Four days a week
The four-day work week’s moment has arrived. With California U.S. Rep. Mark Takano’s introduction of legislation to reduce the standard work week from 40 to 32 hours, awareness of a shorter work week—and enthusiasm for it—is gaining. And so is the skepticism around it.
Initial skepticism is a reasonable response to a paradigm shift in how we think about work. American work culture has been defined by underlying ideals of career as identity, workaholism, aspirations for continuous growth, and a relentless focus on creating shareholder value. It is not easy to untether ourselves from the only reality we know.
And yet, if there were ever a time for a paradigm shift, this is it. For so many, the muscles of resilience and adaptation have strengthened over the past 18 months with every challenge brought on by the pandemic and other global crises.
The rapid and significant transition across industries to working from home provided evidence that we can adapt quickly in response to changing conditions. Now we have an opportunity to exercise these muscles to intentionally evolve from outdated conceptions of what work must look like.
For leaders of organizations and teams, the shift to a four-day work week requires re-imagining standard operating procedures, increasing innovation, and perhaps most importantly trusting in employees.
Four-day work week pilots are emerging across the globe, with some companies shifting from the pilot phase to implementing the policy permanently. Microsoft Japan, Unilever New Zealand and Kickstarter represent just a few of a growing number of organizations exploring the four-day work week.
Beyond the U.S., political leaders are voicing support for the concept.
Proponents cite many benefits including reduced burnout, improved physical and mental health, increased gender equity, and positive environmental impacts. It is easy to imagine what we might do with an additional day—spend time with family and friends, pursue a hobby, enroll in classes, become politically engaged, sleep. Many in favor of the four-day work week envision a more fulfilled (and rested) community.
Pilot findings show increased productivity as well. Microsoft Japan saw a 40 percent increase in productivity (measured in sales per employee) in its 2019 pilot, and New Zealand-based Perpetual Guardian, a trust management company, reported gains of 20 percent. Among companies that have adopted a four-day week, nearly twothirds report increased productivity.
While each organization will need to find what works for them, doing so can be a productive exercise. Let employees work out the details rather than trying to “solve” the four-day work week challenge from the top down.
For more than a century, economists have predicted that accelerating technological advances would enable highly developed countries to dramatically scale back working hours. Let’s step off the treadmill of ever-increasing work and rebalance in the way our bodies, communities, and environment need to regenerate.