The Pros and Cons of a 4-Day Work Week
Incorporating a 4-day work week into business models is becoming increasingly popular with companies today. Even though some businesses praise 4-day work weeks, others think there are more cons than pros to the format. So, what are the pros and cons of a 4-day work week?
The best aspect of 4-day work weeks is the increase in productivity and mental health of employees. This format is great for the environment and results in a reduced carbon footprint. There are some negative aspects, such as incompatibility with certain business models and customer dissatisfaction.
In this article, I’ll list seven pros and seven cons of a 4-day work week and explain each point. Additionally, I’ll discuss if your business is suitable for this particular model based on all the pros and cons mentioned here.
The Pros of a 4-Day Work Week
There is increasingly more talk about a 4-day work week in the business world today, and many organizations have experimented with this model. The results reported many positive points; let’s take a look at some of them.
A 4-Day Work Week Is Good for the Environment
When you think about it, it makes perfect sense; If hundreds of employees belonging to just one company have three days off instead of two, that extra day could help the planet immensely.
Less driving and commuting to work means a decreased carbon footprint. That’s the most important advantage of a 4-day work week. This isn’t some idealized version of a business model. There were studies conducted about this exact point, and the results clearly show that a 4-day work week would decrease carbon emissions.
I mentioned hundreds of company employees, but imagine if hundreds of companies implemented a 4-day work week. The planet would be much safer and cleaner in the long run.
A 4-Day Work Week Increases Productivity and Motivation
Numerous experiments with a 4-day work week have discovered that this model positively affects employees’ productivity. When Microsoft conducted such an experiment in Japan in 2019, they saw a 40% increase in productivity with a 4-day work week model.
Furthermore, the increase in productivity leads to other positive by-products, one of which is an increase in motivation. That makes sense because when you have a productive business operation and a higher profit because of it, employees’ motivation will increase and they will feel energized to work harder toward their goals.
A 4-Day Work Week Is Good for Mental Health
Another reason businesses should implement a 4-day work week is the effect it has on employees' physical and mental health.
Increased motivation, combined with increased happiness and more energized workers, means a much-needed improvement in employees’ mental health. This is also supported by the data from an experiment conducted in Iceland as part of a 4-day work week program.
A 4-day work week is also beneficial for mental health because employees will have an extra day to make appointments with their psychiatrist if they feel they need it. They can schedule appointments for their day off rather than during a work day. In turn, the number of absent workers decreases.
A 4-Day Work Week Saves Valuable Time
What’s really great about a 4-day work week is that valuable time at work is spent productively. With this format, many unnecessary aspects of a usual working schedule are reorganized in such a way as not to waste time.
When companies implement a 32-hour 4-day work week, every minute counts. In turn, many of these companies have reduced the number of meetings or shortened them to accommodate the decrease in office time. This saw an increase in productivity, and it saved a lot of time that could be spent doing other, more important tasks.
A 4-Day Work Week Is Good for Employment
According to a Gallup report, one of the most important factors Millennials consider when looking for employment is the perfect balance between personal life and work. This means that a 4-day work week suits Millennials' needs and expectations better than the traditional model.
Because of this, companies implementing a 4-day work week see more applicants for various job positions. In addition to that, they experience a greater trend of employee retention in existing positions.
In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, the majority of employers who implemented a 4-day work week experienced this firsthand.
A 4-Day Work Week Saves Companies Money
One extra day of not working not only has benefits for employees but also for employers. Companies that switched to a 4-day work week model saw a decrease in their total spending. This doesn’t include a reduction in pay.
Since employees’ mental and physical health improves significantly under this business model, the need for paid sick days is brought to a minimum.
This format allows for the reduction in spending in other areas as well. Companies usually have to spend money on food and drinks for their employees—one less day in the work week means huge savings on that front.
Most significantly, companies with a 4-day work week have smaller electricity and energy bills since they only use their facility for 4 days instead of 5.
A 4-Day Work Week Increases Company Engagement
Scheduling and organization are key business components, and they become even more crucial with a 4-day work week. So, every employee needs to adjust and work with other employees to ensure that the business operation runs smoothly.
As a result, teams within the company are more engaged with one another, and individual team members are constantly in touch. The contact between workers and teams is largely through a company or other communication platforms to save valuable time.
The Cons of 4-Day Work Week
Although there are many pros to implementing a 4-day work week, some negative aspects have also come to light. Here are seven cons you should know before deciding to follow a 4-day work week model.
A 4-Day Work Week Can Affect Customers’ Satisfaction
Because there’s one less day for customer service for companies that deal in that kind of operation, that means some unhappy and angry customers. Naturally, many businesses want to avoid that.
According to Henley Business School’s white paper, as many as 75% of business owners don’t want to implement a 4-day work week precisely because they fear it might result in dissatisfied customers.
The 4-day work week model is also difficult for ordinary customers to get used to; it basically means that you, as a customer, will have only four days instead of five to contact a business or one of its representatives.
