It just keeps coming up, doesn’t it? The concept of a perma-long weekend with no reduction in pay. It’s so attractive in theory that we as a society refuse to let it go.
But it’s starting to feel like that mirage of an oasis in the desert. We’re desperate for some relief, but it always seems just out of reach…
What is it? The four-day workweek. There have been any number of studies in recent years looking into this, but will we see it en masse?
- For some, it is now here. A pilot program in the U.K. tried it out at dozens of companies. And the results were so good, most of the participating firms say they’re going to stick with it.
- The concept is based on the idea that most jobs with a 40-hour week can get the same amount of work done in 32 (or at least four 10-hour days).
- As work itself evolves at a rapid pace (our colleagues are literal robots these days) the Monday-Friday model is looking pretty outdated to many.
- The U.K. study found a hefty list of benefits associated with cutting back, too: 46% of employees said they were less fatigued; three out of five said it was easier to balance work-home life. Sounds pretty good, right?
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- A 2022 Ernst & Young study into the “future of work” surveyed more than 500 U.S. C-suite and business leaders across a range of industries, and found 40% have either started using a four-day workweek or are in the process of implementing one.
- Buuuut it’s not that simple.
- A 2021 study out of New Zealand found that after moving to a four-day workweek, work intensified — as did pressure around performance management.
- And some experts have noted that employees already can have a hard time disconnecting, so they question whether a four-way week will help.
- Then there are questions of equality. Some have noted the idea is most dominant in tech and white collar work. And the idea of a set 40-hour workweek might even seem like a luxury for those with longer hours, late nights or unpredictable schedules.
R&I – Obey
FoundingFrog
Article URL : https://www.npr.org/2023/02/21/1158635763/four-day-workweek-work-office