Rise of robots should lead to three-day weekend

I’m not convinced thatat the so-called ‘robot tax’ is a fair idea (‘Question of the Fortnight’, Issue 512). I don’t think companies should be penalised for introducing technological innovations, even if it does lead to job losses. It’s likely to backfire anyway. A tax probably won’t stop companies implementing automation because you can’t un-invent technology, but it may cost them money that they’d otherwise spend re-training their staff, or investing in new products.

However, Jeremy Corbyn might be on to something when he says that automation could lead to shorter working weeks. During the end of my self-employed career, I found that computers – mostly the office software I ran on them – allowed me to do in four days what previously took more than five. I still earned a reasonably good living, and had far fewer expenses than when I had a mortgage and raised a family, so felt no need to spend the spare day in the rarat race. Instead I took up nenew hobbies and had days ouout, boosting the economy in the process. My work-life babalance improved coconsiderably. The big question is whether sosociety will force companies to treat that surplus day as a holiday. It’s often been suggested that we should have three-day weekends, though the reasons why never seemed logical to me. But automation could change things. If it leads to increased productivity, then companies might be able to run on four-day weeks. There will be resistance to it, just like there was to the introduction of a two-day weekend many years ago. But just as society can’t stop the march of automation, so companies won’t be able to quash pressure for more time off. Sadly, it’ll come too late for because I’m now retired! Ryan Briggs