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Billionaire Says 3-Day Work Week Is Solution To Balancing Work And Personal Life

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Do you think you would be more productive if the work week was shorter?

Carlos Slim, the second wealthiest person in the world according to Forbes, says a three day work week is the solution to helping people balance their work and personal lives.

Sounds great right? But there is a catch. Slim says people would have to work 11-hour days three days a week. He said at a conference he believes the three day work week would allow people to work past age 70, which is eight years older than the typical retirement age in the United States, according to Gallup.

Another prominent doctor in the United Kingdom suggested a four day work week. Professor John Ashton, the President of the U.K. Faculty of Public Health, says cutting the traditional five day week down by a day would not only relieve stress and reduce unemployment, it would also help address certain medical conditions, such as high blood pressure and "mental ill-health associated with overwork."

The CEO of Google, Larry Page, is another supporter of a shorter work week. He says, "Most people like working, but they'd also like to have more time with their family or to pursue their own interests." He adds, "That would be one way to deal with the problem, is if you had a coordinated way to just reduce the workweek."

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