World’s Second-Richest Man Says We Should Only Work 3 Days A Week So We Can Live Better Lives
Carlos Slim, the second richest man in the world, is calling for a new redesign of the traditional work week. No more Monday through Friday schedule — here’s his idea: People should only be working three days a week.
Er, we could jump onboard with that.
With three work days a week, we would have more time to relax; for quality of life,” Slim tells Financial Times. “Having four days [off] would be very important to generate new entertainment activities and other ways of being occupied.”
The self-made Mexican billionaire and CEO of telecommunications company Telmex asked for this “radical overhaul” at a business conference in Paraguay, saying, though, that we should also be working longer days and later into our years.
Slim suggested, rather, that working 10 or 11-hour days would be more productive and would allow people to enjoy their time off better. And with generally higher life expectancy rates across the board, Slim says that we should retire later, too. Instead of throwing in the towel in their 50’s or 60’s, Slim’s idea is that people should keep working until they are 70 or 75 — much like himself, who is still clocking in hours at 74 years old.
Slim’s own employees at Telmex were recently offered a new contract that aligned with the billionaire’s ideas on work life. Employees who join in their late teens and retire before the age of 50 will have the option of continuing work past retirement and working for full pay on a four-day week work schedule.
Slim, who was once the world’s richest person (even surpassing Bill Gates), is also head of mining company Minera Frisco and is estimated to be worth around $80 billion, according to Forbes.