How Many 4-Day Work Weeks Should There Be in a Year?
The concept of a 4-day work week has gained a remarkable amount of traction these last few years, especially after this Eagle Hill Consulting study shed some light on the practice's advantages, from which employees and employers would both benefit. However, given that the idea is still relatively new, some of the logistics might still seem a bit unclear. For example, you might be wondering: "How many 4-day work weeks should there be in a year?".
There should be 48 4-day work weeks in a year. There's a total of 52 weeks in a year; however, four of these will usually be used for vacation days, sick leaves, and holidays. Regardless of whether employees are working four or five days a week, the total number of work weeks remains unchanged.
I know that, at first glance, all this information might seem overwhelming, especially if you're already used to the traditional approach. However, this article will make understanding how many 4-day work weeks to implement in a year easier. It will also take you through some of the basics of the concept behind the 4-day work week, so by the end of this read, you'll hopefully have a much stronger grasp on the practice.
Why All Employees Work the Same Number of Weeks
I know what you're thinking: why should employees working only four days a week share the same holiday schedule with those working five days a week?
As you'll see in the following section, the whole point of a 4-day work week is to alleviate burnout and increase productivity, all while helping employers cut back on operational costs.
If you were to attempt to make back some of the lost time by having employees work on holidays or by reducing their paid leave time, you'd essentially be defeating the whole point of integrating the practice in the first place.
One of the main findings of the study linked above was that 83% of employees reported that a 4-day work week would alleviate burnout, which, in turn, would increase productivity.
Now imagine if you told these employees: "Well, you get to work a day less a week, but you'll be working on Christmas day, and you won't get any sick days." As you can imagine, this approach would significantly diminish the benefits of a 4-day work week on employees' morale.
As a result, productivity would drop, and the whole endeavor would be rendered pointless. What's more, a well-planned and executed 4-day workweek should suffice in the first place. The idea behind the practice is that employees can reach all their operational goals in 32 hours instead of the usual 40. So, if you find yourself falling behind after 32 hours of work, your business or job might not be well-suited to the 4-day workweek model (or you might not be implementing it correctly).
The main takeaway here is that all employees work the same number of weeks, regardless of whether these weeks are 32 or 40 hours long.
What Are the Guidelines of a 4-Day Work Week?
Now that you know a bit about the 4-day work week and what it (roughly) entails, you might be wondering a bit more about its guidelines. Is the practice similar in other aspects to the traditional work week? What are its characteristics? What about its advantages and disadvantages? In this section, we'll be discussing these topics and more.
The guidelines of a 4-day work week revolve around the idea of working 32 hours a week (instead of 40) without sacrificing productivity or pay. Usually, either Mondays or Fridays are off (along with the weekend) to allow employees to recharge and increase their productivity the following week.
Employees partaking in the model work an average of 384 hours less than their 40-hour-a-week colleagues every year but generally achieve the same performance due to increased stamina and productivity. This is the main premise of the practice - decreasing the need for resources while maintaining the same output, or in short, an increase in efficiency.
Even though the concept might seem a bit unorthodox, especially in a traditional corporate setting, it's important to note that this isn't the first time a decrease in weekly work hours was implemented (and proven to be successful).
As you can see in this fascinating piece by the Economic History Association, it wasn't until the 1950's that the 40-hour work week we still abide by today was introduced in the US. Before that, 60 and 70-hour work weeks were extremely common. Keep in mind that most of the people partaking in this system weren't holding down cushy office jobs. Instead, they were doing physically straining activities for up to 10 hours seven days a week.
At one point, companies started to figure out that this model was neither productive nor sustainable. After a certain amount of time, most employees simply weren't able to perform at their peak, while employers still had to provide resources and pay wages.
For this reason, it was theorized (and later proven) that giving employees some extra hours or days off would allow them to recharge and, in turn, achieve greater productivity levels. That's how the 40-day work week was born.
Considering how the modern workplace has evolved into its final form and how this premise proved to be successful once, it isn't too far-fetched to believe that a further decrease in work hours can lead to increased productivity.
However, there's a reason why not all companies have jumped at the chance of implementing a 4-day work week. The model still carries a few drawbacks and can negatively impact performance if not incorporated correctly.
Therefore, in the following sections, I'll cover some of the main advantages and disadvantages of the 4-day work week, allowing you to better understand what you can expect from such a model.
Advantages of a 4-Day Work Week
Here are some of the most significant advantages of a 4-day work week:
Increased productivity. As I've repeatedly mentioned throughout this article, the extra time off allows employees to boost their productivity on the days they do end up working. Studies like this one from Stanford University have proved time and time again that excessively long work weeks lead to diminished productivity. Therefore, shortening the work week can certainly do the trick when it comes to improving performance.