Those companies that want to avoid losing customers often continue working five days a week (or more).
A 4-Day Work Week Creates Unnecessary Stress
It’s really nice when you have one extra day to spend with your family or deal with personal obligations, but working for four days instead of five usually means a more stressful experience at your work.
A 4-day work week can easily become hectic. If your company has additional tasks or obligations that come up unexpectedly, that means you’ll need to resolve them in those four days instead of five.
Constantly working behind your desk and communicating only through social media or your company’s platform can additionally enhance the stressful experience that a 4-day work week might bring.
A 4-Day Work Week Reduces Teamwork
This point depends on the type of business, but it’s worth noting nonetheless: If your company doesn’t work on team projects and is more individual-oriented, then a 4-day work week might prove problematic.
The best time for individual workers to catch up with their colleagues and friends at work is either through meetings or by simply bumping into them in hallways or offices. With a 4-day work week, those situations are significantly reduced.
The only time when employees can see each other is during designated breaks, which might not be enough.
A 4-Day Work Week Is Hard To Organize To Suit Everyone
Businesses planning to implement a 4-day work week can expect to spend hours trying to organize a schedule to suit everyone’s needs and wishes.
Some employees want Mondays off, while others want Fridays. Smaller companies with fewer workers don’t have the luxury of hiring additional staff to keep the business constantly open.
On the other hand, large companies and corporations can have multiple teams and shifts, which means their employees can, in most cases, choose their free-of-work day. Those companies, however, have another issue.
Because they employ hundreds (or even thousands) of people, larger companies will have to spend huge amounts of money and time to design a schedule that accommodates everyone and keeps the business operating as smoothly as possible.
A 4-Day Work Week Can Cause Burnout
In some cases, a 4-day work week can be great for mental health. In others, it can have the opposite effect.
Although burnout is not very common with 4-day work weeks (32-hour ones, that is), it can still happen under some circumstances. It all depends on your business type. Still, those businesses that deal primarily with customers on a daily basis can see their workload increase.
So, to keep up with obligations, some employees work harder or longer, which can ultimately lead to burnout.
A 4-Day Work Week Is Not Compatible With Every Business
4-day work weeks might be perfect for some businesses, but they can seem impossible to implement for others.
It’s perhaps easy for some tech companies, such as Microsoft or Buffer, to switch to a 4-day work week because of the nature of their business. Their schedules are more flexible and can easily adapt to the market needs. However, facilities such as hospitals or prisons would have a difficult time adjusting to the new work week schedule.
Here’s why: professionals like doctors and nurses need to provide 24-hour, 7-days-a-week care for their patients. Some nurses already work only three days a week, but their shift is twelve hours long.
A 4-Day Work Week Is Not Ideal for Every Employee
Let’s face it, everyone has their own work “tempo,” and there’s not much we can do to change that. There are those who prefer to work four days a week and have an extended weekend during which they won’t think about work at all.
Then there are those who simply can’t finish all their work in those four days. So, what do they do? Well, they continue with work during their day off.
Buffer, a company that implemented a 4-day work week, reported that 27% of their employees still work for a few hours on their day off.
So, a 4-day work week might work for most people, but not everyone.
Is a 4-Day Work Week Suitable for Your Business?
Many factors go into deciding whether a 4-day work week is suitable for a particular business type. What’s for sure, though, is that this model isn’t suitable for every business. So, it’s important that you take all the pros and cons into consideration before making a decision.
Here’s a short list that you should consider before switching to a 4-day work week:
What is my business model?
How many employees do I have?
Do my employees want a 4-day work week?
Will I need additional staff to fill in for my employees?
Can we do all the work in four instead of five days?
What goal do I want to achieve with a 4-day work week?
After you go through these questions, the next step would be to conduct a pilot experiment. You don’t have to switch your entire company to a 4-day work week schedule. Instead, choose one large team of workers to work under the new model. Follow their progress through an extended period of time, usually a year.
The results of the experiment and the subsequent comments by your employees will be the best indicator of whether your business is suitable for a 4-day work week.
However, you should always expect both positive and negative things in your report.
Conclusion
The 4-day work week model, just like any other work schedule, comes with amazing benefits that can improve your business. These benefits include an increase in productivity and happiness, as well as a reduction in costs. On the other hand, there are always some negative aspects, such as customer dissatisfaction or a decrease in employee engagement.
Sources
Insider: Microsoft Experimented With a 4-Day Workweek, And Productivity Jumped by 40%
Autonomy: Going Public: Iceland’s Journey to a Shorter Working Week
Jefferson Bank: Could a Four-Day Work Week Save Your Business Money
Henley Business School: The Four-Day Week: The Pandemic and the Evolution of Flexible Working
CNBC make it: This Company Switched to a 4-Day Workweek and 91% of Its Workers Say They’re Happier
Velocity Global: Living for the Weekend: 4-Day Workweek Pros and Cons