INTRODUCTION

On the other hand, for those employers whose plants
operate on a five-and-one-half day schedule, the five-day
schedule would permit the elimination of the last half-day,
which has frequently been economically unsatisfactory. In
addition to the fixed daily cost of putting the plant into
operation, which on a short Saturday must be distributed
over only a half-day’s production, efficiency has usually been
found to be subnormal on the short day. The worker's
thoughts tend to wander to plans for the week-end, the rate
of absenteeism is high, and discipline is generally lax. From
this angle a five-day schedule may appear attractive to
many employers.
In any consideration of the practicability of the five-day
week, questions of output and costs are naturally uppermost
in the minds of employers. Can the output usually obtained
in a week of a given number of hours spread over five and onehalf
 or six days be consistently obtained from the same number
 of hours concentrated into five days? This resolves itself
into a question of relative efficiency during these extra hours
when, on the one hand, they are distributed over the week,
and on the other are combined to form a separate work day.
Lf the hours of the sixth day are dropped altogether, can the
former five-and-one-half or six-day production be equalled or
closely approached inf" the shorter five-day week through
greater efficiency and application? The wage payment system
 in force is likely to be an important factor in this consideration.
 A piece-work or other incentive wage plan may
secure as much output in five days as was formerly produced
in five and one-half or even six days, because of the employees’
 desire not to suffer a loss in earnings. Under a timework
 wage plan this is less likely to be the case. If the sixth
work day is dropped altogether, will a readjustment in wage
rates be necessary to permit earnings of weekly wages equal
to those earned under the longer schedule? When it is necessary
 to work on the sixth day shall such work be compensated
at regular rates or be considered overtime work? Whether
wage rates be adjusted to prevent any loss of earning power
from the shortened work week, or such a loss be partially provided
 for, or the wage schedules be maintained unchanged,
are questions of policy for the individual plant management.