We’ve all seen the announcements, more and more companies offering a 4-day work week to employees. First adopted in Europe, this workforce trend has quickly come over to the United States. But what are the main reasons that a four-day work week is successful, and what are its benefits?
Increased Productivity
Ideally, a 4-day work week would be 32 hours worked, with no change in pay or benefits. The results are said to increase productivity in workers. Giving employees 4 days rather than 5, allows employees to work more productively during the 32 hours spent, and gives them extra time off for appointments, travel, education, and caregiving. The major aspect of a 4-day workweek is emphasizing results rather than hours worked. You could say this work schedule is motivating – allowing employees to really focus on work when they’re working and not the many other things, they’re thinking of having to do during the weekends.
Decreased Burnout and Lower Turnover
With less time spent online or in an office, burnout will decrease, which in return will help with turnover. Not only does less turnover happen, but an employer’s recruiting pool becomes larger because of the desired culture in place. It’s no surprise that the 4-day workweek is highly desirable to many employees in the workforce, and a great selling point when hiring new staff.
Lower operating costs
Many people have found themselves back in the office, and with this, employers can face higher operating costs. Having people only in the office for 4 days versus 5 days would have an impact on your office bills. If you’re a fully remote team, this could still apply if your work is paying for things like Wi-Fi, phones, etc. Employers may also experience lower costs when it comes to people’s time-off, less stress means less sickness, and less time spent out of the office for travel and family related events.
The 4-day workweek is not the solution for every business but definitely can benefit many businesses in a variety of ways. To determine if this is the right next step for your staff, you will want to ask yourself questions to assess the desired outcome of establishing this work schedule.