Could a 4-day Workweek Work for Your Business?

The topic of the four-day workweek has been kicked around for decades as one of the eventualities in the continuing evolution of work. Technological breakthroughs have led to many businesses automating tasks that once required human intervention, freeing workers to attend to more tasks in a shorter amount of time. Rather than shortening an employee’s workweek, these automations resulted in new tasks being added to their workload in the name of efficiency. To a harried, overburdened employee, an abbreviated week could seem like a pipe dream; to an employer striving for productivity, it might seem more like a nightmare. Is a four-day workweek even possible? And if it’s possible, is it feasible for your business?

Let’s consider how a four-day workweek could look and its pros and cons. As a definition, a four-day work week consists of 32 hours of work spread over four days with the same pay as for five days.

Benefits of the four-day workweek

Studies have shown that a four-day workweek could:

• Boost productivity - With fewer hours of work to complete tasks, work must become less distracted, more efficient and results-oriented; thus, overall more productive.
• Increase employee satisfaction - This is a two-pronged benefit. First, the efficiency necessary during the workdays results in fewer unpleasant, tedious tasks, making work more enjoyable overall. That pairs with the general sense of well-being that results from improved work-life balance due to more flexibility and time away from work.
• Help ensure employee retention and attract talent - Satisfied employees tend to remain at their jobs and take pride in the quality of their work. Job seekers look for companies whose employees are happy and enjoy work-life balance enhancing benefits like a four-day workweek.
• Reduce operating costs - When your business is open fewer hours, your costs of operation go down. You’re using less utilities; your vehicles and machinery are shut down and not incurring you operating costs. Bonus - these same reductions are good for the environment so a four-day workweek is also eco-friendly.
• Reduce employee expenses - Working four days instead of five cuts out the expenses of a day of commuting, child care, lunch, dry cleaning and car maintenance. Those savings can add up to a nice benefit for your employees over time.

Drawbacks to the four-day workweek

Studies have shown that a four-day workweek could:

• Cause human resources headaches - By impacting how paid time off is calculated (since it’s accrued according to the number of hours worked) there will need to be some adjustments made.
• Seem like a raw deal to employers - Less work for the same pay doesn’t initially sound prudent.
• Result in uncompleted work - Cutting down working hours could make it difficult for employees to finish all of their work, making it difficult to catch up and causing a downward spiral in productivity. This may lead to employers or workers spending more hours working on days they do work, leading to burnout or disenchantment.
• Cause an upheaval of established systems and schedules - Cramming a five-day week’s worth of work into four days is going to take some shifting, rescheduling and planning.
• Be incompatible with many other industries - Switching to a four-day workweek company may not be congruent with the needs of five-day, or seven-day workweek companies.
• Dis-satisfy customers - If your customers are accustomed to you being open five days a week, some are likely to balk. At the very least it will take them a beat to get used to your new schedule.
• Mean less time for your team to bond - There will be fewer interactions among your employees in which to build rapport, trust and community.

Deciding if a shorter work week could work for your company

Ask and answer these questions to help decide if a four-day workweek is conceivable for your business:

• Is yours a business that operates independently of industries requiring coverage daily, e.g., security or healthcare, or require fast or sudden responses?
• Are your employees capable of completing their workload in only four days?
• If changes would be necessary to your processes and schedules, are you willing and able to make them?
• How would the switch to a four-day workweek impact your customers and their satisfaction with you?

The four-day workweek is certainly not a good option - or an option at all - for many businesses. If, however, it could work in your business, there are a number of solid reasons to consider it, especially for the benefit of your employee’ satisfaction.

Would/could you take the plunge into a four-day workweek in your business?