Ready for a four-day workweek?
Considering we spend 90,000 hours of our waking lives at work, it’s no wonder that people are pondering the benefits of a four-day workweek. Add to that, a global pandemic and our shifting priorities and values, the four-day workweek is becoming a new trend in company culture.
While the implementation of four-day work is relatively new, the concept of a four-day workweek has been in the discourse about work culture for quite some time.
In 1930, economist John Maynard Keynes hypothesized that in 100 years, we’d have a 15-hour workweek due to more efficient ways of work and automation. Later in 1956, Vice President Richard Nixon suggested that the four-day workweek wasn’t far off. Finally, in 1998, the idea became a concept in France. They created two Aubry Laws that reduced the existing workweek from 39 to 35 hours.
So is shifting to a 4-day workweek worth it? Here are a couple of case studies– as well as an assessment of pro’s and con’s– for what this workplace shift might mean for you.
CASE STUDY #1: BUFFER
The concept has been implemented in recent years at companies such as social media management company Buffer. They started using four-day workweeks in May 2020 as a well-being perk during the pandemic. Employees work a 32-hour week for the same amount of pay, without the expectation they have to fit 40 hours of work into this time frame. They can use Friday as an overflow day to catch up on emails and the like if they choose.
People are allowed to choose what day they'd like to be off during the week and customer support teams stagger their schedules to allow for better coverage. The company has seen many upsides to switching to this model including 91% of employees surveyed feeling happier and more productive. The amount of money the company will save in retaining these happy employees goes without saying.
You’d think that working fewer hours would mean you’d be less productive, right? Wrong! Buffer found just the opposite. In measuring how many lines of code their engineers produced back in November 2019 to 2020, their engineers produced more lines of code!
The only downside with this model? Employees feel less engaged and more disconnected from their teams and the company as a whole. Buffer is already working on a plan to remedy this downside by scheduling more in-person team-building events in the near future.
CASE STUDY#2: MICROSOFT
In the summer of 2019, Microsoft Japan tested a four-day work week as part of a pilot program called “Work-Life Choice Challenge 2019 Summer,” and they saw a 40% increase in productivity. Employees worked 32 hours per week for the same pay and they received a three-day weekend.
Microsoft also cut down on costs by reducing their electricity usage by 23%, as well as a 60% reduction in printouts. To do more with less time, Microsoft also cut down on all meetings from 60 minutes to 30 minutes. They encouraged employees to utilize collaboration tools and be mindful of wasteful emails and meetings. Microsoft hasn’t decided if they want to try this experiment in other locations or make the changes fully permanent in the future.`
CONS TO A FOUR-DAY WORKWEEK
The case studies at Microsoft and Buffer have shown many of the pros and advantages of a four-day workweek, but let’s explore some of the cons.
1. Companies would have to decide if employees would work four 10-hour days or four 8-hour days.
If some companies decided on a 10-hour workday, that may prove problematic because not all employees may be able to accommodate the longer hours due to stamina, increased mental stress, childcare, or after work commitments. Plus, being a “morning person” is genetic, and those extra hours in the day could require non morning people to get their hustle on before their eyes are truly open.
2. It may be unrealistic for certain industries such as real estate, customer service, and some tech jobs. There are certain jobs where the hours just aren’t clear, or the customers need service on off times. This needs to be considered.
3. If employers opted for a 32-hour workweek with no reduction in employee wages, it could prove very risky for them. It could be a very expensive social experiment for employers if productivity goals are not met, but they are still spending the same amount of money on employee wages.
4. It may not be enough time to do everything.
Some work activities simply take more time than others. Employees may want to work more to finish all of their activities, but might not be able to in the allotted 32 hours versus 40.
While economist John Maynard Keynes' prediction of a 15-hour workweek may not be on the horizon for quite some time, the four-day workweek is. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the world of work.
