21-hour work week to help environment?
A shorter working week could become the norm in the future, according to Nef
A 21-hour working week could be the solution to the economic, social and environmental problems facing the UK, the New Economics Foundation (Nef) has claimed.
A report, called 21 hours, by the independent think tank says factors such as the damage to the economy caused by the banking crisis, too much unemployment and the need for cuts in environmentally damaging practices are pushing the UK towards a shorter working week.
Anna Coote, co-author of the report and head of social policy at Nef, said that many people "live to work, work to earn, and earn to consume".
These consumption habits are "squandering" the Earth's natural resources, she noted, adding that spending less time in work could help people to "break this pattern".
Ms Coote claimed: "We'd have more time to be better parents, better citizens, better carers and better neighbours.
"And we could even become better employees: less stressed, more in control, happier in our jobs and more productive. It is time to break the power of the old industrial clock, take back our lives and work for a sustainable future."
The report says that although a shorter working week would probably result in lower earnings, people would have more time on their hands to live sustainably. We could do things for ourselves such as growing our own food and cooking it, mending items rather than throwing them away, and with more spare time, we could also walk and cycle rather than take motorised transport, Nef claimed.
A shorter week would help to tackle "urgent problems" such high carbon emissions, low well-being, inequalities and unemployment, the report concluded.
Earlier this week, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said part-time work or shorter working hours may temporarily save jobs but could cause problems in the long run.
