4DayWeekUS

JS: There is a growing body of research on the topic, and we’re working with academics at Harvard, Oxford, Boston College, and elsewhere to study the pilot 4 Day Week efforts and help get even deeper data. Some of the research is collected on our partner’s website here: https://www.4dayweek.com/research . As well, Nicholas Ashford at MIT’s Sloan School has done a number of papers examining European examples, a couple linked below:

https://www.europeanfinancialreview.com/a-four-day-workweek-a-policy-for-improving-employment-and-environmental-conditions-in-europe/ https://ashford.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/G86.%20Kallis%20et%20al.,%20Sustainability%202013,%205,%201545-1567%20pdf.pdf

We need more research to better understand all of the benefits of giving people another day off, as well as the challenges of implementation. But the benefits of moving to the original weekend nearly a century ago were spectacular, to individuals, to families, communities and our country.

JS: When the original weekend was created, it was factory/mill workers who were the first beneficiaries. This was because companies like Ford and Kelloggs helped lead the way. Within a decade, the federal government made it standard, and everyone eventually benefited. This time around, it is easier for white collar workers to pilot the switch initially. But it’s not impossible for those in factories or in restaurants. And we’re already seeing that service-sector jobs that pay slightly higher wages, or offer more time off, are having a much easier time recruiting qualified workers. Workers now understand their value, and more time off -- without a loss of salary -- is one way for them to be better compensated. Eventually, we’ll need government policies that help insure everyone benefits. This may require raising minimum wages, making health care independent of employment, and supporting businesses as they transition.

JL: Yes, we mean a 32 hour week. The “4 Day Week” name is really a catchy shorthand for reducing work hours.

Because a significant percentage of employers could implement this without reducing productivity (and many see increased productivity), there shouldn’t be any reduction in pay. Not all businesses operate in a way that’s as easy to shift to a reduced working hours schedule while maintaining pay, but there are examples of companies in the restaurant industry, manufacturing, and construction doing it. For employers operating 7 days a week, we would say that it might make sense to start with a slightly reduced working hours schedule and see how that impacts productivity through things like better rest, employee retention, and employee engagement.

JL: The primary mechanisms are rest, working smarter, and being a better place to work.

Better rested employees are a lot more efficient than tired employees. This cuts across virtually all types of jobs and we know we are a sleep deprived nation.

Employers that implement four day work weeks and wind up seeing higher productivity involve their employees in finding ways to work smarter and cut a lot of the fat out of the working week. Most people can point to aspects of their work that are inefficient and take up far too much time. Trim meetings, optimize processes, and focus on what’s actually important.

Finally, companies that implement four day weeks see less employer turnover, faster times to hire, and fewer sickdays. Those benefits alone have a tremendous positive impact on an organization’s productivity.

JS: This was almost exactly the response to the idea of the original weekend roughly a century ago. There were those who said it would be impossible to achieve, and many business leaders who argued it would bankrupt and impoverish America. Instead, it helped spark the American economic engine that would power unprecedented growth, create a thriving middle class, give birth to entire new economies of leisure and recreation, and pace the entire world. It required some forward thinking organizations, business leaders, and, eventually, the support of the federal government -- but it was absolutely possible then and it’s absolutely possible now.