Is the 4 Day Work Week a Good Idea?

Amid alarming levels of employee stress and burnout, some organizations are considering what might have been unthinkable to many a few years ago: reducing the work week to four days.

It’s a controversial idea — but is it a good one? Or are there better ways to promote worker productivity and wellbeing?

Some studies support reducing the number of hours worked each week. An experiment conducted in Iceland between 2015 and 2019 found that doing so while keeping pay the same increased productivity.

Researchers also reported lower burnout and higher wellbeing among employees with a four day work week.

A similar work model — a four day work week trial — is being tested in Spain. In Japan, employers are urged to permit their employees to work four 10-hour days. And Scotland recently announced a policy to cut working hours by 20% without a decrease in pay.

Organisations are running their own experiments, as well. A New Zealand company reduced weekly hours from 37.5 to 30 — and allowed employees to decide what days they would work. Another organisation gave employees every other Friday off each month; according to the CEO, some workers enjoy using that day for individual “deep work,” undistracted by meetings or calls.

What’s more, leaders all over the world are considering more permanent flexibility with remote or hybrid work arrangements based on what they learned from the largest “forced work experiment” in history during COVID19.

The Complex Relationships Among Time, Work and Wellbeing

In March 2020, during the onset of COVID-19 in the U.S., Gallup asked 10,364 full-time employees the number of days they typically work. Just 5% said they work four days a week, while 84% said five days and 11% said six days.

Gallup also collected employee engagement and wellbeing data. Those working six days per week indicated the highest rates of burnout — 38% reported feeling burned out “often” or “always.” Among those working five days per week, 26% reported feeling burned out often or always, compared with 23% of those with four day work weeks.

In addition, those working four day weeks were found to have the highest rates of thriving wellbeing (63%), compared with those working five (57%) or six days (56%)

Moving from working five days a week to working four could increase an organisation’s percentage of actively disengaged employees.

In other words, by working fewer days per week, employees who already feel disconnected from their employer, team or manager are more likely to drift even farther away — from tolerating their jobs to hating them.

The Problem Isn’t the Number of Workdays — It’s the Workplace

Debates over changing up the work week aren’t new. In 1926, Ford Motor Company standardised a five day work week from the prevalent six days. Ford’s leaders theorised that fewer days worked with the same pay would increase productivity through higher effort while at work.

But beneath the long-standing debate over the work week lies a deeper question about the nature of work itself. Consider these findings:

• Gallup research has consistently found that workers want more flexibility and that job flexibility is correlated with higher employee engagement. Work flexibility allows employees to boost their overall wellbeing in other areas while still meeting the requirements of their job. It also lowers stress by allowing people to create a schedule that makes sense for their life.
• Two-thirds or more of engaged employees are thriving in their overall lives regardless of days worked per week

Meaningful work is an essential part of a life well-lived. Work can be richly rewarding — and is for many

Flex time is the most desired perk among employees, and with the increase in hybrid work models going forward, it makes more sense to use a flex-time model than to legislate hours or days worked — with an emphasis on upskilling managers to bring role clarity, ongoing coaching and accountability.