The idea of a four-day workweek has been floating around for decades, spurring employees everywhere to picture what they could do with a three-day weekend every week. Employers might be a harder sell, but that hasn’t stopped several companies from running the experiment. And, thanks to advances in technology, that corporate policy may become more common in the not-too-distant future.
Re-opening this conversation is a Trades Union Congress (TUC) report, “A Future That Works For Working People.” The report by the British labor group explains that as technology makes work more efficient, the time savings should be shared with the labor force.
What might this look like in practice? Let’s look at the types of technology that can help move us toward this goal, and explore how a four-day workweek has impacted the companies who are blazing the trail.
How Technology Is Making Work More Efficient
Machine learning is absolutely key to this question, even though its complexity is still limited. I’ve written before about how AI is improving the landscape of work, and this is one more thing to add to the list. By using machine learning to eliminate the “busy work” that takes over so many workers’ days, companies can accomplish more tasks in less time.
Industrial robotics is another area where we can see increased output without increased human labor. Robots can be used in manufacturing and shipping to eliminate physically laborious tasks like assembling products or carrying heavy loads.
This may also cause anxiety about job security in these industries, which is why the TUC emphasizes that we must have discussions about fairness to workers in reaping the rewards of increased automation: “The question should be less whether there is enough wealth or work to go around, but how that wealth is distributed.”
If changes are implemented wisely, the increased efficiency can provide some breathing room for a healthier work-life balance. As the TUC writes, “If new technology makes us richer, we can be ambitious about how we use that wealth to give us more time to spend with family and friends.”
The Four-Day Workweek In Practice
One company making headlines right now is Perpetual Guardian, hailing from New Zealand. After doing a trial run in March and April where employees worked four days a week (without a salary change), the company deemed it a success and made the schedule permanent. Notably, they highlight that employees’ job performance did not suffer, team engagement increased, stress levels lowered, and (of course) work-life balance improved. Full results are available on their 4dayweek website.
Other companies have made the switch as well. Reusser Design, a web app development company in Indiana, is open Monday to Thursday. Company president Nate Reusser deems their switch a success as well. “I think to be competitive on talent retention and attraction we have to be flexible in giving that choice to employees, and that’s worked very well for us and our culture.”
Project management and team communication software company Basecamp doesn’t have a year-round four-day schedule, but switches over during the summer (May 1-August 31). “Our summer hours benefit is one of the best!” says Andrea LaRowe, Head of People Ops. “Having that extra day off allows us to spend more time with our families and friends, engage in a hobby, or simply relax. Basecamp is really invested in helping employees remain happy and healthy in and out of work.”
How To Implement A Four-Day Workweek
Perpetual Guardian didn’t go into their trial blind, which is likely key to success. Instead, they based it on research and gave employees a month’s notice to discuss and prepare. Simply cutting off a day without a game plan on how to maintain performance may leave employees confused about expectations. Research, preparation, and transparency during the transition process and beyond are essential.
“If you treat it just like a five-day, it will backfire on you,” says Reusser. He suggests structuring days in a way that helps employees achieve deeper focus. “We create work blocks without any meetings in two-hour increments during each day so that our team can focus on such a compressed workweek. Some people don’t think about reducing distractions for employees during a four-day workweek.”
It’s worth noting that not all four-day experiments have succeeded. Online education company Team Treehouse abandoned theirs within a year due to layoffs, and the company CEO reported a negative effect on his work ethic. Employee personalities and company culture are two more pieces in the puzzle to consider.
However, there’s room for a happy medium, too, if you don’t want to fall off the face of the earth on day five. Reusser Design rotates employees on Fridays to remain reachable to clients while still giving most staff the day off. Or, take a page out of Basecamp’s book and choose a certain month or season rather than implementing it year-round.
Will four-day weeks become the new standard within the 21st century? It remains to be seen, but the outlook looks better than ever.
