The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected people’s working lives, most recently advancing a shift toward flexible work arrangements and making ideas like a four-day workweek commonplace. Under these modified schedules, employees typically work four days and get a three-day weekend — with, it’s critical to note, no reduction in pay.
Businesses across the globe are becoming increasingly interested in the benefits of giving employees an extra day off, encouraged by Microsoft’s August 2019 trial of a four-day workweek in Japan, which resulted in a 40% rise in productivity. Since then, many other organizations have followed suit. The British arm of camera company Canon is among the latest to try a four-day workweek without a pay cut. In the U.S., Kickstarter and Bolt are among the many companies experimenting with four-day weeks, as is Unilever, which announced last November that it would be piloting such a schedule in New Zealand.
A shorter week could also lead to a flood of job applications, as Atom Bank discovered; almost immediately after announcing a four-day week for its 430 staff members, the company saw a 500% increase in job applications. The bank’s employees will now work 34 hours over four days (down from 37.5 hours in the past), taking either Monday or Friday off.
What Does This Mean for the Future of Work?
According to new research from Henley Business School, more than two-thirds of companies believe that offering a four-day week will be essential for future business success. Following the release of their 2019 white paper titled “Four Better or Four Worse?,” which explored attitudes toward flexible work and the four-day workweek, the researchers revisited the subject in November 2021, with quantitative surveys of over 2,000 employees and 500 leaders in the U.K. Their findings concluded that the four-day week positively affects well-being: Seventy-eight percent of employers said that their employees feel less stressed at work, an increase of 5% from 2019.
Interestingly, the pandemic changed many people’s opinions about the most significant benefits of an abbreviated workweek. A clear majority (70%) agreed that a shorter workweek would improve their overall quality of life, and more than two-thirds thought their mental health would improve with greater work flexibility. Furthermore, 69% of employees believe their family life would improve with fewer workdays. When asked how they would spend their extra day off, meeting up with family was the most popular activity across all generations (66%). Shorter workweeks could also positively affect retail, with 54% of people saying they’d use the extra day to go shopping. Charities could benefit as well, given that a quarter of respondents said they’d use the time to volunteer.
Of businesses already implementing a four-day workweek, 68% (up from 63% in 2019) said flexible work arrangements are helping them to attract the right talent by demonstrating the organization’s forward-thinking approach to work, such as greater autonomy stemming from meeting-free days. These businesses also recognize that their potential employees expect the norm to be “portfolio careers” of more than one job.
Indeed, in the 2021 Henley survey, 37% of employees indicated that a career in which they had multiple jobs or employers (also known as gig work) would be a “desirable way to live,” up from 30% in 2019.
In the wake of the great resignation, organizations should embrace the four-day week to retain staff and attract new talent. The pandemic has permanently altered how employers and employees approach their work arrangements, so calls for a four-day workweek will only grow louder.
Topics
Leadership
Talent Management
Work-Life Balance
Column
Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers.
More in this series
About the Author
Benjamin Laker (@drbenlaker) is a professor of leadership at the University of Reading’s Henley Business School and coauthor of Too Proud to Lead: How Hubris Can Destroy Effective Leadership and What to Do About It (Bloomsbury, 2021).
Studies have shown that the four-day workweek, which allows employees to work fewer days without a change in benefits or pay, can increase employee productivity and overall happiness. But it's not the right fit for every company or team. Here's how to know if it will work for you.
Results from a 2022 six-month four-day week trial promoted by campaign group 4 Day Week Global and involving 61 companies in the UK showed that they saw an increase in their average revenues, while 71% of employees reported a decrease in burnout, according to a report.
What is the four-day working week? The concept is simple: employees work four days a week instead of the traditional five. There are two ways the four-day working week can operate. The first is when the hours worked in a five-day week are compressed into a four-day week, meaning longer working days.
A study spanning from 1970 to 2007 looked at 24 countries and discovered that if work hours were reduced by 10 percent, there could be drops in ecological footprint, carbon footprint and carbon dioxide emissions by 12.1 percent, 14.6 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively.
In a 4/10 schedule, employees work 10 hours each for four days. Therefore, in this example, during the first four days of the week, namely Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, employees start work at 8 AM and end at 6 PM. After four days of work, they get three consecutive days off on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Pros of a 4-day work week can include cost savings, increased productivity, and employee retention. Some disadvantages, however, can include scheduling challenges, reduced productivity, and added stress.
A shorter week can reduce student fatigue and increase engagement during school hours. Additionally, the extra day off can provide students with more opportunities for rest, family activities, and independent learning.
Employees' physical and mental health improves when organizations embrace a shorter workweek. Research shows people are less stressed, value their jobs more, and have better lives outside of work. Job satisfaction and employee engagement increase.
For the majority of employees in the four-day week global trials, the impacts were overwhelmingly positive. On average, employees reported a significant increase in physical and mental health well-being, their satisfaction with their lives overall, how time is used, and even their relationships.
Iceland. Cold little Iceland – a country with just over 350,000 people living in it – actually has more workers working a four-day workweek than almost anywhere else in the world.
Even with reduced hours, employees were able to be more productive during working hours because they were well-rested and more fulfilled in their lives outside of work. This showed better focus when on the floor.
Key Takeaways. The idea behind a four-day workweek is to achieve the same results in fewer hours so people have more time to pursue other interests, spend time with loved ones, and manage their lives. Companies could benefit through increased sales, decreased worker burnout, and lower turnover, among other positives.
Reduced work stress and extra personal time led to several positive health and well-being outcomes: lower stress, better mental health, less negativity, more exercise and an easier time sleeping, according to self-reporting from trial participants.
Adopting a four-day workweek shows that you value your employees and put them and their well-being first. Along with this, higher levels of productivity and a stronger work-life balance mean employees will be more motivated to stay at your organization.
Research shows the four-day week model can indeed support productivity, cut costs from reduced absenteeism and turnover, and vastly improve worker morale, focus and loyalty through an improved work-life balance.
Is the U.S. on the cusp of a big shift to four-day workweeks? No.Of the 482 managers at firms that don't currently offer four-day workweeks, two-thirds said there is no chance their firms will offer them by the end of 2024. The other one-third say the chances are only 16 percent, on average.
A 4-day work week can reduce employee absences and unplanned time off. Employees are more likely to handle personal matters during their three-day weekend, reducing the need for disruptive midweek leaves. This, in turn, leads to a consistent and reliable workforce at the same pay.
A typical four-day workweek consists of four 10-hour workdays (for 40 total work hours a week) and three full days off. Some companies, like Amazon, have experimented with 30-hour workweeks; others have tried four full workdays, or 32-hour workweeks.
Introduction: My name is Tish Haag, I am a excited, delightful, curious, beautiful, agreeable, enchanting, fancy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
