New research suggests that both companies and their workers could benefit from a switch to a four-day workweek.
An advocacy organization named 4 Day Week Global conducted an experiment at 33 companies in six countries, including the UK, where employees received the same salary but were only required to work 32 hours a week as opposed to 40.
According to the group’s website, “The trials have been a resounding success on virtually every dimension. Companies are extremely pleased with their performance, productivity, and overall experience, with almost all of them already committing or planning to continue with the 4-day week schedule.”
Workers say they enjoyed the extra day off and didn’t mind increasing their standard work output by 25% per day in order to secure the long weekend. Coupled with the increase in remote work that began as a result of the recent pandemic, job satisfaction levels could reach the highest levels in decades.
The change would work better in some industries than others, as bankers, clerks, and first responders wouldn’t be able to close shop four days a week. However, proponents argue that staggering employees’ schedules would allow those organizations to remain open during standard hours of operation.
The study also revealed that the profits of the companies participating in the trial saw their profits increase by an average of 8%. After the six-month experiment ended, every company involved chose to continue offering their employees a shortened schedule.
Opponents of the measure suggest that the system’s major flaw is the increased stress on employees, now having to complete 40 hours worth of work in only 32. They argue that it could lead to employees feeling burned out over time and managers checking on their remote employees daily would take up too much time.
However, supporters argue that software aimed at time tracking for remote employees would allow management to make sure their employees are on track without having to interrupt their work with a phone call or text message. A recent study claims that 60% of companies have begun to use the software.
Another solution used by several of the companies in the trial is the implementation of “dedicated work hours,” where employees turn off their cell phones, log out of the company’s Slack channel or another chat program, and work for two hours straight without interruption or distraction. They argue that this method, coupled with fewer and shorter meetings, would give employees enough time to finish their work every day.
The idea is also starting to take off across the pond, where a bill was recently introduced in the Maryland State House of Delegates that would encourage state and local governments, as well as offer tax incentives for companies of more than 30 employees, to consider adopting a shortened workweek.
The opposition claims that the bill constitutes undue meddling by the state in the affairs of private businesses, with Delegate April Rose telling a local television station, “They need to leave [private enterprises] alone, and not dictate who they pay, how much they pay, and it really does need to be a market decision. Every business is different.”
Other countries have proposed going in the opposite direction, particularly South Korea. In 2018, the country reduced its maximum weekly working hours from 68 to 52, a move that received much support at the time from the National Legislature. However, the country’s current government has proposed increasing that number to 69 hours of work per week, citing labor market flexibility and hopes that the move would increase the nation’s rapidly declining fertility rates.
Whether a widespread implementation of a four-day workweek comes to pass or not, the one thing that is certain is that companies that have already made the switch are reluctant to go back to five days. Employees who took part in the six-month trial program stated that they would only be interested in working the additional day if they received pay raises between 10% and 50% of their regular salaries.
Others have argued that employees should be allowed the freedom to choose between a four-day and a five-day workweek, although detractors point out that workers would be unlikely to choose to work an additional day over most of their coworkers while getting paid the same salary.
