The 4-day work week is here to stay (don't get left behind)
The shift to a 4-day work week has been gaining momentum since 2022, and for good reason. As a solution for people struggling with pandemic-related stress, job stress, overwork and burnout, and the pressures of everyday life, 4-day workweeks can be part of the answer.
And experiments with the 4-day work week no longer happen in a vacuum by progressive corporations. CNN named it one of the nine most important new ideas in business. Globally, national governments have even sponsored 4 day/week trials.
And 4-day working weeks don't just impact employee well-being, studies have shown there are social, economic and climate benefits, in addition to a positive effect on business results.
In this article, we'll define the 4-day workweek, detail the positives, and share our own experience adopting this model, including our CEO's poignant advice to companies hoping to emulate our example.< /p>
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
To be clear, we're talking about a reduced 4-day work week.
A 4-day work week can be described in two ways: compressed and shrink. A compressed workweek divides a workload of more than 35 hours over four days with the same pay and benefits as a traditional five-day workweek. A reduced work week removes eight hours from the employee's schedule, reducing the total number of hours worked to 32 per week over four days with the same pay and benefits as a traditional part-time position full.
The 4-day work week is undeniably positive: for us and for the planetResearch by the nonprofit 4 Day Week Global shows the clear benefits of a 4-day work week model. The organization studied 33 companies in 6 different countries that reduced the workload of their employees to four days (32 hours per week) during a six-month trial. The experiment raised the question of whether employees could be as productive in 20% less time for the same pay. The results were surprisingly positive.
Companies revealed an 8.14% increase in revenue during the trial, and an incredible 37.55% increase over the same six-month period a year earlier. New hires increased by 12.16% during the trial. Perhaps even more incredible, these results came during the “Great Quit,” a period in 2022 when workers quit their jobs at record rates due to burnout, a desire for a better work- personal life and feeling that their job wasn't meeting their expectations.
Employee satisfaction reached an all-time high during the trial: 96.9% said they absolutely wanted to continue to have a 4-day work week. They reported reduced stress and burnout, increased productivity, and greater job satisfaction. Employees were able to spend more time with family and friends, sleep better, and spend more time exercising.
A shorter working week has also proven to be beneficial for the environment, the economy and society. Carbon emissions go down with less travel and employees socialize more with a three-day weekend. This, in turn, supports businesses and, in some countries, desired population growth. Japan, for example, has historically had a work-intensive culture: “karoshi,” a term meaning “death from overwork,” was coined in the 1970s. However, the country has recently rel...
The shift to a 4-day work week has been gaining momentum since 2022, and for good reason. As a solution for people struggling with pandemic-related stress, job stress, overwork and burnout, and the pressures of everyday life, 4-day workweeks can be part of the answer.
And experiments with the 4-day work week no longer happen in a vacuum by progressive corporations. CNN named it one of the nine most important new ideas in business. Globally, national governments have even sponsored 4 day/week trials.
And 4-day working weeks don't just impact employee well-being, studies have shown there are social, economic and climate benefits, in addition to a positive effect on business results.
In this article, we'll define the 4-day workweek, detail the positives, and share our own experience adopting this model, including our CEO's poignant advice to companies hoping to emulate our example.< /p>
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
To be clear, we're talking about a reduced 4-day work week.
A 4-day work week can be described in two ways: compressed and shrink. A compressed workweek divides a workload of more than 35 hours over four days with the same pay and benefits as a traditional five-day workweek. A reduced work week removes eight hours from the employee's schedule, reducing the total number of hours worked to 32 per week over four days with the same pay and benefits as a traditional part-time position full.
The 4-day work week is undeniably positive: for us and for the planetResearch by the nonprofit 4 Day Week Global shows the clear benefits of a 4-day work week model. The organization studied 33 companies in 6 different countries that reduced the workload of their employees to four days (32 hours per week) during a six-month trial. The experiment raised the question of whether employees could be as productive in 20% less time for the same pay. The results were surprisingly positive.
Companies revealed an 8.14% increase in revenue during the trial, and an incredible 37.55% increase over the same six-month period a year earlier. New hires increased by 12.16% during the trial. Perhaps even more incredible, these results came during the “Great Quit,” a period in 2022 when workers quit their jobs at record rates due to burnout, a desire for a better work- personal life and feeling that their job wasn't meeting their expectations.
Employee satisfaction reached an all-time high during the trial: 96.9% said they absolutely wanted to continue to have a 4-day work week. They reported reduced stress and burnout, increased productivity, and greater job satisfaction. Employees were able to spend more time with family and friends, sleep better, and spend more time exercising.
A shorter working week has also proven to be beneficial for the environment, the economy and society. Carbon emissions go down with less travel and employees socialize more with a three-day weekend. This, in turn, supports businesses and, in some countries, desired population growth. Japan, for example, has historically had a work-intensive culture: “karoshi,” a term meaning “death from overwork,” was coined in the 1970s. However, the country has recently rel...
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