How To Know if a Four-Day Work Week Will Work for You
While a four-day work week will not suit every workplace, it definitely has been adopted by many companies because of its positive effects on employee happiness and productivity. But is it also for you?
A four-day work week can be advantageous to employees who are having a hard time balancing work and their personal life, as it allows for longer weekends and, therefore, more time for family and to recuperate from work stress.
In the rest of this article, I will help you figure out whether you should adopt a four-day work week or stick to a Monday-Friday schedule. Read on to find out what signs to look for when deciding if a four-day work week will work for you.
You Want Longer Weekends
Have you ever felt like the weekend went by too quickly? Usually, it’s time to catch up on house chores on Saturdays and then (hopefully) some actual peace and quiet on Sundays. That’s if none of your family or friends decide to hold gatherings on either of these days, which will completely ruin your rest schedule for you.
By Sunday evening, you usually feel too tired because you haven’t really had any time to rest, and the thought of tomorrow being the day you go back to work makes you unable to relax.
If this is how your weekends usually turn out, you will likely benefit from having a four-day work week. This way, you will be able to have three days to recuperate from the stresses of work and office drama. You can spend Fridays going out or catching up with friends and family, Saturdays for chores, and Sundays winding down and having a full day’s rest.
Being unable to enjoy Sunday evenings because of the looming work day ahead is a sign that you’re simply not getting as much rest as you need. This is especially true if you work in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment where you are stretched thin the whole time you’re on duty.
You’ve Been Having a Hard Time Balancing Work and Life
Are you constantly missing your family’s birthdays and other important events? Are your friends no longer surprised when you cancel an appointment? When you’re being kept too often from things that are important to you because you can’t miss a work dinner, you might want to rethink your relationship with your job.
And if this describes how your life is right now, you’re not alone. Many employees are as frustrated as you that they can’t seem to find ways to balance their personal life and work–it always leans towards work, and there appears to be no way around it.
The good news is that more and more companies are noticing that it’s one of the biggest reasons why people leave–hence the four-day work schedule, among other things.
Having a four-day work schedule will allow you more days to do other things, which also means that you can finally show up at your best friend’s birthday or your parents’ anniversary. And that long-weekend holiday that you’ve always been dreaming of? You will be able to do that too.
We used to think that having a growing career means giving up your personal life, meaning family, hobbies, and other non-work-related stuff. But that shouldn’t have to be the case. We should be able to have a thriving career and enjoy a vibrant personal life at the same time.
Besides, when you’re succeeding at your career yet have no one to share your success with, where’s the fun in that?
You’re Too Stressed Out
Some people thrive in high-pressure work environments, and some people just can’t. Regardless of whether you’re handling your stressful job pretty well at the moment, though, it doesn’t mean that it’s healthy for you.
In fact, constantly undergoing work stress can wreak havoc on your health and manifest in different ways, such as persistent headaches, being irritable, and difficulty sleeping. Eventually, the symptoms of chronic stress will affect your performance at work (to say the least), even if you feel like you aren’t particularly affected right now.
And if you are one of those people who feel like they’re coming apart because they just can’t handle the pressures at work anymore, a four-day work week may just be the adjustment that you need.
It will allow you to have sufficient time to pause, detach yourself from work and its never-ending demands, and process how your work or work culture has been affecting you.
How To Cope With Too Much Work Stress
You will eventually get stressed out no matter how much you love your job. You will encounter work problems. There will be office drama. Office politics will affect your promotion. And so on.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should quit unless the pressure is more than you can bear and it’s affecting your physical and mental health. Here are some ways you can cope with stress in the workplace:
Take Your Days Off
You’d be surprised at how this advice shocks people. It sounds so simple, yet when you ask people who are stretched too thin at work when the last time they had a proper day off (meaning no answering work-related emails, not running an office errand because you were on the way anyway) was, they will often answer some version of they can’t remember.
It’s such a simple thing, yet people often neglect how important it is to actually take a break, and to do so purposefully. Not just because it was convenient for your boss that you took your day off on a certain date (or didn’t because it was inconvenient).
So if you are supposed to be off on the weekends, then don’t accept work on those days. You have to draw the line because some superiors can take advantage of your being too available anytime they need you, to the point of forgetting that you need to rest too.
