TPO 1 Task 1

The reading and the lecture are both about the effects of changing the number of working days to four days a week. The author of the reading feels that this change will bring about a positive impact on the economy as well on the lives of individuals. The lecturer challenges the claims made by the author. He is of the opinion that reducing the number of work days in a week will neither impact the quality of life of the people nor boost the economy of the country.

To begin with, the author argues that this new change will help to increase the profits of the company. The article mentions that if the employees agree to work for 4 days a week for 80% of the pay , the companies will save money and as a result, the profits will go up. This specific argument is challenged by the lecturer. He claims that the new policy will actually force the company to spend a lot more money than they already are. Hiring new workers will lead to increased costs for training and medical benefits. Additionally, he says that new workers will require additional office space and more computers, which will ultimately cut into profits.

Secondly, the writer suggests that the overall unemployment rates will come down. In the article, it is said that if the existing employees work for fewer hours, the workload can be shifted to new employees. The lecturer, however, rebuts this by mentioning that hiring new workers would prove to be costly for the company. He says that the companies can ask the workers to work overtime. He also mentions that the organizations can raise the company's expectations by telling the workers to do the same amount of job in fewer days. If this happens, the current job will become unpleasant.

Finally, the author posits that more free time would mean that the employees could enjoy a better quality of life. The article states that employees can spend the additional time with their families or can even focus on hobbies. In contrast, the lecturer's position is that the reduction in work hours will actually reduce the quality of life. The workers with four days a week job will have less job stability. Moreover, the chances of advancement in the career will also be less. Such people will be the first ones to loose jobs in case of an economic breakdown. Also, the chances of promotion would be much less, as the organizations would want to have five days a week workers in managerial positions.

To sum up, both the lecturer and the author of the reading hold conflicting views on whether the four days a week work policy would be a boon for the companies and individuals.