A hot-topic in the world of work has been the four-day workweek with surveys reportedly showing 94% of workers wanting a 4 day workweek. It has been seen as a potential solution to improve work-life balance and increase productivity. Traditionally, a five day work week consisting of 8 hours each day was the norm. Although this was made in a time where the majority of people worked in factories during the industrial revolution, where they had to be in attendance a majority of the week for proper functioning. With the rise of technology, automation, and even AI, introducing a four-day work week can help employees have a better work-life balance and with the advancements of technology they can get the same amount of work done.
With studies such as one in the UK spanning 330,000 employees and 60 companies over 6 months trialling the four day workweek, an astounding 95% of the firms stated productivity either stayed the same or improved. 90% of the workers want to continue, and 55% reported it increased their ability to work. Although, in reality would this system work? Would there be drawbacks to other areas to allow for less working hours? Or is it actually possible that a four-day work week can be implemented and benefit employees and the companies alike with increased productivity? In this blog, we will cover how the four-day workweek became a talking point, its potential benefits and drawbacks, which industries can benefit from it, and some examples showing evidence that it can be successful.
The concept of a four-day workweek is not new. In 1956, then US Vice President Richard Nixon first coined the idea, promising to improve workers-lives. This was following Henry Ford in 1926 who first made the 5-day workweek (as the norm was 6 days). This was because the productivity of his factories improved so workers could do the same job in much less time. He also argued that for companies to thrive, there had to be enough free time for the population to buy and enjoy products/services from companies.
With even greater technological advances in recent years, it takes less time for the same tasks to be completed. Therefore, it’s no wonder people are suggesting a four-day workweek where employees have an extra day to rest, recharge and pursue personal interests. Although, business owners argue that although machines can complete tasks quicker, this simply means you can create more products in the same time as before resulting in increased profits. There is also the possibility of certain employees working 5 days to get ahead, as everyone else is working 4. This can create a snowball effect where everyone follows suit as to not fall behind and before you know it, we are back to a 5 day workweek.
Therefore, it’s important to weigh the positives and negatives of a four-day workweek, some of them are as follows:
1. Improved Work-Life Balance: A huge benefit for a four-day workweek is the increased time for workers to relax, spend time with family and pursue personal hobbies.
2. Increased Productivity: Whilst this may seem counter intuitive, those who champion the four-day workweek argue that a compressed workweek will further motivate employees to complete their tasks within a shorter time frame, as even with an extra day workers will just spend longer on the same task. This is also known as Parkinson’s law (1942), which states that work will expand to fill the time available to it.
3. Reduced Burnout and Stress: Working long hours can lead to burnout and stress among employees after time. A four-day workweek can help to reduce the amount of burnout in employees with increased time for relaxation and self-care. This also has a positive effect on their work, as having lower stress, and improved well-being can positively impact motivation resulting in improved work quality.
4. Enhanced Recruitment and Retention: Being a company that offers a four-day workweek can be an attractive perk for job seekers and a valuable retention tool too. Companies that are shown to prioritise the well-being and work-life balance of their employees are seen as more trusting and position themselves to attract top talent.
5. Environmental Impact: Reducing the work-week to four days can also have positive effects on power consumption. Less people will be commuting and offices won’t need to consume power to stay on. This is based on current trends showing increased power during the week. It should also be noted that an extra day off might also be spent travelling or consuming power at home so may not result in a positive environmental impact overall.
1. Operational Consideration: Some areas of business simply can’t condense into four days. Some industries require round-the-clock operations like the emergency services or customer-facing roles like retail. Reducing the working days would massively impact profits if they had to shut down one day a week from normal operations.
2. Scheduling Constraints: Implementing a four-day workweek wouldn’t be a simple process. There may be regular meetings or important calls on certain days that will need to be shifted and fit into the four-day week. This can create extra time and work for all staff and may not ensure a smooth workflow that can accommodate the change.
3. Client and Customer Expectations: Being a company that adopts a four-day workweek, especially early on, will be required to manage the expectations regarding availability and response times for their clients and customers. Having a company that only works four days a week can also give off impressions of laziness to clients or customers.
4. Employee Preference: Whilst some employees are all for the four-day workweek, some may prefer the traditional schedule or have commitments outside of work that make a compressed workweek challenging.
As we’ve mentioned in the drawbacks section, not every industry is suited to a four-day workweek. Although there are certain sectors where it could be particularly beneficial such as:
1. Knowledge-Based Industries: Industries that heavily rely on creativity, innovation, and problem-solving such as technology, marketing, and design, may see significant benefits from a four-day workweek. Employees in these industries often require uninterrupted time to focus on complex tasks and projects. Furthermore, some individuals argue that overworking in these industries can have a negative impact on performance as it can negatively impact creativity and problem solving abilities.
