The major goal of the Five Day Weekend is simple: We want to reverse the U.S. workweek so that Americans clock in for two good days of work, followed by five well-earned days off.
Why? Because overwork has become a major problem for Americans, and it's getting worse by the year. The two-day weekend was created in 1930, and despite decades of unparalleled technology growth, our people are actually working more and more each year.
Check out the stats:
Americans wasted more than 570 million vacation days in 2006(1)
Unlike 96 other countries, the U.S. has no law governing vacations
U.S. workers receive an average of 14 vacation days but only use 10 a year(1)
By comparison, French workers receive 39 vacation days, and Germans get 27(1)
Americans have increasingly worked more days a year since World War II(2)
A nine-year university study recently found that not taking vacation
can increase the chance of heart attack or coronary disease.(3)
In 2006, members of the U.S. Congress clocked 104 days in session – which
means they worked exactly two days a week.(4)
We want to stop this trend and begin to reverse it. So we're aiming high and going for a Five Day Weekend.
Roy McCrerey doesn't just promote the Five Day Weekend; he lives it. For the first 10 years or so of his professional life, Roy trudged through a wide range of sales jobs that left him exhausted and unfulfilled. Then he decided to break free and pursue his dreams of working in television and films.
Now Roy works an average of two days a week as an actor and show host. He's healthy, he's successful, and he's got plenty of time to get out and enjoy the world.
It didn't take much convincing to get Roy to be the spokesman and campaign director for the Five Day Weekend movement. If you want to see the potential of a real Five Day Weekend, just come out to our rallies and meet Roy.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What is the Five Day Weekend movement? A. It's a way of telling the government and the business world that it's time to stop letting work dominate Americans' lives. In this clip, Roy gives you the rundown:
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Q. Who are you people? A bunch of slackers and hippies? A. No, we're the anti-slackers. Roy explains:
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Q. You seriously want five days off a week? A. Yep. Do you really think people put in more than two good days of work a week? Work expands to fit the time allowed, and we've been expanding that time since World War II. Give people six days to do a week's worth of work, it'll take them six days. Give them two, it'll take two.
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Q. How would a longer weekend improve my life? A. Well, picture two gerbils...Um, we'll just let Roy explain in his own PG-13 way:
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Q. Why a longer weekend instead of more vacation?
A. Because the vacation system just isn't working. We get far less vacation time than our friends over in Europe, but we're not even using what we get. Roy lays it out for you:
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Q. If the workweek were only two days, wouldn't companies need to pay their employees 250% more per day? A. Yes. And may we say, you need a break from that calculator, chief. But yeah, we expect employers would be willing to pay considerably more if workers were 250% more productive. History has shown time and again that productivity decreases when employees are forced to work more. It's time to learn from history.
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Q. Wouldn't modern society grind to a halt if there were a five-day weekend? A. No, and we'll tell you why. Technology. It has never been easier to do more work with fewer people, less money and less time. Over the past 20 years, companies have used this as a reason to work their employees even harder.
Technology is meant to make our lives easier, but we don't have to tell you that it's done the opposite. Here's Roy's take:
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Q. What should I tell my boss if I want to embrace the Five Day Weekend? A. Well, it never hurts to try and get your boss on board with the movement. Roy gives you some tips:
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Q. Shouldn't we just be glad we have a weekend at all? A. Should women "just be glad" they got the right to vote? Should Russia "just be glad" most of its nukes are accounted for? Should Canada "just be glad" there are three days a year when it doesn't snow up there? When you settle, you surrender. And we have not yet begun to fight.
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Q. Where did this thing get started? A. The Five Day Weekend idea was born in Asheville, N.C., as a marketing
initiative for the Convention and Visitors Bureau. But as it came
together, this initiative became more of a public service campaign
aimed at bringing attention to the worsening epidemic of overwork and
encouraging U.S. workers to get out and enjoy life.
If it inspires you to come visit Asheville, great. If nothing else, we
just hope it motivates you to use your vacation time and enjoy life a
little more.
The major goal of the Five Day Weekend is simple: We want to reverse the U.S. workweek so that Americans clock in for two good days of work, followed by five well-earned days off.
