Embracing the 4-day work week for enhanced productivity and well-being
Ever thought about what you might do if you were given a 3-day weekend? You could catch up with your friends, spend more time with your family, or even get a chance to shake off the exhaustion that weeks of work caused you. The style of work is inevitably changing, especially post-pandemic, and urging employers to try options that make for the happiest and most productive employees –something that might have been considered radical just a few years ago: a four-day work week!
The concept of a four-day working week is becoming increasingly popular not only among small businesses but also in globally recognized companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Panasonic. A sixth-month trial held in the UK saw 61 companies test a four-day workweek for six months, with nearly 54 of them maintaining it more than one year later.
Not just this, but the impact of a 4-day work week is huge when it comes to employee productivity. Organizations with a four-day workweek have seen productivity spike by 20%. Further, it has been shown to decrease employee absenteeism by 50%, and sick days by a full third.
4-Day Work Week: Pros and Cons
The ongoing debate:
Modern technology has made us faster at what we do. This one fact alone has resulted in employees around the world thinking that a five-day work week is well past its sell by date, and it’s an argument which continues to wage on with regards to what would happen if we got rid of traditional working altogether. Would the business soar? Or would productivity take a hit?
And most importantly, how to know that a four-day work week is what you need for your company? So, in order to grasp the thought of it — here are a few pros and cons of a four-day workweek.
Advantages of a Four-Day Work Week
1. Happier employees
The main benefit of a four-day workweek is that nearly everyone gets happier. If your employees or workers are happy, the result is higher productivity and better work culture. Employees get to have more time off in a week as they only need to work for four days instead of all five, like most jobs. This is what every employee desires. In addition to this, having more time to do things you love increases the overall well-being of employees and hence, their loyalty to the company. Simply put, it’s a win-win situation for both the employer and the workers.
2. Cost saving
A four-day workweek reduces costs for everyone. If the office remains closed for one extra day, the running cost will obviously see a significant drop –be it maintenance, cleaning, or electricity. And if that’s not enough, employees will also be spending less to commute and would save money on lunch or coffee during the day.
3. Improved employee retention
One other benefit of the 4-day workweek is that employee retention would increase as well. Flexible work is undeniably a benefit that people probably would want to keep. According to a study, approximately 63% of businesses have discovered that a four-day workweek pattern was helpful for them to recruit and maintain top-performing employees, as per research.
4. Fewer sick days
Stress and anxiety are common negative side effects in any work environment. A loaded week can quickly exhaust employees, both physically and mentally. According to Charity Mind, one in six people experience mental health problems that are directly or indirectly related to work. By allowing employees to enjoy a longer weekend, you can ensure improved employee well-being, resulting in fewer health problems, burnouts, and sick days.
5. Better productivity
The most fruitful outcome of a shorter work week by far has been increased productivity levels. The theory behind a four-day workweek is that the happier the employees are, the more focused they are at their workplace. On the other hand, discontented or frustrated employees tend to distract their co-workers as well.
Disadvantages of a Four-Day Work Week
While there are mostly pros to a four-day workweek, you should keep a few things in mind before switching. Here are two possible disadvantages of a four-day workweek:
- Complex implementation
Switching up from a five-day workweek to a four-day workweek is not an easy task. The implementation, although fruitful, can also be stressful if you don’t know what you are doing. For starters, schedules will have to be changed, policies will be adjusted, and employees will have to be briefed about the changes. This can take some time to map out, temporarily slowing down the deadlines and productivity. So, if you have decided to do this, it’s better to focus on the long-term results than the immediate consequences.
- It doesn’t work for every business
Unfortunately, a four-day workweek is not cut out to fit every industry. It is an option viable only for companies who are ready to re-adapt and transform. Moreover, some professionals just can’t afford to do four days off a week. For instance, doctors and nurses need to be on call during the week since giving them an extra day off can be extremely problematic for their employees.
How to pitch a Four-day work week to your employer?
So, the crux of it is that a four-day workweek can be revolutionary for your business. However, the real question is: How to convince employers to implement a shorter work week?
Pitching the idea to your employer can be a little difficult since not all businesses are yet ready for this drastic change. Regardless, you can still do it if you know how to persuasively propose the idea. Here are a few tips for writing a four-day workweek proposal:
Determine what business needs will be met
Think about what needs would be met by switching to a shorter week. You need to have some solid reasons for why you are proposing to change the business policies.
