Schedule reform removes stress for workers

from The Matador: Issue 6 - March 1, 2023

95th Academy Awards ceremony during March

ILLUSTRATION BY ZUYUAN ZHOU

Staff Stance

Four day work week beneficial for workers

Across the United States, people struggle in difficult jobs for long hours. This leads to exhausted workers and little personal time as employees need to rest and recuperate, leaving them with lives dedicated nearly entirely to rest and work. The restructuring of the modern work week from five days to four promises to solve this problem.

Studies across various nations, such as: the United Kingdom, Iceland, Canada, and the United States, have shown that a work week of four days — with the additional day off being used when the employee wants — leads to improved employee job satisfaction and reduced stress. The aforementioned studies tested a schedule of four work days instead of five, reducing work hours from 40 hours to 32-36 hours per week, and it has shown promise in reducing employee stress.

MATADOR BULLRING

Students share their opinions on current topics.

Do you believe that schools should only be four days long?

Tests of the shortened work week policy have borne solid results in the real world. New Zealand-based trust company Perpetual Guardian trialed a four-day work week for six weeks in 2018, and was reported as a success by the University of Auckland Business School, who helped oversee the project. Both employees and Perpetual Guardian administrators reported: improved productivity, customer engagement, and work-life balance, proving the benefits stated by proponents of the altered schedule. Opponents of the shortened work schedule often cite the perceived need to compress work and rush in order to finish it within a four-day timeframe. Such an issue would only be problematic during the adaptation period, and once workers acclimate to the adjusted schedule and workflow,

Vincent Phan, 9 the additional stress will fade as employees readjust their schedule to handle their workload in the new timeframe. The negatives posed by the period between adopting the schedule and workers acclimating to it are far outweighed by the benefits.

"Yes, because I don't want to go to school. I just go to school for practice."

In the modern world, the five-day and 40-hour workweek is an outdated model. Replacing that schedule with one proven to improve outcomes for both workers and employers is the best choice. The benefits of a shortened schedule have been verified by research, and the growing pains of adaptation are far outweighed by the positives. Adopting a four day schedule will lead to improvement for laborers and the economy alike, and as students enter the workforce, they will construct healthier working habits from the start of their careers.

"I don't care since I think education should be a priority."

Derek Guan, 11

"No, because it would obstruct the current schedule of schooling. School wouldn't be the same."

Anna Ngo, 12

"Yes, I think people should have time to have an identity outside of school as spending too much time on academics takes away from self discovery."

I’m not even 18, and yet I feel like an 80-year-old woman. Although this may sound odd, I have felt this way for about as long as I can remember. In fact, I genuinely believe that I was born in the wrong era. Although the feminist in my heart abhors the unbelievably sexist social practices of the past (and present), I have always felt that my soul belongs somewhere in 18th-century Europe. I have always wished I could time travel, and see cities like Paris and Venice three hundred years ago. Since I was young, standing with my mom and dad as they talked to their friends, I have been repeatedly told that I’m an “old soul.” Family members, teachers, and strangers have made this remark to me countless times over the years. In every situation where I have been referred to as an old soul, because of the context and tone of the speaker, I assumed it was a compliment. I always thought that people meant that I was uncommonly mature for my age. Apparently, there are several definitions of the phrase “old soul” that branch beyond the idea of being wise beyond your years. According to the Urban Dictionary, old souls are usually quirky oddballs, not letting modern society dictate what they wear, do, or say.

I have always loved musicians, books, and fads of the past. Since before I can remember, my greatest influences were Lupe Velez and Siouxsie Siox, rather than Millie Bobby Brown and Doja Cat. At just six years old, I used my dad’s vinyls to discover “new” artists including The Cure, Queen, David Bowie, The Doors, The Mamas & The Papas, Janis Joplin, and more. Starting at a young age, I had a deeply rooted fascination with Gothic literature. I was given books of the past including Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, and more. I read and absorbed as much as I could about certain periods of history. I sometimes felt that I was at a disadvantage being an old soul. I didn’t really fit in with my peers. I couldn't relate to my middle school friends and classmates who all were obsessing over Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Junie B. Jones. While they were reading Magic Treehouse, I was daydreaming of running around medieval Europe.

From talking to friends and family, I understand that it is one of my defining traits, and the more I have learned to embrace it, the more proud of it I have become.

OPINION: SEX-ED CLASSES SHOULD BE REQUIRED IN SCHOOLS

BY KELLY LY OPINIONS EDITOR

Sex Education (Sex Ed) is often a neglected topic found in the American education system. Often regulated to a short class within Physical Education (PE) classes for barely a month per school year, many students are usually left without much understanding of their own bodies. A general lack of Sex Ed among youth makes them susceptible to unknowingly contracting and/or spreading sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and partaking in unprotected sex that may result in unwanted pregnancies. Sex Ed is vital to the health and safety of growing teens. This stresses an importance to why designated Sex Ed classes should be required in schools. Sex Ed is meant to teach growing adolescents about how their bodies function and about everything revolving around the topic of sex. The concept is often omitted in households mainly due to the household’s religious beliefs, plain negligence, or a general lack of knowledge regarding Sex Ed.

Many teens aren’t comfortable sharing their frustrations or asking questions of maturing with their caretakers, leaving them to learn for themselves, often with dire consequences at times.

A general understanding of bodily functions helps teens engage in safer sexual intercourse. Studies conducted by the CDC have shown that nearly 50% of people who have STDs had contracted it as a teen. Although the rate of teen pregnancy has been falling roughly 5% yearly since the

1900s according to the WHO and CDC, pregnancy is still a serious matter, especially with maturing teens. Designated Sex Ed classes for teens could potentially further reduce the likelihood of teen pregnancy and STD contraction in youth through accessible education. Though it could be argued that incorporating designated Sex Ed classes into schools just puts further strain on their limited budget. Schools often incorporate Sex Ed into PE classes temporarily, saving money while educating teens on the basics of Sex Ed, leaving no purpose for an entire class to be focusing on the subject. While that is reasonable, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Sex Ed is vital to keeping teens informed and safe. The pseudo Sex Ed classes that are shoved into the middle of PE classes often provide little to no substantial information due to limited class time, leaving a false sense of understanding in teens. Sex Ed is a topic that needs time to be understood, especially with the life-altering consequences that pregnancy and STDs could have on the lives of teens.

Sex Ed is a vital class that is often absent on the roster of many schools. Teaching teens sensitive information about their bodies, it aims to prevent cases of unwanted pregnancy and slow the spread of fatal STDs. Many teens find themselves confused about their own bodies, often without a trusted parent or guardian to discuss such topics.