Do you know what the 1 commemorateser may ? The date corresponds to the call, in 1886, by American workers’ unions to demand the establishment of the eight-hour working day. “ 1er May is historically linked to demands for a reduction in working hours »notes Paul Montjotin, co-author of The Era of Freed Time (Ed. Du Faubourg, 2024) and member of the Rousseau Institute. He notes “ a paradox: in France, working hours have almost been halved since the end of the XIXe century, and at the same time, according to studies, people mostly have the impression of chasing time ». So, on the occasion of the 1er may, Reporterre asks: why further reduce working hours ? People who have chosen to go part-time or get out of paid employment testify.
1 – Because work wears you out
“ Working conditions have deteriorated, work has intensified », assures Paul Montjotin. He cites as a reference on this subject the work entitled Rushed Work, For an ecology of working times (Les petits matins, 2022), researchers Corinne Gaudart and Serge Volkoff. From studies on pastry chefs, nurses or workers in the Constructionautomobiles, etc., they show that all are subject to the same contradictory injunction to make “ quick and well » and no longer have the time to develop or transmit their professional knowledge. The constraints placed on workers have increased. Work is under pressure. Added to this is “ a dynamic of acceleration » which affects all moments of life, notes Paul Montjotin. “ The consumer society transforms free time into a frantic race for consumption, for the commodification of leisure. And the rise of the attention economy reinforces this because we spend on average five hours a day in front of our smartphone… » Have we become hamsters running aimlessly in our wheel ?
Faced with this, reducing working hours improves the lives of employees, but also of companies. “ Those who switched to a four-day week saw a significant reduction in sick leave, burnout and turnover. »reminds our employment specialist.
Freed time is not necessarily inactive time. Renovating your house with ecological materials (here earth) takes time.
© EB / Reporterre
The testimonies collected by Reporterre go in this direction: working less preserves well-being. Jessica, 32, works in an environmental protection association and refused to move to full-time. She stayed at twenty-five hours a week, mainly for her health. With success : “ I’m less stressed, I take care of myself, I sleep more », she believes. A feeling of serenity emerges from the stories collected. Part time “ voluntary » for sixteen years, Virginie has worked at the SNCF. “ Returning to work always happened too quickly », she remembers. She took advantage of a promotion to “ work less for the same salary, the best ! » Same satisfaction for Delphine, a college teacher in Savoie, part-time for several months, to take care of her first child, but also “ recharge ». “ What a joy to be able to take the time ! »she writes to us.
2 – Time for yourself but also for others
Freed up time but not inactive, far from it. Reducing the hours spent in front of students allowed Delphine to free up time for many other activities, some useful, others pleasant, sometimes both: “ Taking care of my child, preparing meals for him 100 % homemade, manage reusable diapers. Spend more time in the vegetable garden, the orchard and go out more into the forest. It also allows me to collect lots of edible wild fruits and plants around the house for tasty, well-balanced meals. »she lists.
Jessica, an acroyoga teacher, also uses her free time to eat better while spending less. Among his favorite pastimes, in addition to his community and sporting activities: “ Go to producers, cook, glean fruit and transform it… » “ This allows me to have a healthy relationship with my job. »she summarizes.
On the city side, Parisians are turning to cultural and associative activities. Virginie, loves them “ walks, reading, training and lectures on nature » And “ help in associations ». “ In short, I live ! », she summarizes. Matthieu, for years, took advantage of his free time to “ reading, going to the library, walking, playing music, etc. And I have always been in associations », he adds. A commitment sacrificed since he became full-time. The approaching fifty, “ As I approached retirement, I told myself that I had to contribute », he explains. He is already considering going back part-time, this time “ to take care of loved ones who need it ».
Reducing working time does not necessarily mean working less but it can mean devoting less time to paid work, as in this anarchist community.
© Mathieu Génon / Reporterre
In short, far from being a time solely of pure laziness or frenzied consumption, the time freed up is in fact devoted “ first of all to his children, his parents, his friends »observes Paul Montjotin. “ Let us also remember that there are 20 million volunteers in France who give their time to an association each year, and that family caregivers represent 9 million people. ! »
It is also a time that allows us to do more and consume less, as shown by the eating practices of our witnesses. And this is also the case when it comes to transport. Traveling by train takes longer than by plane. Spending less time working allows us to rethink a more ecological society. “ Freeing up time helps to move away from the productivity dynamic, to promote more sober behaviors »says our specialist.
3 – Give meaning back to work
Thus, we see that it is not so much the working time that the respondents chose to reduce, but the time devoted to paid work. Virginie calls part of her non-employee activities “ chosen work ». Tanguy took logic to the extreme. At 36, he lives in Dordogne and has only had a few (bad) experiences of paid work in his life. He lives from RSA and the sale of a small part of its vegetable production. The rest goes to feed him and his roommates. Between DIY projects, a large vegetable garden, making bread, and harvesting olives, “ I finally accepted that I was working. I transform matter, I grow things, I produce speeches »he describes.
Paul Montjotin speaks of a “ non-market work, which has real social utility », he insists. Thus, the desire to drop out, to have more free time, observed in studies, is not for him “ a crisis of the value of work, as some would have us believe. On the other hand, I think there really is a crisis of meaning at work. Many young people wonder why work if it feeds a productive system that weakens living conditions on Earth. »
Read also: Reform of RSA : “ The state seeks to retain deserters »
He invites us to “ reappropriate work and redirect it towards essential needs, because work, in fact, exists in infinite quantity. But we can decide to pay for an activity which we collectively judge to be useful. ». For example, taking care of the weakest, growing healthy food, renovating energy-intensive housing… A dynamic that must be supported by public policies. Because all the people interviewed say it: the part-time chosen is “ a chance ». Virginie knows well that her situation is not comparable to that “ people who work part-time, with lousy salaries like in the household ». Restoring meaning to work, reducing working hours without reducing wages… So many major societal projects for unions, which show that the 1er May is still, 138 years after its first edition, still relevant.