Start by identifying inefficiencies that a four-day workweek can solve. This will stop you from writing up a plan only to discover that you didn’t need to change your work pattern to begin with.
Inspect different areas of your business
The second and the most important thing that you need to do while you are writing this policy is to inspect different areas of the business and how they will impacted by the change, for instance, adjusting client expectations during a four-day workweek transition.
These changes impact every business area, so work with them to write the policy that works most fairly for everyone. You’ll also see areas that should be written with more detail for workers so it’s easy to pitch to your boss.
Trials of a four-day work week
There have been countless successful cases of companies adopting a four-day workweek. Out of these, the most prominent example is Spain’s pilot program scheduling local holidays on four consecutive Mondays throughout the months of April and May 2023.
The results demonstrated that the people in the program had higher self-perceived health status, reduced stress levels, and were more self-satisfied. In addition to this, giving employees an extra day off actually helped in reducing the overall CO2 emission in Spain’s largest city Valencia, hosting almost 360,000 workers.
Here are a few other examples of companies that have successfully adopted a four-day workweek to boost productivity and overall happiness:
- Microsoft Japan moved to a four-day work week in 2019, increasing their productivity by up to 40%. The trial was so successful that they decided to continue with the policy.
- A similar thing happened with Nationwide Solar, a renewable energy company specializing in solar panel installation. The employees now work four days a week at full pay.
- The largest global trial for a four-day work week was conducted when 61 UK-based companies participated in a sixth-month program to test the potential benefits of a shorter work week. This trial was extremely successful with 89% of the involved companies deciding to continue with a four-day work week schedule.
- In addition to this, there are also other globally recognized companies like Bolt, Amazon, Google, and Elephant Ventures who are currently operating on a four-day workweek policy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a 4-day work week?
Exactly what it sounds like; you work a four-day week and have three days off while still getting paid 100%. It is quite simple in theory, but it can be modified based on what the business does.
Some plans compensate workers for five days’ worth of work, even though they’re working a four-day workweek, while others only compensate workers for four days’ worth of work. In addition, companies that run on a four-day work schedule may require staff to attend an entire ten-hour day instead of the regular eight.
Where did the concept originate?
The idea of a four-day workweek isn’t something that’s never been considered. The concept is much older and comes from various corners of the globe, but it can be traced at least as far back as early 1965 when US President Richard Nixon suggested a four-day work week for American families to spend more time together.
What are the benefits of a 4-day workweek?
The four-day workweek has many advantages. First, it leads to more satisfied workers and thus greater productivity. In addition, it saves the office some operating costs. Moreover, it cuts operating costs for the office.
What downsides are associated with this work structure?
The biggest downside of a four-day workweek structure is transition and adaptability. Although things are gradually changing, it is still difficult to convince certain employers about the long-term benefits of this change. In addition to this, longer work hours can interrupt employee focus throughout the day requiring frequent breaks. Lastly, transitioning from five days to four days a week is a slow and gradual process that requires time, effort, and patience.
How can a company implement a 4-day work week?
Here are a few major things that a company needs to do before switching up the work structure:
- Take employee opinion into consideration
- Inspect different areas of business that will impacted by the decision
- Come up with plans to manage client expectations during the transition
- Write up new policies
- Brief employees about the change
- Plan new schedules after talking to department heads
Is this approach suitable for all industries?
The downside here is that this way of doing things does not suit all businesses. Adaptation is possible only for those industries, which are ready for it. Moreover, in particular industries such as hospitals, doctors are on-call 24/7.
What are the statistics on the adoption of a 4-day work week?
Companies that have implemented a 4-day workweek reported a spike of as much as 20% in productivity. It also has decreased their absenteeism rates by 50% and employee sick days by 30%. More than 63% of businesses found it easier to retain and attract employees with this setup.
Article Author – Gino Peters
Gino Peters is the Commercial Director at ThisWorks, with a rich history of nearly a decade in international payroll. Throughout his tenure, he has consistently kept abreast of evolving labor legislation, ensuring that ThisWorks remains at the forefront of industry knowledge. Beyond his vast expertise, Gino is deeply committed to advising and guiding clients and partners with precise insights. His leadership guarantees that all content and operations at ThisWorks meet the highest standards of clarity, accuracy, and compliance.
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