Would the three day weekend be effective if implemented into the United States?
Lesson Plan
Alex Fish
Objectives:
-
Students will understand the logistics behind a three day weekend.
-
Students will be able to identify the positive effects of a longer weekend.
-
Students will analyze findings from studies conducted to show the effectiveness of longer break periods.
Lesson:
-
Asking brief questions about whether or not people think there should be more time off school and work (Hook) - 2 mins
-
Show a graph of stress and anxiety levels of people in U.S. vs people in Europe (who have a three day workweek).
-
Ask around if people think adding another day to the weekend would be beneficial to the United States
-
Describe the Purpose and Practice of the three day weekend (Introduction); Source: (Brown pp. 194-213) - 3 mins
-
Practiced in many European nations
-
Considered by U.S. and others (experimental)
-
Reduces stress and anxiety (more mentally stable)
-
Better productivity and work-ethic
-
More time with family and friends
Q: Do you think the United States would experience the same benefits as Europe?
-
Some drawbacks are lower working hour wages, and not enough time to get work done; however, these obstacles can be overcome by the benefits
-
Discuss and show some studies concerning the idea (Lecture); Source: (Weir Vol 50, No. 1. Pp, 40) - 3 mins
-
William S. Helton, PhD, a professor of human factors and applied cognition at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, showed that taking breaks actually improves peoples’ focus.
-
Subjects were given a performance task to complete.
-
Subjects who were given a break performed far better than those who were not.
-
One German study by Sabine Sonnentag, PhD, an organizational psychologist at the University of Mannheim in Germany showed Employees who took more time off had a much higher satisfaction in life and experienced less stress.
-
Studies such as these seem to promote the effectiveness of longer breaks in the United States
-
Discuss the reasoning behind a three day weekend consideration (Lecture); Source: (Wittenberg) - 3 mins
-
Long weekends allow peoples’ minds to recuperate so they can be effective while at work.
-
Longer weekends would force time in the workplace to be used productively and stop wasting time while at work
-
People would have a higher, less stressed work ethic, while having the motivation to complete their tasks at work without wasting time.
-
A longer weekend gives people time to vacation, build relationships, and take the mind off work for a time.
Q: What aspect of peoples’ lives do you think longer weekends would improve the most?
-
Kahoot Questionnaire (Activity); Source: (Weir Vol 50, No. 1. Pp, 40) - 4-5 mins
-
Ten question kahoot voting on aspects of a three day weekend.
-
Possible idea: a no correct answer, but rather an opinionated questionnaire fashion
-
Example: Do you believe a three day weekend would improve your mental health?
-
Epilogue; Source: (Dresdale) - 1 min
-
U.S. employees worked 6 days a week until 1908
-
The five day work week continued to grow in popularity through 1926, when Ford became the first major employer to adopt the schedule.
-
From then on, the five day work week became a standard.
-
Many companies who have experimented with the three day weekend found a boost in employee morale and reductions in company spending.
-
“The State of Utah implemented a 3-day weekend for state employees. After 10 months, they were able to save $1.8 million in energy costs.” (Dresdale).
-
The results found in a study such as this could become a common trend if the three day weekend was implemented all over the country.
Materials:
-
Kahoot
-
Google slideshow
Annotated Bibliography
Brown, Kerry, et al. "Working Time Arrangements and Recreation: Making Time for Weekends
when Working Long Hours." Australian Bulletin of Labour, 2010, vol. 36, no. 2, pp.
194-213. www.search.proquest.com/docview/729156536?accountid=338. Accessed 2 Nov. 2019.
This detailed article describes the benefits of working longer hours along with a shorter, four day, workweek. A longer break Increases your mental health, and lessens stress, anxiety, as well as increasing work ethic. It also gives people time to spend with their families, friends, and hobbies. This article provides detailed accounts of nations and employees who have experienced the benefits of a four day work-week.
Dresdale, Rachel. “Why Every Weekend Should Be A Three Day Weekend.” Forbes, Forbes
Magazine, 3 July 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/rachelritlop/2017
/04/20/why-every-weekend-should-be-a-three-day- weekend/#6b75761d41a2.
Accessed 16 Jan, 2020.
Rachel Dresdale outlines the history of the American workweek, showing the benefits and drawbacks of different working lengths throughout our history. She uses other experts’ studies to show that the United States should realistically conduct a three day work-week for employees. She gives examples of the three day style workweek in other nations around the world and how it has brought great benefits to employers and employees.
Weir, Kirsten. “Give Me a Break.” Monitor on Psychology, AmericanPsychological Association,
Jan. 2019, Vol 50, No. 1. Pp, 40. www.apa.org/Monitor /2019/01/break. Accessed Jan 16, 2020.
Author Kristen Weir uses many studies and findings from different countries who have experimented with the three day weekend. She discusses the many negative effects of overworking and having not enough downtime for mental recovery. She suggests that mental breaks are just as important as your work and should be highly valued among employers and employees alike.
Wittenberg, Caroline. “Why a Three-Day Weekend Should Become More Standardized.”
Medium, Age of Awareness, 10 Sept. 2018, https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/why-a
-three-day-weekend-should-become-more-standardized-5bc97fd37256. Accessed 16 Jan. 2020
In this article, Caroline Wittenberg puts forward multiple arguments to support her claim that the three day weekend should be adopted in the United States. She uses evidence from foreign experimental results, as well as her own opinion to make her arguments and tries to persuade readers to agree with her idea. She promotes this change for not only the employee but the employer and companies too.