Why We Desperately Need 4 Day Work Weeks!

It’s crazy to think that the idea of a 4-day Workweek is a real thing for some people. It seems like something that is only possible in a faraway land like in the Wizard of Oz. This week, I found out that that’s not the case. In fact, the 4-Day Workweek model is actually gaining traction. It all started when I read Chapter 11 of Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus. In this chapter, Johann brings up many points that most people are only engaged in their job for less than 3 hours a day, compared to the normal 8 hrs/day work week. I asked myself why is that? Workplaces want us to be more productive, but also want to force us to be engaged in an environment that might not suit us the best. I understand why it may seem daunting for a company to let their employees have more “freedom” but if results show that work is still getting done, what is the harm in implementing something that will improve satisfaction rates?

According to a recent Forbes article, “Thirty percent of large U.S. organizations are exploring new work schedules, such as four-day workweeks.” The article also goes into the discussion further by listing out 5 main reasons why four-day workweeks are getting more popular. After Covid, it’s clear that many of the duties that were thought to be necessary “at-work” jobs, could in-fact be done at home. Many employees are resisting going back into the office and requesting more of a hybrid option. Pre-COVID, many of us were able to fully disconnect from our day jobs. However, access to technology has made us aware of work, even when we are not supposed to be working! I experience this phenomenon on a daily basis, there are even times where I am on PTO where I instinctively check my work phone to see if there are any urgent needs. It’s crazy to me that we as a society made all these adjustments due to the pandemic at breakneck speed but are so frustratingly slow at other changes. 

I recently attended a recent roundtable at my company about changes that we’d like to see made at the company and many of the comments were in favor of more hybrid options. Fridays are already a “ghost town” as my coworker mentioned so why not embrace it and improve the wellness of the employees? There were a few that brought up counter arguments such as a decrease in company culture and unfairness because some staff simply cannot work from home. However, I’d argue that according to studies such as from Exos, hybrid working and four-day workweeks actually improve company culture. Employees should feel that their company values them as well as their well-being. Also, just the simple fact of making employees happier should produce a positive impact. And some may argue that we should make everything “fair”, I disagree with that statement and believe that each person’s role at an organization is vastly different and should be looked at from a different lens. It is far more important to make something more equitable, and not only fair. 

Unfortunately, as much as I would love to be in charge of making these sorts of organizational changes to a company. I understand there is far more at stake when making a change like a four-day workweek than say adding an air fryer to the staff kitchen. The best possible thing that I and many others who support this change is to advocate for it and let our voices be heard. Even though it may be uncomfortable and sometimes scary, it’s crucial to let higher ups hear what we want to change and see if we can find some middle ground someday.