How the 4-Day Workweek is Changing the Future of Work

We are now used to working 40 hours a week, but it hasn’t always been like this. In fact, at the beginning of the 20th century, people worked six days a week for a total of 60 working hours!

Henry Ford popularized the 40-hour workweek, leading people to adopt our current five-day week instead of the traditional six-day week. The five-day workweek started as an experiment in some plants in July 1926 and was established as a company policy by September of the same year.

Over the years, notable people such as Benjamin Franklin and Richard Nixon have tried to reduce working hours even more. This trend has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this period, companies implemented remote work and flexible hours, including the 4-day workweek. Fortunately, the pandemic is now behind us, but many companies have maintained this approach.

That’s because they experienced incredible benefits, like more motivated employees and lower costs. So why go back?

Even though no country has fully adopted a 4-day week, most are experimenting with this method.

Europe currently holds the record, in fact:

• Belgium legislated a four-day workweek in 2022, allowing workers to complete their usual weekly hours in four days. This is a particular approach because workers usually work 10 hours a day, 40 hours per week.
• Iceland conducted large-scale trials from 2015 to 2019, resulting in a significant number of workers now working reduced hours weekly.
• Ireland participated in a 4-day workweek trial involving 33 companies and 900 workers in 2022. Guess what? 97% of the workers want to keep this model!
• Portugal launched a 6-month trial in June 2023 involving 39 companies.
• The United Kingdom conducted a major trial with 61 companies and 2,900 workers in 2022, with many companies making the change permanent.
• Germany is one of the countries with the shortest workweek (34 hours) and is trying to implement this model as much as possible.
• The Netherlands has the shortest average workweek in the world (29 hours). Furthermore, citizens can choose whether to work part-time or full-time.
• Norway has one of the shortest average workweeks globally (33.6 hours).
• In Italy, large companies like Lamborghini and Lavazza are trying to implement a shorter workweek but are still experimenting.
• In Sweden, various companies are set to pilot a 4-day week in 2024.
• Switzerland is set to pilot a 4-day week in 2024, with a short average workweek (34.6 hours).
• In Scotland, the government pledged £10 million to help private companies pilot a 4-day workweek.
• In Spain, the government proposed a €50 million project to help companies trial a 4-day workweek.

• The United States participated in a joint trial with Ireland in 2022, involving 33 companies.
• Canada conducted a trial in 2022 with 41 companies, most of which had 11-25 employees.
• Brazil started a 9-month trial in September 2023, involving 20 companies.

• The government recommended a 4-day workweek in Japan in its 2021 economic policy. Microsoft Japan conducted a successful trial in 2019.
• In the United Arab Emirates, from July 2023 onward, government employees can now work a 4-day workweek.

The four-day workweek doesn’t just have benefits (it would be too good to be true!). Companies trying to implement it must also consider the cons.

Here are the main pros and cons of the 4-day week.

Pros

• Reduced burnout and stress levels;
• Improved work-life balance and more time for ourselves;
• Increased productivity and efficiency during work hours;
• Better physical and mental health;
• Lower absenteeism rate;
• Higher job satisfaction and retention.

Cons

• Potential for increased workload and employee burnout if not managed properly;
• Difficulties in meeting service expectations in certain industries (such as healthcare and hospitality);
• Implementation challenges in redesigning workflows and overcoming resistance to change;
• Uneven benefits across different sectors and job types.

The four-day work week can also positively affect our society.

In fact, it can reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions. Recent studies have shown that we could reduce carbon footprint by 8,6%.

At the same time, we still need definitive laws to regulate this new approach. The four-day workweek can have good results or only negative consequences. It all depends on how you structure the strategy, which must be specific to your business.

Bill Gates used to say, “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”

Of course, I’m not saying all the people working at Microsoft are lazy; they’re innovative! In fact, in 2019, Microsoft Japan experimented with a four-day workweek, allowing employees to enjoy Fridays off.

The results were incredible: a 40% increase in productivity per employee and a 23% reduction in electricity costs! Based on this data, Microsoft Japan adopted the 4-day workweek as a permanent policy.

Bolt is an Estonian ride-hailing and delivery company.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it decided to introduce a 4-day workweek. It was just an experiment, but it worked.

The company experienced a 28% increase in productivity and a striking 85% boost in employee happiness. This approach also helped Bolt improve talent attraction and retention.

It’s a fact: employees are unlikely to look for another job if there’s less stress and more happiness!

Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand trustee services company, decided to implement the 4-day workweek back in 2018. The company observed a 20% increase in productivity; now, it’s a permanent policy. There is no need to go back if a strategy works.

It was one of the first companies in the world to adopt this approach, demonstrating its potential. Many businesses took inspiration from Perpetual Guardian and gradually transitioned to working 32 hours a week.

