Four-Day Workweeks Aren’t Simply About Cutting Hours

Momentum has been growing for a four-day workweek. The majority of tests and pilot programs have come back successful, and by any number of measures, the schedule seems to work out not only for employees who want to reduce levels of stress and burnout but for organizations looking to improve productivity and engagement. However, there are many misconceptions about what a four-day workweek looks like. For one, it’s not simply about cutting hours. A Monday to Thursday workweek simply isn’t feasible for most organizations. “The vast, vast majority of companies internationally who have introduced this, and the vast, vast majority of companies who are joining our trials, are having to continue to operate their service over five days, in some cases, even six or seven days,” Joe O’Connor told the global pilot programme manager for the four-day week global campaign. Instead, work needs to be distributed across teams with adequate staff able to fill in. “Some firms look at the research that if you reduce work-time, you can increase productivity,” O’Connor said. “Therefore they think that if they reduce working hours by 20% and do nothing else, that magically their productivity is going to go up.” The four-day workweek isn’t about lopping hours off of our schedules, he adds. It’s an entry point to the conversation of how we can all work smarter instead of longer.