Getting South Africans to work presents its own unique set of challenges. Gladiators from back in the day, is pretty much an accurate summary of the daily commute. While you may not have to run the gauntlet with Granite or Fire blocking your way, it can be even more intimidating. It’s 2023 and not much has changed since I last used public transport.
The 4 Day Week SA pilot speaks directly to this dreaded scenario of travelling to your place of work. Statistics have already shown that a day off dramatically reduces your carbon footprint. This is great to reduce global warming, but from the South African perspective, there’s another unsung benefit. The peace of mind that comes with not having to travel 60 to 90 minutes, in one direction, to earn a living wage.
Years of call centre jobs and travelling by train, bus or taxi (sometime a mix of all three), has provided some valuable insights. In a time before Uber or Taxify (now Bolt), this was the only options available for me to get to Cape Town CBD, Century City or Durbanville. On average, it took me approximately two to even four hours per day. That’s at least 10 hours per week and 40 hours per month. This means that for every month I worked, a whole workweek (08h00 to 17h00) was spent commuting to and from the job!
Having been a remote worker since the pandemic in 2020, I no longer miss those days. Sure, working from home presents its own set of challenges, but it’s infinitely better than the alternative. Getting to and from your job should not be a gladiatorial task. Sadly, for most South Africans today, commuting to an office is the only way to ensure their families get fed and the rent gets paid.
4 Day Week SA, INFJ, dear INFJ, 4 Day Workweek, 4 Day Week, Future Of Work, Entrepreneurship, Lead With Empathy, South Africa’s Digital Revolution, Work Time Reduction, Reduced Workweek Revolution, Wellbeing In The Workplace, Proudly South African
David-John Wayne Bailey is an INFJ from Cape Town, a proud pioneer pilot participant of 4 Day Week SA and an advocate of a four-day week for everyone working in South Africa.