2. Professional Services: Professional services firms, such as law firms, accounting firms, and consulting firms could also benefit from a four-day workweek. This is because they have high-pressure work environments and long hours. By creating a compressed workweek, this can massively help improve their work-life balance and help combat burnout.
3. Tech Start-ups: In the fast-paced world of technology start-ups, employees often face long hours and juggling multiple responsibilities. A four-day workweek can help to prevent burnout and retain top talent in this industry, whilst also making the company an attractive destination for job seekers.
Let’s take a look at some companies that have successfully implemented four-day workweeks:
1. Perpetual Guardian: In 2018, a New Zealand-based trust management company called Perpetual Guardian conducted a trial of a four-day workweek and found that it led to a 20% increase in productivity and a 45% improvement in work-life balance among employees.
2. Microsoft Japan: In 2019, Microsoft Japan decided to experiment with a four-day workweek on its 2,300 employees for five weeks. They found an increase of 40% in productivity compared to the same period of the previous year. They also reported a reduction in electricity consumption and paper usage.
3. Allcap: In June 2022, Allcap, a UK engineering and industrial supplies company trialled the four-day workweek. This was initially planned to run for six months, however they had to stop the trial after two. The owner stated that they simply couldn’t afford to have everyone off one day a week. He reported that “customers call up all the time for manufacturing and construction components”, meaning they had to have employees on site during the standard working week. This example demonstrates that not every industry or profession is suited to a four day work-week if the company hopes to maintain constant outcomes.
While the idea of a four-day workweek may seem appealing to workers, the implementation and logistics would vary among companies and industries. For industries in the office that are non-customer facing or require around the clock support, it will ultimately become a weigh-up between whether the negative impacts on client expectations, scheduling, and operations can be combated by the increase in productivity and well-being of the employees. For industries in manual labour, this change may be harder to implement if the company wants to see constant results.
Ultimately, the change would take lots of careful planning, and a willingness to adapt to the change on an international level for it to become the norm. Further research and studies should be carried out in the meantime to measure whether a four-day workweek can actually be beneficial for employees and companies.
A hot-topic in the world of work has been the four-day workweek with surveys reportedly showing 94% of workers wanting a 4 day workweek. It has been seen as a potential solution to improve work-life balance and increase productivity. Traditionally, a five day work week consisting of 8 hours each day was the norm. Although this was made in a time where the majority of people worked in factories during the industrial revolution, where they had to be in attendance a majority of the week for proper functioning. With the rise of technology, automation, and even AI, introducing a four-day work week can help employees have a better work-life balance and with the advancements of technology they can get the same amount of work done.
With studies such as one in the UK spanning 330,000 employees and 60 companies over 6 months trialling the four day workweek, an astounding 95% of the firms stated productivity either stayed the same or improved. 90% of the workers want to continue, and 55% reported it increased their ability to work. Although, in reality would this system work? Would there be drawbacks to other areas to allow for less working hours? Or is it actually possible that a four-day work week can be implemented and benefit employees and the companies alike with increased productivity? In this blog, we will cover how the four-day workweek became a talking point, its potential benefits and drawbacks, which industries can benefit from it, and some examples showing evidence that it can be successful.
The concept of a four-day workweek is not new. In 1956, then US Vice President Richard Nixon first coined the idea, promising to improve workers-lives. This was following Henry Ford in 1926 who first made the 5-day workweek (as the norm was 6 days). This was because the productivity of his factories improved so workers could do the same job in much less time. He also argued that for companies to thrive, there had to be enough free time for the population to buy and enjoy products/services from companies.
With even greater technological advances in recent years, it takes less time for the same tasks to be completed. Therefore, it’s no wonder people are suggesting a four-day workweek where employees have an extra day to rest, recharge and pursue personal interests. Although, business owners argue that although machines can complete tasks quicker, this simply means you can create more products in the same time as before resulting in increased profits. There is also the possibility of certain employees working 5 days to get ahead, as everyone else is working 4. This can create a snowball effect where everyone follows suit as to not fall behind and before you know it, we are back to a 5 day workweek.
Therefore, it’s important to weigh the positives and negatives of a four-day workweek, some of them are as follows:
1. Improved Work-Life Balance: A huge benefit for a four-day workweek is the increased time for workers to relax, spend time with family and pursue personal hobbies.