Reduced operational costs. As you already know by reading this article, a 4-day work week offers benefits for employees and employers alike. For example, because there'll be one less workday a week, companies can cut back on operational costs required to keep the office up and running.
Improved work-personal life balance. Employees are arguably the ones who benefit the most from this arrangement. They get an additional 384 hours a year to themselves, allowing them to pursue both their personal and professional goals.
Increased employee quality. Given that, as mentioned, employees stand to benefit greatly from a 4-day work week, a hefty majority of the workforce tends to prefer a workplace that abides by this model. Therefore, excellent employees who have the ability to choose between different employment options tend to flock to those that allow them to maintain a better work-personal life balance.
Improved mental and physical health. Employees working 4 days a week report higher levels of health and happiness and lower levels of stress, according to a report by The Atlantic. Better physical and mental health inevitably leads to increased productivity, coming full circle from the very first advantage mentioned on this list.
Reduced downtime. Even though employees working 4 days a week should be (and are) offered the same number of sick days, they generally tend to use them less than their 40-hour-a-week colleagues. After all, their mental and physical well-being is improved from the practice, and they get plenty of time to follow their personal goals. As a result, they start making less and less use of their sick days.
Reduced environmental impact. Last but not least, the 4-day work week has a notable positive effect on the environment. Because the office will be running 48 days less a year, the resources needed to keep the premises (and employees) working will be significantly reduced.
Disadvantages of a 4-Day Work Week
By now, the 4-day work week might seem like the perfect business model. However, it's important to note that this is far from the truth, as the approach comes with its own set of challenges and drawbacks. Here are some of the most notable:
It isn't fit for every company. While some workplaces can get the same amount of work done in 32 hours as they can in 40, this simply isn't feasible for others. For example, companies operating in the service industry don't have the luxury of giving their employees three days off, as this is likely going to lead to immense customer dissatisfaction.
Underutilized potential. While some employees may operate at their capacity at 32 hours, others might be eager (and perfectly able) to work more. Sending them home a day early when they're more than willing to work leads to a waste of labor and potential earnings.
Increased costs. This is arguably the most important drawback of a 4-day work week. First of all, you're paying your employees the same salary for a significantly lower work time. Moreover, if a company in the service industry or in constant contact with customers decides to try out the model, they'll have to hire additional staff to afford to have them work only four days a week.
Customer dissatisfaction. In the same vein, if such companies aren't able to pull off a seamless transition to a 4-day work week, there are bound to be some delays and mix-ups that will leave customers less than satisfied. This could jeopardize a company's earning potential, the increase of which is ultimately the main goal of a business.
Scheduling difficulties. Since you'll be stuffing 40 hours of work into 32, there are bound to be some issues along the process. You'll have to learn how to efficiently cut back on unnecessary meetings and activities without jeopardizing your company's success.
Execution issues. Sometimes, even the best thought-out plan can turn out poorly if it's not properly executed. When "stuffing" 40 hours of work into 32, it's important to follow a strategy that will make the transition manageable for employees. If you're keeping the same workload and telling employees to resolve it in 8 hours less than they're used to, you're following a recipe for disaster.
How To Implement a 4-Day Work Week
In the previous section, I mentioned that the success of the transition to a 4-day work week would ultimately depend on following a solid strategy. However, what does this strategy entail?
Here's how to implement a 4-day work week:
Maintain a strict workday-day off balance. Even though you might be used to reaching out to your colleagues or employees on a Monday or Friday, maintaining a clear distinction between a work day and a day off is the only way to reap the full benefits of the 4-day-a-week model.
Include employees in the decision-making process. After all, they'll be the ones most affected by the change. Allow them to express their thoughts on the matter and ask them to coordinate among themselves to find a schedule that benefits the majority.
Tailor your strategy to your business model. Last but certainly not least, it's essential to remember that there's no one-size-fits-all model when it comes to the 4-day work week. Fridays and Mondays are always busy? Why not make Wednesdays free instead? There's always a way to tweak and tailor the model to make it fit your organization better.
Conclusion
As you can see, the concept of the 4-day work week isn't as difficult to wrap your head around as you might've initially thought. Employees operating 32 hours a week will have the same yearly schedule as their colleagues working a 40-hour week.
A well-thought-out 4-day workweek plan should allow employees to achieve their operational goals within a smaller time frame, increasing productivity. Therefore, as long as the practice is being executed correctly, there's no reason why those partaking in it should work a day more than anyone else.