A Four-Day Workweek Sounds Ideal, But Is It Really? Here Are The Pros And Cons
Pros of a four-day workweek include employees feeling less fatigued, a better work-life balance, and increased productivity, while some cons include heightened pressure from employers and it not being practical for use in every field.
The four-day workweek has become a very attractive concept in the past few years. Since society refuses to let the idea go, there have been several studies investigating the pros and cons. A pilot program in the United Kingdom tried it out at dozens of companies with excellent results. And most of the participating firms say they are going to stick with it.
The concept is based on the idea that people in 40-hour week jobs can carry out the same tasks in a four-day workweek. The study also found a massive list of benefits associated with reduced hours. About 46% of employees said they were less fatigued. And three out of five said it was easier to balance their work-home life.
A 2022 study into the future of work by Ernst & Young surveyed more than 500 United States C-suite and business leaders across a range of industries. It found that 40% of employees have either started using a four-day workweek or are in the process of implementing one, NPR reports. While it may sound like an incredible idea in theory, it can become complicated in practice.
A study from New Zealand in 2021 found that job performance pressure increased with the four-day workweek. However, experts have noted that less time at the office might be good for employees who have difficulty disconnecting. Questions of equality have also been raised as the concept is prominent in tech and white-collar jobs.
For shift staff and people with unpredictable schedules, the idea of the traditional 40 hours seems like a luxury. Still, David Frayne, a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge who worked on the U.K trial, said the results were very positive. “The results showed the many ways companies were turning the four-day workweek from a dream into a realistic policy, with multiple benefits,” he said.
“We think there is a lot [of positivity] to motivate other companies and industries to give it a try,” Frayne continued. Speaking to NPR, the Managing Director of an Environment Consultancy Simon Ursell said his firm was planning on making the four-day workweek permanent after participating in the study. But he says reimagining old work structures shouldn’t end with one idea.
“The trial proved that working in a way that’s most applicable to your organization to achieve the sweet spot of productivity for time [is what everyone should] be aiming at,” Ursell said. He added that it’s not necessarily the four-day workweek. The real questions are what is best for a specific organization and how to get the best outcomes.
The timing of the four-day workweek conversation follows the pandemic disruption, which forced people to work from home. At the time, employers saw that they could trust employees to manage their own time, meet deadlines and expectations, adapting quickly to a nontraditional office structure.
Now, a group of lawmakers in Maryland introduced proposed legislation for a four-day workweek. If passed, participating businesses could be eligible for tax credits, NPR reports. It remains to be seen if the concept will be implemented across the globe.
