Workweek also has a book list of very interesting books that can help you on your road to recovery from the Rat Race. Please email us at moreleisure @ yahoo dot com with a "Request for the PSW Booklist" in the subject line.

Slow Down Now

This is a hilarious animation about overwork and our frenzied lives from SlowDownNow.org web site! Make sure you have your speakers turned on.

http://www.slowdownnow.org/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,31/

New Web Sites

Hello Shorter Worktime Advocates,

We have added some new and interesting web sites, which we hope you will enjoy.

Cheers!

Jean
Work LESS, Play MORE, Enjoy LIFE!

SAS in Cary, NC Has a 35-Hour Workweek

SAS in Cary, NC was one of the first companies to offer a shorter workweek. In 1976, when the company was founded by CEO Jim Goodnight, SAS established a flexible work schedule along with a 35 hour workweek. They also have a variety of employee-friendly perks.

In 1983, they established an on-site health care center, and in 1984, they opened their on-site recreation and fitness center. All programs and services in this center are free to employees. They also established a wellness program.

In 1992, SAS developed a Work Life Initiatives Department and was listed in the book, 100 Best Companies to Work for in America.

In 1998, SAS was named in two business books recognizing companies with outstanding employee-friendly practices, Contented Cows Give Better Milk and Good Company.

This year (2006), SAS celebrates their 30 year anniversary. Also, this is SAS' ninth straight year on FORTUNE's list of "100 Best Companies to Work For".

For more information about SAS, visit their web site at http://www.sas.com.

PepsiCo Offers Employees Shorter Workweek During the Summer

From an article dated February 1, 2006 on The Society for Human Resource Management web site:

"The HR managers polled, whose organizations ranged in size from fewer than 25 employees to more than 2,000, cited the following strategies they use to keep employees from riding off into the sunset:

• Provide a workplace that respects, encourages and enables work/life balance, and provide a workplace “brand” experience that satisfies workers on many levels. Yahoo! offers on-site dental services at some of its locations, for example, and PepsiCo offers employees a shorter workweek during the summer to give them greater personal time, the report noted."

Several other strategies were listed. The entire article can be viewed at this address: http://www.shrm.org/hrnews_published/CMS_015681.asp

If you want to contact PepsiCo and congratulate them on offering their employees a shorter workweek during the summer, you can write to the CEO at the following address:

STEVEN S. REINEMUND (He has been PepsiCo’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since May 2001)
Address:
PepsiCo, Inc.
700 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, NY 10577
(914) 253-2000
Web site: http://www.pepsico.com

Indiana Company Has a 30/40 Plan for Production Workers

When Metro Plastics Technologies in Columbus, Indiana, couldn't find enough workers for its production line, it decided to implement a radical "30/40" plan: Offer people 30 hours of work for 40 hours of pay. The company was soon flooded with applicants. Here is the information about the company. We should all congratulate this company for using "Timesizing" technology! (See link to Timesizing.com on the left side of my blog). Note: Send your letters and emails to the President's attention - check their web site for the current President's name.

METRO PLASTICS TECHNOLOGIES, INDIANA
http://www.metroplastics.com
Metro Plastics Technologies, Inc. 9175 East 146th Street, P.O. Box 1208 - Noblesville, IN 46061-1208 Voice: (317) 776-0860
E-mail: info@metroplastics.com

The 40-Hour Workweek...Why it's TOO LONG

The 40-Hour Workweek

The 40-hour workweek has been around for a long time. Many years ago, men worked outside the home, and the women stayed home and cared for the children and the home. When the man came home from work, dinner was ready, the house was clean and his slippers and paper were ready for him. After the 40-hour workweek, his evenings and weekends were completely free, giving him more time for himself and his family. Very few women worked, and many single women lived at home with their family until they married. Also, people worked very close to their home, so they did not have “commuter stress.”

Today, both men and women work outside the home. Single parents have to care for children, pets and a home without a spouse. Single people without children don’t have a spouse to share home responsibilities. Very few married women are able to stay home with their children while their husbands work.

The 40-hour workweek does not allow enough downtime for our body, mind and spirit. We have no time for exercise, civic responsibilities, volunteer work and taking classes to expand our mind. The small amount of time in the evenings during the workweek gets used up quickly, as commuting takes a big chunk of our time. With only two days off, many people spend one day just running errands. After all, we have to eat, get our tires rotated, head to the post office to mail a package, etc. Doctors and dentists are only open during the week; so many people have to take vacation time for these appointments since they work five days a week. This leaves us even less time for a real vacation.

In a 24 hour day during the workweek, if you subtract 8 hours for work, 8 for sleeping, 1 for showering and getting ready, minimum 1 for commute time, 3 hours for eating all meals for the day, cleaning up dishes, taking out the trash, and 1 hour for running a couple of errands after or before work (or at lunch), you have a mere 2 hours left for yourself in the evenings!

Working 4 days, 8 hours per day allows us more time for rest, relaxation and family. It also gives us time to run errands during the week when businesses are open. We can visit an art museum or library, sit in a hammock and listen to the birds, have tea at a teahouse, go camping or run a 5-k road race for some exercise. Sufficient downtime from work is crucial to our well-being, and if we don’t get enough of it, our health suffers. We also need to practice s-l-o-w-i-n-g down during our time off. Learning how to relax may not be easy, especially if you are used to working at break-neck speed, but it can be done! Deep breathing throughout the day helps tremendously, relaxing body, mind and spirit.

Welcome to the People for a Shorter Workweek Blog!

Hi,

This is a new blog for People for a Shorter Workweek! I will be posting ideas, suggestions, book reviews, etc. We are working on a web site for PSW and will let everyone know when it is up and running.

Welcome!

Jean