One of the richest men on the planet – second on this year's list to be exact – is Carlos Slim, the Mexican telecommunications magnate. It is not known how many hours a week you work, but he recently proposed (at a conference in Paraguay) a 3-4 day week for the workers of the planet, at equal wages. He seems utopian, but the same was said of Henry Ford when, in 1922, he announced that his workers would work 5 days a week instead of six.
Slim's proposal would especially affect older workers; with the increase in life expectancy and quality of life people could work up to 70-75 years and gradually retire from work with a shorter week. Firms would not lose proven and experienced workers, while the extra non-working days would fuel a demand for leisure activities, which would boost the economy. Keeping the elderly at work is especially useful for those societies (almost all, in truth) in progressive aging, where those who work will have to take on the maintenance of the elderly.
Slim practices what he preaches. At Telmex, its landline phone company, those who reach retirement age can choose to continue working 4 days a week, on full pay. There are studies that prove that those who work fewer hours have higher productivity, so that the company does not lose out.
