Four-Day Work Week: Will It Work?
Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve gotten used to the five-day work week that we’re all familiar with: Mondays to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays off. That was more than a century ago.
Since then, labour productivity has almost tripled, but we’re working the same hours we did back in 1950, if not more. Wages also haven’t kept up with productivity.
This trend has led to a conversation about the four-day work week as the future of work. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the debate, when it demonstrated that employees could be just as productive working independently.
In the world’s largest trial run of a four-day work week conducted in the United Kingdom, employees reported feeling happier, healthier and are doing better in their jobs. But, does Monday to Thursday (or some variation thereof) actually work? What are the pros and cons of it? Let’s take a deeper look.
The Case for a Four-Day Work Week
Simply put, a four-day work week results in happier, more satisfied employees. Consequently, their work improves, and so does their productivity – even when adjusted for the four-day week. In trial after trial, from Iceland to Belgium, employees across various sectors took less sick leave, felt healthier, and boosted productivity.
Furthermore, a four-day work week could also increase access to the workforce. A shorter working week would promote better work-life balance, as well as freeing up the time for working parents to work on a flexible schedule. Part of the reason why governments are so keen on trialling four-day work weeks is to make their labour markets more sustainable, while making it easier for working adults to start a family and raise children.
A shorter work week also means a smaller carbon footprint as commutes are eliminated. Office buildings can also conserve power under a four-day work week by turning off power and air-conditioning.
Why a Four-Day Work Week Wouldn’t Work
While the advantages of a four-day work week came through in trials, it isn’t clear how it will perform in the long term, across a wide range of industries and markets.
Four-day work weeks are unsuitable for most customer-facing jobs, such as retail employees or customer service representatives. Theoretically, companies could hire more employees to cover the four-day week. But, with unemployment at a historic low, the labour market is far too tight – potentially hurting smaller businesses that can’t afford the increased labour costs.
The transition to a four-day work week could also be messy. During a four-day work week trial in Sweden, some employees reported feeling uncomfortable when skipping work. Additionally, Sweden’s flexible work culture already allowed for a great degree of autonomy in determining work schedules, rendering four-day weeks moot in some cases.
But the biggest problem is that the four-day week trials were mostly conducted in advanced European economies, which already see productivity and wages hitting a ceiling. In developing economies like Asia and Africa, a four-day work week could see productivity plummet. Otherwise, workers would have to work more hours per day in a four-day week, likely resulting in increased stress, fatigue etc.
The Future of Work
However, given the changing future of work, it is more than likely that a four-day work week will come to fruition in our working lifetime. Malaysia has already taken steps to reduce working hours from 48 hours to 45 hours in the latest amendments to the Employment Act 1955. While still a long way from the 32 hours of a four-day week, it is a step towards modernizing the workforce.
A century and a half ago, the weekend was almost unheard of. Yet with the help of unions, governments, and forward-thinking businesses, we have Saturdays and Sundays that we take for granted. Will we see the same thing with the four-day work week? Implausible as it may seem to some employers, it may yet come to pass.
Learn how BrioHR can simplify HR for your business by getting a free demo here.
Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve gotten used to the five-day work week that we’re all familiar with: Mondays to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays off. That was more than a century ago.
Since then, labour productivity has almost tripled, but we’re working the same hours we did back in 1950, if not more. Wages also haven’t kept up with productivity.
This trend has led to a conversation about the four-day work week as the future of work. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the debate, when it demonstrated that employees could be just as productive working independently.
In the world’s largest trial run of a four-day work week conducted in the United Kingdom, employees reported feeling happier, healthier and are doing better in their jobs. But, does Monday to Thursday (or some variation thereof) actually work? What are the pros and cons of it? Let’s take a deeper look.
The Case for a Four-Day Work Week
Simply put, a four-day work week results in happier, more satisfied employees. Consequently, their work improves, and so does their productivity – even when adjusted for the four-day week. In trial after trial, from Iceland to Belgium, employees across various sectors took less sick leave, felt healthier, and boosted productivity.
Furthermore, a four-day work week could also increase access to the workforce. A shorter working week would promote better work-life balance, as well as freeing up the time for working parents to work on a flexible schedule. Part of the reason why governments are so keen on trialling four-day work weeks is to make their labour markets more sustainable, while making it easier for working adults to start a family and raise children.
A shorter work week also means a smaller carbon footprint as commutes are eliminated. Office buildings can also conserve power under a four-day work week by turning off power and air-conditioning.
Why a Four-Day Work Week Wouldn’t Work
While the advantages of a four-day work week came through in trials, it isn’t clear how it will perform in the long term, across a wide range of industries and markets.
Four-day work weeks are unsuitable for most customer-facing jobs, such as retail employees or customer service representatives. Theoretically, companies could hire more employees to cover the four-day week. But, with unemployment at a historic low, the labour market is far too tight – potentially hurting smaller businesses that can’t afford the increased labour costs.
The transition to a four-day work week could also be messy. During a four-day work week trial in Sweden, some employees reported feeling uncomfortable when skipping work. Additionally, Sweden’s flexible work culture already allowed for a great degree of autonomy in determining work schedules, rendering four-day weeks moot in some cases.
But the biggest problem is that the four-day week trials were mostly conducted in advanced European economies, which already see productivity and wages hitting a ceiling. In developing economies like Asia and Africa, a four-day work week could see productivity plummet. Otherwise, workers would have to work more hours per day in a four-day week, likely resulting in increased stress, fatigue etc.
The Future of Work
However, given the changing future of work, it is more than likely that a four-day work week will come to fruition in our working lifetime. Malaysia has already taken steps to reduce working hours from 48 hours to 45 hours in the latest amendments to the Employment Act 1955. While still a long way from the 32 hours of a four-day week, it is a step towards modernizing the workforce.
A century and a half ago, the weekend was almost unheard of. Yet with the help of unions, governments, and forward-thinking businesses, we have Saturdays and Sundays that we take for granted. Will we see the same thing with the four-day work week? Implausible as it may seem to some employers, it may yet come to pass.
Learn how BrioHR can simplify HR for your business by getting a free demo here.
