I love my job in software, but I think I'd have a better QoL with a 32 hour work week. I feel like my productivity wouldn't go down by 20% (but it's hard to tell without trying it for an extended period.)
i earn enough to get by but don't save as much as others at my age (for reference, i'm 35). i work 6 hours a day, 5 days a week (others work 7.5 hours a day and just take friday off). i don't get paid overtime but be do have comp time.
the upsides, in my opinion:
* i'm better rested, more concentrated and productive so the company gets more bang for the buck
* i spend a lot of my free time in the gym (this hopefully means i'm reasonably healthy which would be a plus for the company due to less sick time off)
* the rest of my free time i spend programming interesting private non-commercial projects; i.e. free education and experience that benefits my employer (sometimes it also leads to open source libraries we can use at work)
* the other rest of my free time i spend reading about IT (things like HN), which, again, +experience
* when schedules get tight i tend to accumulate overtime, as soon as that passes i tend to take time off. this means the company doesn't have to pay me for twiddling my thumbs and waiting for the clock
in my opinion it's mostly a win-win situation for both me and my employer.
there are several more downsides to the 5d6h model, but i personally don't care much for those right now and i could switch any time.
most of my friends and colleagues choose the 4d7.5h work week and i think it's the better option for most people.