The four-day working week is back on the agenda. I've done it for years: here's what I learned
There is an irrational sense that our five-day, 38ish-hour work week is chiselled in stone. Yet “normal” working hours used to be 12 hours a day, six days a week. Happy we’re not still there? Work and life has changed so much, there is no reason why work hours should be ruled by labour reforms from the 1800s.
Thanks to a suggestion from Jacinda Ardern, the four-day working week is back on the agenda. And rightly so.
I worked four days a week for nearly two decades; both before and after becoming a parent, across three employers and four distinct roles. Here’s what I’ve learned.
My experience echoes that of companies that have found shorter weeks result in greater productivity. Some of this is directly measurable. Having a weekday available meant I never had to make personal calls or schedule dentist appointments during work time. I had no need to stretch lunch breaks for a haircut or shopping. I was motivated to not waste time with lengthy water cooler conversations.
Before I became a parent, an “extra day” allowed time for shopping locally, visiting elderly relatives and having a proper hobby alongside relaxation, socialising and (shudder) housework.
After having children, both my husband and I aimed to do work four days a week. He faced far more prejudice and opposition than I did, with direct and implied accusations that he wasn’t serious about work and that parenting shouldn’t be his priority. That’s an attitude that needs to change.
Having fathers routinely home for a whole weekday when their partner is at work may well prove to be the kick needed to shift stubborn gender inequalities in parenting and household chores.
Thanks to technology, work is becoming increasingly flexible anyway. Recent pandemic-filled months we have made us all realise just how unset-in-stone our routines and assumptions are.
Of course, there are potential downsides of a four-day week, but this doesn’t mean the idea should be dismissed. On a societal level, the impact of enforced four-day working weeks on low-income workers is a real risk that needs to be addressed through increases to the minimum wage.
I was fortunate to be able to cover my expenses with 30 hours of work rather than 38 (though, as a healthcare worker and administrator, I’m talking about an average income, not a high one). My decision not to seek extra hours was psychological as well as economic. We all find it hard to cope with a drop in income but, because I only ever worked four days, that is what I got used to.
At times, I had to be flexible in order to attend a meeting on my “day off” but, hey, that’s what a time-in-lieu system is for. There were times I felt pressured to do a full- time job in four days. Sometimes, missing a day felt akin to missing a week. But this was no worse than pressures felt by full-timers and I had the luxury of more time to recover. Then there’s the important question: which day do you want off ?
Most people immediately say Friday. I understand the instinctive appeal but, after trialling pretty much every combination, my preference is not working Mondays.
When I didn’t work on Friday, I tried to make the day a mini-weekend then felt strangely discombobulated on Saturday (#firstworldproblem). In contrast, having Mondays off gave me a “bonus day” every weekend. I also missed the weekly workplace dose of Monday-itis but got to be around for Friday fun.
I know people who prefer breaking up the week by not working Wednesdays but I found this made life too bitsy. When a four-day week becomes standard, some will have to bravely accept what I consider the shortstraw of having a Tuesday or Thursday off. Regardless of the day, I was happiest when I could choose, finding myself resentful when work circumstances forced my hand.
After abandoning direct employment for the joys of freelancing, I can now, technically, work whenever I like (cue: cries of hilarity from fellow freelancers). But during my decades of regular employment, four days was my main – and ideal – way of working, and I will sing its praises and encourage everyone to do likewise.