Build Positive Work Relationships
Friendships are important, both in and out of work. But when you have positive and enriching relationships in the workplace, they can help you de-stress and unload some of the burdens. We often underestimate the value of a shared burden and how it gets so much lighter when we have someone who listens and is willing to help.
If your stress is due to office drama, such as colleagues giving you a bad rep or supervisors who don’t allow you to take credit for things that you have accomplished, having a sounding board who understands the situation, the people involved, and your role in all of it can be a huge relief.
Also, it can be a huge encouragement to have people around who are not afraid to support you when you are dealing with serious issues like harassment or corruption in the workplace. If you find yourself in situations where you are standing up for yourself, having some friends on your side can be a huge boon.
Don’t Be Afraid To Say No
This is easier said than done, we know. But it’s important to say it anyway because so many times we just say yes to cut the conversation short or to make things less awkward. But in the end, we’re the ones that suffer the consequences.
And those consequences sometimes mean extending your work hours even though you badly need a break. You shouldn’t be taking on a task when you know you already have too much on your plate.
Setting boundaries is helpful for yourself, but it’s also going to positively affect the culture in your office (especially if you’re on a small team). When one person is able to say no, it empowers others to do the same when it’s no longer healthy to just say yes.
Don’t Hesitate To Use Your Paid Time Off
Just like taking important holidays off, it’s important to use your PTO, too. Depending on your company’s policies, unused PTO could be forfeited at the end of the year, which means you miss out on the opportunity altogether.
Don’t be afraid to have fun. It’s a serious world, we know. And it’s serious work that you’re doing, but you have to breathe fresh air or go on an adventure once in a while. There’s more to life than just work. And the more fulfilling your personal experiences are, the more capable you will be of facing the challenges in your office.
Seek Professional Help
Don't ignore the signs when you start to have panic attacks or become exceedingly anxious. You may be pushing yourself beyond what you can bear. Set an appointment with a professional and seek help immediately. There’s nothing wrong with setting a time to speak with a professional about how you’re feeling.
Your Productivity Is Down
Did you know that the average time that an employee spends actually working in a regular eight-hour shift is only about an hour and a half? That’s six and a half hours wasted doing unnecessary and non-work-related things, like chatting with colleagues or leisurely surfing the Internet.
And often, it’s not because people are just lazy or distracted. It’s actually because the work schedule itself is hindering people from working hard. We are less motivated to do our best because we’re in the office five days a week, and it’s taking up so much of our time away from things that we otherwise would actually enjoy doing.
According to the book “4 Day Week”, the shorter time spent at work in a four-day work week boosts motivation because it acts as an incentive for people to work harder.
So if you notice that you’re in a slump and can’t seem to make significant progress, you might find a shorter work week more advantageous. As it allows you more time for things that actually spark joy in you, it at the same time can give you renewed energy to strive harder and perform better at work.
You’re a New Parent
If you’re a new parent, you are likely to be more hesitant to spend your precious time away from your child. You would rather be at home than be stuck in the office five days a week.
The transition from a long paternal leave to going back to working full-time can affect your focus and productivity, but the shift can be made much easier when you don’t need to spend as many days in the office as you used to. Having a four-day work week can allow you more time to spend with your family and be present for your child’s needs.
There Are Other Passions You Want To Pursue
A four-day work week may also be beneficial if you have other passions that you want to pursue but that you normally don’t have the time for. If you like painting, for example, and would like the opportunity to hone your craft better, you can do so when you don’t need to spend five days in the office.
Sometimes, what we have are day jobs, and we keep them in order to support ourselves financially, while we pursue our true passions. If that’s the case with you, adopting a four-day week will definitely make doing what you love much easier.
Go on that seminar you badly wanted to attend or that workshop you know will help you sharpen your writing and get to know other artists. Or simply spend your three rest days at home painting all day. Because you can. And it will spark joy in you.
Your Job Doesn’t Actually Take Five Days a Week
There are job tasks that are scheduled for a full week when they don’t actually need to take that long, simply because our work culture has gotten so used to the five-day work week. If you can finish your tasks by working four days a week, then it would be better for you and the company for you to ditch the five-day week entirely.
It will help you stay productive and motivated, and it will help your company cut costs and reduce its carbon footprint. It’s a win-win situation.
Final Thoughts
A four-day work week is great and has lots of benefits for both employees and employers. But unfortunately, it is not suitable for all industries and work setups. If all or most of the items mentioned above are applicable to you, then a four-day work week will definitely change your work experience for the better.