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"Never get so busy making a living that you forget about making a life."
-Dolly Parton
The average person works for a third of their life. With all this work comes stress and responsibilities that most people just want to throw away. This also applies to students across the world. I found out about this topic when I was reading an article for a different project and it immediately spiked my interest. After doing a little bit of research I found this topic interesting because of all the benefits it brings and how so many people desire it but there are so few companies actually implementing it. This is important to me because I will be a part of the workforce in only a few years and this can directly affect the rest of my life. I investigated my questions and found what is a four day work week, what are the pros/cons of a four-day workweek, how would a company implement this new week, and what industries would implement it. I chose the quote “Never get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life” by Dolly Parton because of how closely it relates to personal free time. If you work for five days and only get two days off, you might get burnt out and not want to do anything. Well with an extra day you can focus on yourself and make a life for you.
The New Workweek
Does more free time, less stress, and more productivity sound like a better life? That's what a four-day workweek could do for employees around the world. Most people don't know what the four-day workweek is and this is due to Americans being uninformed and unaware. Along with not knowing what the four-day workweek is, many don't know the benefits or downsides of it. With trials and programs all over the world with statistics to prove everything, there are more reasons to switch to the new workweek. While the normal five-day workweek has proven itself inferior to the four-day workweek, companies and employers are only slowly progressing to switch to the new work week; however, with proper planning, management, and understanding the research, certain companies can expect the benefits to outweigh any downside. So, what is the four day four-day workweek?
The What
A four-day work week is simply a different schedule. Employees work for only four days but still earn full pay. There are a few ways to implement it with most employers going from working 40 hours to 32 hours. The second option is to have a normal 40 hours but to fit into four days instead of five (Paychex). Some employers might choose to remain open all five days of the week and have a staggering schedule. This means all employees work Tuesday-Thursday, but half take Monday off and the other half take Friday off. The largest benefit in changing from a five-day workweek to a four-day workweek is how employers will profit and limit cost. A Henley Business School poll shows the cost saving compared to a normal 5-day work week. The study concluded that 51% of business leaders reported savings that are a result of less money spent on utilities like water and electricity, as well as lower facilities costs (TriNet Team ). When moving to a four-day workweek, both businesses and employees save money. Other decreased expenses for employees can be daycare for their children, dry cleaning, or even eating out for lunch (Paychex).
Benefits
Trials in Japan have shown that one less day of work is more productive than a five day workweek. It proved so productive that the program saw a 40% increase in their productivity. Businesses reduced the cost of their building’s expenses by reducing electricity and the amount of paper used (TriNet Team ). More benefits for employees are studies showing that employees take fewer sick days. They go to doctors' appointments and other personal business on their extra day off (TriNet Team). Employees improved their mental and physical health. Employees may want to work on their day off, but report they are more productive and feel more accomplished (Broom). With more free time, employees spend more time doing activities they love, hanging out with friends and family, completing errands, and more. This flexibility can improve employees' perspectives on their work/life balance (Paychex). With employees happier about their job, their managers also become more productive. Every manager and employer wants their employees to take responsibility for their work. When companies move to a 4-day work week, they give their employees autonomy, but managers need to trust workers to accomplish their work (TriNet Team). Additionally, by taking a day off work, commuters reduce the amount of pollution in the air. Which can keep any employee safe by reducing the risk of a car accident (TriNet Team). The four-day workweek isn't all good though; it has its problems that can make a business shy away from it.
