The case for the 4 day work week
Recently, I moved to a 4-day work week due to my migraine condition. One of my primary triggers is screentime, and in a job that requires being on a screen 8+ hours per day, 5 days a week, it became a necessity to reduce my schedule.
My 4-day work week required a 20 percent cut in pay- not ideal- but my health and zest for work have improved tremendously.
In this article from Scientific American in 2023, “According to surveys of participants, 71 percent of respondents reported lower levels of burnout, and 39 percent reported being less stressed than when they began the test. Companies experienced 65 percent fewer sick and personal days. And the number of resignations dropped by more than half, compared with an earlier six-month period. Despite employees logging fewer work hours, companies’ revenues barely changed during the test period. In fact, they actually increased slightly, by 1.4 percent on average.”
I’ve noticed the following benefits from my new schedule:
Improved attention
Better mood
Increased creativity and problem-solving
Better work/life balance
Ability to enjoy personal activities
Stopped equating busyness at work with being/feeling important (a huge stress reliever)
Most importantly, although I have offloaded some small tasks to a junior team member, I am better able to complete my original 5-day schedule within the 4-day week because I manage my time better and I’m not burned out. A 3-day weekend allows plenty of freedom to complete personal tasks, pay bills, manage the home schedule, and have fun.
Most people agree. NPR reported that a trial in the U.K. in 2022 had 61 companies move to a four-day workweek with no reduction in pay. Today, 54 still have the policy. Respondents mentioned many of what I have found: physical and mental health improvements, better work-life balance, reduction in burnout, and overall higher job satisfaction.
How can companies make this a reality? We are ingrained to have a 5-day work week, but it’s more about companies operating for 5 days. Employee schedules would have to be shifted to overlap and allow for alternating days off to keep offices running on a 5-day week. In some instances, companies may compress a 5-day, 40-hour schedule into 4 days, while others may reduce total weekly hours while still providing full pay.
In this article from the American Psychological Association, the author notes that the compressed hours model (full pay for working four 10-hour days)“found higher performance ratings and job satisfaction but no changes in absenteeism or productivity.”
Perhaps the best step is to pilot a 4-day work week over 6 months, as done in preliminary studies, and assess the outcomes on business productivity and employee retention.