Web Worker Daily posted this very insightful article on the 20-Hour Work Week of the Future. Many have really shifted to be freelancers especially with work-at-home jobs getting more and more lucrative and quite easy with the Internet. The article cites a Gartner research.

As IT becomes woven into the fabric of people’s lives and traditional work-home boundaries are rendered obsolete, digital free-agency will emerge,” said Mr Prentice. “CIOs need to prepare for the arrival of this new work phenomenon, which is being driven by political, social and technology changes.

I was once a corporate monkey slaving for around 50 hours a week minimum and I wasn’t all that happy at all. Then I found an alternative career with problogging which gave me the flexibility and control over my time. While I still work the hours, I have the option to spread it out throughout the day. Unlike then, I now have the time to get some morning exercise, meet people and continue my graduate studies while earning an income that pays the bills. And like this report, I’m a lot happier.

Now to think of it in terms of the future may not apply to everyone. In France, the new president wants reforms particularly in their ways of working shifting the formerly maximum work hours of 40 as the new minimum to allow workers to even work more than 40 hours a week. This is in fear of France’s decline as a competitive player in the global setting.

While the 20-hour work week will definitely be a wider and more accepted option in the future, I still think that most companies will be looking for workers who will work. There are just functions that entail the worker’s physical presence in the workplace. And it will take a lot of moving and shaking for the corporate mindset to further explore this option.

Besides, the option of the 20-hour work week applies more to creative, analytical, clerical and other white collar jobs.