Scotland just joined a handful of developed countries – including Spain, New Zealand, Japan, and Iceland – putting a standard four-day workweek to the test.
The 9-to-5, five-day workweek has long been the standard, but questions as to its effectiveness have been increasingly raised. The countries looking to make a permanent, widespread shift to the four-day workweek cite significant benefits: increased productivity, a greater sense of pride, and better workplace morale and overall employee attitude.
The model has received some pushback from employers in some countries, while others have adopted similar models without an official government trial.
Of note are a few details: the “four-day” workweek isn’t necessarily literal. In many cases, it is the reduction of hours spread across five days that “add up” to a workday’s worth of time off – without seeing a pay cut. However, Scotland and Iceland both are looking to a literal model that provides workers with a standard three-day weekend.
For those of us in leadership roles, we must understand and open ourselves up to an ever-changing working world. Technological innovations have opened us up to increasing possibilities for remote and automated work. The gig economy has made it clear that people can work their own hours, on their own terms – and often prefer to.
Here are a few reasons a new workweek model just might be worth it:
4 Reasons the Four-Day Workweek is Gaining Traction
1) Better Work-Life Balance
There’s plenty of contention about not only the importance of a healthy work-life balance, but its existence to begin with. The truth is American culture is driven largely by work. Our lives revolve around it more often than not, and we squeeze everything else in around that working schedule. Part of the push behind the four-day workweek initiative is to reclaim life for living – not for working.
Work-life balance isn’t just about making time for precious life moments and relationships, either. The more balanced we are, the more we can focus when we’re set to task.
2) Reduced Burnout
Burnout, particularly in the pandemic era, is its own disease. The mental and emotional toll of the state of the world on top of anxieties and disruptions in the workplace has led to an increasing number of burned-out employees. That means we’re more stressed, more agitated, and far less productive than we need to be. The more employers can avoid burnout, the better workplace culture and morale will be – which is ideal for generating a sustainable, profitable business venture.
3) Cutting the Fluff
Less time in the office means less time for busy work and unnecessary meetings. By reducing the hours spent in the office, employees and employers are incentivized to increase their efficiency. Studies show that employees still maintain the same level of productivity despite “losing” a day’s worth of work. This is largely because all those unnecessary time wasters are the first tasks to go! By reducing working hours, we can better focus on the things that really matter.
Not only that but reduced working hours can also reduce office-related costs, like those of electricity and water usage. It might only be marginal, but those saved utility costs add up!
4) Employee Health & Wellness
Employers and leaders – never underestimate the value of employee wellbeing. For businesses to be successful in the long term, you want to retain well-trained, valuable employees. The way you do that is by ensuring a pleasant working environment in which people feel respected, valued, and fulfilled. Prioritizing employee wellbeing and satisfaction reduces turnover, retains talent, and increases overall productivity.
We’ve lived so long in a “time is money” mindset that we neglect the ways in which we can do better – not just by our teams, but for our bottom lines.
I’m not saying that a four-day workweek is a cure-all for what ails the working world. However, it’s worth our consideration. While some employers will push back, others will move forward and continue to explore new models that benefit not just employees, but their businesses. The better the working environment, the more motivated, collaborative, creative, and productive your team will be.
If that’s not a good thing, I don’t know what is!
What are your thoughts on a four-day workweek? Share in the comments.