EXPERIENCE WITH FIVE-DAY WEEK

sirable as to cause excessive change in the labor fii
conceivable that the introduction of the five-day wet
well make such work more attractive by holding «
reward of an extra free day each week. The introductio..
the five-day week, coupled with a general improvement in
working conditions, has resulted advantageously in the case
of a paper-board plant:

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“The industry was in the first place overproduced, and the working
conditions in the mills were very bad. In the board mills the only
labor which was attracted to this unwholesome work was of a very
low caliber. By remedying these conditions, shortening the hours and
restricting operation to five days a week, we thought that the whole
problem would be simplified and production per capita increased.
This has to a great extent proved correct.”

So long as five-and-one-half or six-day operation is the
rule, an advantage in competing for desirable labor will come
from five-day operation. It has been brought out frequently
 in this study that employees generally react favorably
 to this plan, even when it entails longer hours on the
five working days. Other conditions being approximately
equal, therefore, the plant with the five-day week will appear
as a more desirable one in which to work and consequently
will exert a better hold on the working force, as it will also
more readily attract new workers.
Another consideration affecting labor supply applies
particularly to industries that employ large numbers of
women. In many establishments, married women are preferred
 because they are considered steadier and more permanent
 employees. The five-day week attracts such women to
industrial employment because an entirely free week-day
gives them time to perform their domestic duties, while
adding to the family income by working outside the home
the other five days.

OTHER ADVANTAGES
In the general summing up of the benefits believed to
have been derived from five-day operation, employers mentioned
 a number of points that, while not determining influences,
 have at least been noted with considerable satisfac-