These days, there’s a lot of talk about the possibility of many offices and employers moving to four-day work weeks. This is after over 100 years of the standard for full-time work having people clocking in Monday through Friday. So, is the five-day work week still ideal, or is it time to move to a four-day alternative?
The Forty Hours Per Week Standard
The standard of working eight hours a day for five days a week is tried-and-true. It’s the system that was used in factories back in the day, and it’s the go-to for offices all over the world. Yet, in the modern work force, stretching some tasks out over that arbitrary work week can be a bit absurd.
Making it Up
A lot of people with very important jobs don’t spend a full 40 hours of their week actually working. They might finish their work early every day, but fear telling their supervisors about their efficiency as they might get loaded up with more work. Instead, they just coast for a few hours, making themselves look busy. This is wasted time!
Squeezing it In
In trials where companies tried out a four-day work week, many workers found they were much more efficient. Having eight fewer hours per week dedicated to working meant they were more selective with their tasks, and, perhaps paradoxically, more efficient. It turns out there’s an upper limit to how much office work a person is capable of doing in any given week.
Pilot Programs
There have been quite a few pilot programs in the US and Europe that have looked at the potential benefits of working only four days out of the week without impacting workers’ salaries. The main takeaway is that most people become more productive, but that’s not the only benefit employers have found.
Happier Workers
This might not be shocking for most people, but workers tend to be better at their jobs when they’re happy. It’s true! Miserable people put forth miserable efforts, which kind of defeats the point of trying to excel in a crowded marketplace. How can you succeed as a business if your workforce is so sad that they can’t stand the thought of toiling for you?
Physical Health
The extra eight hours that employees get back from working only four days out of the week can be very beneficial to their overall health. Many workers in the pilot programs said they spent the extra day off exercising, preparing meals, or playing sports with friends. This helped them feel much healthier and helped them return to work feeling refreshed!
Mental Health
You don’t need a doctorate degree in psychology to understand that people get a bit antsy when asked to stay in the same room for forty hours per week. Giving people just one extra day per week to themselves has massive benefits for their mental health, according to the pilot programs.
Work-Life Balance
Many workers with families at home also reported increased time spent with their spouses and children. This is great for their mental wellbeing as well as helping them cultivate a healthy work-life balance. No one wants to be remembered as the spouse or parent who wasn’t around because work came first.
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Environmental Impact
People commute less when they’re not working. Weirdly, this even applies to remote workers! On their extra days off, people seem content to do chores, watch TV, exercise at home, or just otherwise make the most of some extra time with family. This, combined with offices staying closed for another day, has a huge positive impact on the environment as people are in their cars less and burning less energy overall.
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Will it Happen?
With all these awesome benefits to reap, it seems like a no-brainer that every American business would pick up the four-day work week tomorrow, right? Well, don’t hold your breath. Corporations are behemoths and they’re resistant to change. Moreover, smaller businesses with tighter budgets are unlikely to authorize what they’ll perceive as extra “days off” just because some pilot programs suggested it’d be good for productivity.
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