Are 4 day work weeks the future?

What seemed like water-cooler talk, expectations of a better tomorrow might just come true. That’s right, the 4-day work week might not be an unachievable dream after all. Although the idea has been floating in the air for a while, the pandemic definitely accelerated the talks. Covid-19 emphasized to people the importance of a work-life balance and that it can be achieved, as proved by the Great Resignation phenomenon, the majority of workers have taken this opportunity to take a step back and examine their work schedules. All these adjectives have led to serious actions being taken on the front of implementing 4-day work weeks. 

How did we arrive at the current work schedule?

Robert Owen, a Welsh textile mill owner, social reformer, and labor activist came up with a slogan in 1817. “Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest”. Back then even though the workday ranged from 10-16 hours, Owen’s claims did not gain much traction. Almost a century later Henry Ford in 1926 adopted his technique. Ford’s factories were the first in the US to have 40 hours, five-day work weeks. This structure established over 100 years ago has become the baseless reality for basically any type of company in the country to this date.

What is a 4 day work week?

4 day work week is the reduction of the standard workweek from 35 hours to 28 hours. This does not mean a compressed work schedule but rather reduced hours. An employee would typically work 28 hours over the course of 4 days for the same pay and benefits, giving them a three-day weekend. Almost 90% of US adults have approved of this. 

Is this too radical? Why would employers agree to this?

In 1890, the United States government estimated that the average factory worker worked 100 hours a week. By the mid 20th century that time had reduced to 40 hours per week, considering that 28 hours does not seem so radical. Now speaking of why would employers agree to this? Although consistent research and studies have proven that most workers accomplish only 3-4 hours or less of genuinely focused work, employers gravitate towards working longer in order to increase productivity. Ironically, working long hours almost always means getting less work done. According to data from the Harvard Business School, University of Readings 2019: Four better or Four worse, companies that adopted the 4 day work week say their team is 78% happier, 62% healthier and 70% less stressed. The same was attested by Stanford University in their in-depth analysis of productivity which found a correlation between 2 factors- overworked employees are less productive than their counterparts who work average hours with proper balance. Another aspect that allows employers to reduce work hours without compromising on the volume of work is the innovation in technology. When the initial work structure was established, technological innovation was comparatively obsolete, this means that employees have to put in that many hours of work to achieve manufacturing targets. Now, thanks to our robotic colleagues, we can get a large chunk of work done in a shorter time span, making the reduced hours, not a hurdle. 

Still not sure about this? Okay, let's make a pros and cons list then!

Benefits of a 4 day work week:

• Increased productivity: as mentioned earlier, overworking is not ideal for employees or employers. In a trial conducted by the New Zealand company Perpetual Guardian, during their 4 day work week not only did employees maintain the same level of productivity but many of them even showed improvement in productivity, stress management, and even company loyalty.  

• Reduction in Gender gap at work: data from verified sources proved that multiple people especially women are not able to go to work due to childcare and other caregiver responsibilities. A three-day weekend will allow more women to come into work as they have enough time to spend with their families and acquire resources to juggle both the commitments adequately.

• Reduced carbon footprint: Workdays do not just affect the employee and employers, it has equal if not adverse effects on the environment as well. People spend a good amount of time during workdays commuting to work after that most offices have round the clock air-conditioning and a fully stocked fridge. All this adds to the carbon footprint, therefore reduced workdays reduce the carbon emission by that much. 

Disadvantages of a 4 day work week:

• Unsatisfied customers: A study conducted in Utah, although confirming the above-mentioned advantages, failed due to the lack of customer satisfaction. Users said that they couldn’t access government services as the offices were closed on Friday. However, a solution was found in the form of AI and chatbots that can deal with customer service instead of having employees in offices.

• Misunderstanding the approach: many employers confuse a 4 day work week with compressed hours instead of reduced hours. This meant that employees had to still do 35 hours of work but now across 4 days, this instead reduced productivity further.

While we are not quite there yet, the 4-day work-week is very much a possibility in the near future. For it to go according to plan we must first iron out all the kinks. Some of the most economically productive and progressive countries in the world like Japan, New Zealand, Ireland, and Scotland have already moved towards establishing a 4 day work week. 

Sources:

• Changerecruitmentgroup.com

• Wildbit.com

• 4dayweek.com

• CNBC