4-Day Workweek Is A Success And A Trend In Waiting
A recent headline really caught my attention: A 4-day workweek pilot program is a 100% success across North America (especially in Canada).
That figure sounded too good to be true. 100%?! I’ve heard about the idea of a 4-day workweek and how employees would love an extra day-off (obviously). It sounded like a dream. However, this particular article, right off the bat, was announcing that a pilot program was 100% successful with this approach. The program was by an organization called 4 Day Week Global and it was one of their recent Instagram posts that really got my attention.
Zero out of 41 companies would be returning to a regular 5-day schedule after this experiment by the nonprofit.
Now my immediate assumption was that hours were compressed or slightly adjusted to allow a 4 day workweek, but that actually wasn’t the case. The 5th day was completely eliminated, meaning with the same hours in a usual day, the participants just did 4 days.
Employees were obviously happy. They got an extra day-off. However, that extra day led to a myriad of other benefits. Improved productivity and reduced burnout are some that come to mind. It doesn’t stop at the employees either. The companies themselves also experienced greater attraction of workers and an overall increase in revenue (about 15% according to the study above)! The results are exciting since there’s a win-win situation going on, so I wonder when this will become more mainstream? Time for major companies and public institutions to implement this as well?
It definitely isn’t easy to implement. Obviously, there are certain industries that cannot even begin to think about it, such as customer service. The loss of hours might actually translate to a loss in revenue if it means less time helping customers and being outshone by competitors. The overhaul of employee policies and benefits might be a huge hassle as well. Overall, our economy is so interconnected that (given the changes in income, lifestyle, and processes) a shift would have to be swift and widely accepted, or dismissed. Only a major event might force us to change. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? A major event that changes the way we work. Ah yes, remote work. Simply an idea and luxury before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In January of 2020, I had no idea what remote work was like. It was something I had heard of, but vaguely. I knew no one who actually did it. My workplace did have a way to work remotely set up in case it was needed. I never needed it until that particular month, when a snowstorm hit. I was stuck at home, and before I knew it, I was remotely connected to my work computer from my laptop. It was my first time working like this, and I loved everything about it. I realized I wanted to work like this in the comfort of my home! Yes, the year above says 2020, that is not a typo. My thoughts then were, “I could get used to this! Aww, too bad it’s only for a day.” The timing was just remarkable. Two months later, I found myself totally prepared.
Would I have wanted something disastrous like a worldwide pandemic to bring about this shift? Absolutely not. However, it’s clear to me that a 4-day workweek might need an event similar in scale to help make it more commonplace. Most youth are beginning to recognize the different yet innovative ways we can do work. Modern technology just keeps expanding those horizons. In a survey by Fiverr, over 70% of people between 16–26 said they would consider freelancing, and they also believe having flexible work hours is one of their top priorities when looking for a job. A 4-day workweek would certainly allow that flexibility. It’s also important to note that most people would have to have some sort of side hustle or other additional income today for this to be a major success. I say this due to the high inflation we’re unfortunately seeing, which has clearly translated to reduced purchasing power. Losing that extra day of work will be a substantial setback for most people, so either wages increase to compensate, or prices/costs fall (easier said than done). I would hope that the gig economy does expand and cater to all age groups soon in order for the 4-day workweek to be everywhere in the near future.
I would love to hear from someone who works (or has worked recently) a 4-day workweek regularly. If this is you, or you know someone who does and know what their experience has been like, please comment and let me know! It’s rare to come across someone like that personally and to hear thoughts outside of an article, so I would really appreciate it!