2. Increased Productivity: Whilst this may seem counter intuitive, those who champion the four-day workweek argue that a compressed workweek will further motivate employees to complete their tasks within a shorter time frame, as even with an extra day workers will just spend longer on the same task. This is also known as Parkinson’s law (1942), which states that work will expand to fill the time available to it.
3. Reduced Burnout and Stress: Working long hours can lead to burnout and stress among employees after time. A four-day workweek can help to reduce the amount of burnout in employees with increased time for relaxation and self-care. This also has a positive effect on their work, as having lower stress, and improved well-being can positively impact motivation resulting in improved work quality.
4. Enhanced Recruitment and Retention: Being a company that offers a four-day workweek can be an attractive perk for job seekers and a valuable retention tool too. Companies that are shown to prioritise the well-being and work-life balance of their employees are seen as more trusting and position themselves to attract top talent.
5. Environmental Impact: Reducing the work-week to four days can also have positive effects on power consumption. Less people will be commuting and offices won’t need to consume power to stay on. This is based on current trends showing increased power during the week. It should also be noted that an extra day off might also be spent travelling or consuming power at home so may not result in a positive environmental impact overall.
1. Operational Consideration: Some areas of business simply can’t condense into four days. Some industries require round-the-clock operations like the emergency services or customer-facing roles like retail. Reducing the working days would massively impact profits if they had to shut down one day a week from normal operations.
2. Scheduling Constraints: Implementing a four-day workweek wouldn’t be a simple process. There may be regular meetings or important calls on certain days that will need to be shifted and fit into the four-day week. This can create extra time and work for all staff and may not ensure a smooth workflow that can accommodate the change.
3. Client and Customer Expectations: Being a company that adopts a four-day workweek, especially early on, will be required to manage the expectations regarding availability and response times for their clients and customers. Having a company that only works four days a week can also give off impressions of laziness to clients or customers.
4. Employee Preference: Whilst some employees are all for the four-day workweek, some may prefer the traditional schedule or have commitments outside of work that make a compressed workweek challenging.
As we’ve mentioned in the drawbacks section, not every industry is suited to a four-day workweek. Although there are certain sectors where it could be particularly beneficial such as:
1. Knowledge-Based Industries: Industries that heavily rely on creativity, innovation, and problem-solving such as technology, marketing, and design, may see significant benefits from a four-day workweek. Employees in these industries often require uninterrupted time to focus on complex tasks and projects. Furthermore, some individuals argue that overworking in these industries can have a negative impact on performance as it can negatively impact creativity and problem solving abilities.
2. Professional Services: Professional services firms, such as law firms, accounting firms, and consulting firms could also benefit from a four-day workweek. This is because they have high-pressure work environments and long hours. By creating a compressed workweek, this can massively help improve their work-life balance and help combat burnout.
3. Tech Start-ups: In the fast-paced world of technology start-ups, employees often face long hours and juggling multiple responsibilities. A four-day workweek can help to prevent burnout and retain top talent in this industry, whilst also making the company an attractive destination for job seekers.
Let’s take a look at some companies that have successfully implemented four-day workweeks:
1. Perpetual Guardian: In 2018, a New Zealand-based trust management company called Perpetual Guardian conducted a trial of a four-day workweek and found that it led to a 20% increase in productivity and a 45% improvement in work-life balance among employees.
2. Microsoft Japan: In 2019, Microsoft Japan decided to experiment with a four-day workweek on its 2,300 employees for five weeks. They found an increase of 40% in productivity compared to the same period of the previous year. They also reported a reduction in electricity consumption and paper usage.
3. Allcap: In June 2022, Allcap, a UK engineering and industrial supplies company trialled the four-day workweek. This was initially planned to run for six months, however they had to stop the trial after two. The owner stated that they simply couldn’t afford to have everyone off one day a week. He reported that “customers call up all the time for manufacturing and construction components”, meaning they had to have employees on site during the standard working week. This example demonstrates that not every industry or profession is suited to a four day work-week if the company hopes to maintain constant outcomes.
While the idea of a four-day workweek may seem appealing to workers, the implementation and logistics would vary among companies and industries. For industries in the office that are non-customer facing or require around the clock support, it will ultimately become a weigh-up between whether the negative impacts on client expectations, scheduling, and operations can be combated by the increase in productivity and well-being of the employees. For industries in manual labour, this change may be harder to implement if the company wants to see constant results.
Ultimately, the change would take lots of careful planning, and a willingness to adapt to the change on an international level for it to become the norm. Further research and studies should be carried out in the meantime to measure whether a four-day workweek can actually be beneficial for employees and companies.