Introducing the 4-week workday in a company can be challenging.

The most common obstacle is setting unrealistic goals. Every company must undergo a trial phase to test this new working approach. Hoping to double your employees’ productivity without encountering any obstacles is madness.

You should also focus on your industry’s specific challenges. Implementing the four working days is more difficult in some sectors than others.

For example:

• Healthcare: Patients need 24/7 assistance and solutions. Imagine if a hospital can’t guarantee timely interventions. In this case, using advanced scheduling software to optimize staff allocation is essential.
• Retail: Adopt a rotating schedule where employees work 4 days one week and 5 the next, ensuring consistent coverage. Invest in cross-training to increase staff flexibility.
• Hospitality: The challenges here are the peak service times and seasonal fluctuations. You could offer flexible four-day schedules that may include weekends, with additional compensation for less desirable shifts.
• Education: Aligning new work shifts with traditional school calendars can be challenging. A good solution could be to utilize technology for asynchronous learning on the fifth day.
• Customer Service: customers expect consistent support throughout the week. That’s why businesses are investing in AI and chatbots to handle basic inquiries during off-hours.

Regarding these challenges, Chris Masanto, the CEO and Co-founder of PetLab Co., says:

Not to mention that most employers focus on time worked rather than productivity. Even though we should change our approach, it is not so simple. A business must focus on this mentality shift, which requires time and effort.

To overcome these challenges, you must be patient and develop a specific strategy for your own company or team. Otherwise, you risk causing damage and not getting the desired benefits.

First of all, you need to analyze your starting point. Examine existing schedules and identify any inefficiencies or areas for improvement.

Can tasks be streamlined or delegated to maintain efficiency in a shorter time frame? Is there strong collaboration between members of your company? Or is there a lack of accountability? Can you guarantee the same customer service with fewer working hours?

It is essential to analyze your personal situation without comparing yourself to others. Sure, you can take inspiration from other businesses, but don’t just copy them without thinking!

Companies that have been successful with the 4-day workweek created tailored plans for their businesses.

Start by setting clear goals and expectations. Coordinate with HR and managers to find what can work for your business. Conduct a thorough analysis of your current workflows, identifying areas that could be optimized or automated to increase efficiency. The goal here is to improve every process and maintain employee satisfaction.

You should also have a strategy for handling peak periods and ensuring your customers are always satisfied.

Don’t be afraid to ask for external help or use tools to track your employees’ performance during this trial period. Tracking specific metrics is vital in this transition phase to get the best from this approach.

All companies that have implemented this model started gradually. Remember that people are scared of new things, so don’t rush.

For example, start with the 4.5-day workweek and see the results. You can also alternate 4-day weeks with classic 5-day weeks. Many companies are using this approach to minimize the potential negative downsides.

During this period, analyze the impact on productivity, employee morale, and customer service. Focus on your most important HR KPIs and track them with the right tools. These are crucial factors to determine whether your strategy is working or not.

Your employees’ feedback is one of your most precious resource.

Do they like their new work shifts? Do they experience benefits? How can you improve this transition?

Don’t focus only on KPIs. Instead, ask them what they think about their new work conditions.

Some companies prefer working Monday to Thursday, while others prefer half days. Personalization is key here. Don’t use a strategy just because everyone else is using it. This approach won’t work!

Too many managers and CEOs are stuck in the old-school mindset of ” more hours worked, more productivity.” If you handle others like me and still think this way, you must rewire your brain.

The goal is to prioritize results over clock-watching. An employee can work 12 hours daily and be less productive than another who works 4 hours daily.

Working fewer hours allows you to find ways to minimize distractions and useless activities, such as too many meetings or tasks that could be automated. Use productivity tools and metrics to track actual output instead of time spent at the desk. You might be surprised at how much more employees can accomplish when they’re not constantly watching the clock and don’t feel constant pressure!

When you shift your focus from time to productivity, everything changes. Your teammates will be less stressed and more motivated to reach company goals. And that, my friend, is how you stay ahead in the game!

The 4-day workweek is a game-changer reshaping how we think about work and life. It is an innovative approach that aims to reduce stress in an overly frenetic world.

Will all companies adopt this strategy in the future? Who knows! However, the data and facts testify that this approach works.

Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach here. Whether you’re a startup or a corporate giant, tailoring the 4-day week to fit your unique needs is key. Start small, gather feedback, and be ready to adapt. And for crying out loud, ditch that old-school “time equals productivity” mindset!

Giovanni Della Ventura is a maestro of time management, motivation, and accountability. With more than seven years of experience as an account manager, he also works as an SEO consultant, one of his many passions. He writes a regular blog for Giodella.com, sharing his best tips on becoming the best version of yourself based on his experience.