The Challenges
Scheduling is the biggest problem with the four-day. It'll be difficult to have customers and staff adjust to the new hours. Normal meetings and other events can still happen throughout the week, but sudden changes to the schedule or other business may have to be put on hold. If there are too many problems, then the 4-day work week might not be the right solution for the company (TriNet Team). The largest concern for employers is reduced work. To see a productive increase in work is a coin flip. Production depends on the dedication of the team and willingness to stay on task. Switching to a four-day workweek is a choice each employer has to make this choice by how responsible their staff is. Employers may find that their employees favor this schedule better and like to be trusted with results (TriNet Team). Another concern for a company is when it employs a lot of hourly employees. People who work on salaries should be expected to do the same amount of work; however hourly wage employees won't be invested on projects and may be forced to work overtime. This can cause prices to increase based on what kind of overtime the state requires (TriNet Team). Employers need to be aware of what their state requires. Illustrating again why employers need reliable employees to ensure they complete their work on time (TriNet Team). Stress is another challenge of switching to the four day work-week. Businesses build a schedule around the fact that employees will have Friday or Monday off. Although this gives an extra day off for the employees to relax, companies still need to make up for this lost day. Employers do this by putting more stress on the days that they are working. If they increase the time they get off from work by more than the stress they take on during the week, then it's a win for the company; otherwise, it's counterproductive (TriNet Team).
The Who and How
A four-day work week isn't for every business, but if often the better fit. It will be better for workers in office jobs and non-emergency positions, however first responders, and medical field positions might have to be more flexible in the length of their workweek. As it is more vital for them to stay in the office in case an emergency happens. This can affect the morale of the rest of the employees and cause resentment toward employers. Employers need to ensure fairness to all employees in their company (TriNet Team).When the four day work-week seems profitable for an organization, they need to know how to implement it. An expert and entrepreneur Andrew Barns says, “If I waste your time so you can’t do your job effectively, what that also means is that we fail as a group. This is really about people working together. What we’ve seen is far stronger team cohesion, collaboration, and idea sharing, because I need you to succeed in order for me to get the time off that I want” (Baskin). The problem with having multiple people working together is finding the time to work on the project. Managers need to make sure that their scheduling and planning is as smooth as possible, so moving to a four-day work week and keeping all forty hours is not recommended. Research proves that those extra hours are not as productive (Baskin). To manage a four-day work week effectively, there needs to be ground rules for how the employees work. First, test out the new system in a trial-based program which allows employees to adapt to how a four-day work week operates. Ask the staff's opinions about how to improve the process. So employees feel involved and more willing to make it succeed (Baskin). Businesses that work best with a four day work week include schools, office jobs, manufacturing jobs, and other businesses that don't serve the community like emergency services. Although this concept might be new to the US, many trials across the world.
Trials
Four day trials have been experimented with in a lot of European countries, Japan, and some minor ones in the US with one of the biggest in Spain. About 6,000 employees across 200 companies are testing a four-day work week. The problem with transitioning to a four-day work week is the transition itself. Which is why a government-funded program helps employees adapt to their new workweek, and see the long-term effects and why it can improve their workplace (Paychex). Another example is in the UK. Over 3,300 employees and many companies have agreed to pilot a program that implements a four-day work week. Over this process, the companies will monitor all the employees and what the effects of the four-day workweek are (Paychex). Andrew Barnes comments, “In the United States, we found that people valued the four-day week so much, they said they’d need an extra 10% to 50% pay to return to a five-day workweek. In the U.K. results, we found that 71% of employees had reduced levels of burnout, and by the end of the trial, 39% were less stressed. These are significant numbers'' (Baskin). According to the US Bureau of Labor, the average American citizen makes $56,316 a year. Barnes is saying that they would need to make $84,474 to go back to work. These trials aren’t only in the US, as many countries and companies are trying the new workweek. A name more people will recognize is Microsoft. Who also has experimented with a four-day work week in Japan and found a 40% increase in employee productivity, as well as a 23% decrease in electricity and paper pages (Paychex). According to Henley Business School, 64% of businesses saw increases in employee productivity and overall job satisfaction, with 70% of employees felt less stressed while on the job, and 62% of employees took fewer days off. Just these benefits alone lead to healthier and more productive workers.
Wrap up
The four-day workweek has too many benefits to not be considered the new normal. While the normal five-day workweek has proven itself inferior to the four-day workweek, companies and employers are still making slow progress switching to the new work week full time. Some managers and companies are too worried about all the drawbacks that come along with the four-day workweek, but with proper planning and care, all problems can be solved. The four-day workweek still hasn't been fully discovered and can still improve. As more companies explore the four-day workweek, they may find new pros that help them better than anything previously stated. Companies need to start making the switch over to the newer, better, and more efficient workweek.
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