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Unless you’ve been living under a rock or avoiding the news, you’ve probably heard of the concept of a ‘four day work-week’, a scheme being trialled by multiple companies in multiple countries across the world.
But are there any drawbacks?
In this blog, we’ll look at which is better, the four day work-week or the five day work-week. As a Learning Solutions Platform for business, we’re interested in what makes a thriving company culture. Could a shorter week be the answer?
Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time the length of the week has been challenged. Along with the quadricycle and a variety of objectively more popular inventions, the concept of a weekend as we know it now comes to us courtesy of American car manufacturer Henry Ford. In 1914, he made the decision to shorten his factory’s rota from six to five days - and by 1933, this was standard across the country.
One year later and across the Atlantic, John Boot (nepo baby and chairman of Boots) adopted the same practice. Ninety years on, it’s still the status quo - but once again, a shift is taking place.
Enter the four day work-week: the five day work-week’s fun, younger cousin who has some new ideas about how to run things. As more and more companies across the world adopt this new practice, the standard Monday - Friday status quo is at risk of seeming as antique and outdated as Henry Ford’s quadricycle.
Business owners and four day work-week advocates Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart spearheaded the 4 Day Global Workweek campaign in June 2021, rolling out the initiative across a number of companies with the aim of giving one day of relaxation back to employees.
The project was based on the ‘100-80-100’ model: workers receive 100% of the pay for working 80% of the time, providing they can commit to 100% productivity.
So, let’s start with the pros. What are the benefits of a four day working week?
What are the benefits of a four day work-week, when compared to the traditional five day work-week?
The first and most obvious benefit is that the extra day can be beneficial for your physical and mental health.
Research shows that those who are ‘time-poor’ experience higher levels of stress, anxiety and unhappiness. Conversely, those who are ‘time-affluent’ are able to focus on their physical and mental health, making them happier overall.
That pesky little problem known as ‘the need for money’ is the main factor that contributes to time poverty - but the four day work-week aims to solve that by rewarding employees with full-time compensation for part-time hours.
Despite shifts in our overall attitudes towards gender roles, studies show that women still shoulder the burden of domestic labour - even if both partners are in full-time work.
This means that the five day work week - like so many other things - disproportionately impacts women.
There are also findings that show the gender pay gap widens even further after women have children - an effect known as ‘The Motherhood Penalty.’
A shorter week could potentially be a step in the right direction, ensuring that one extra day is freed up for both partners and redistributing the domestic labour a bit more evenly. This would, in turn, allow women to take on higher-paying jobs.
Another benefit of the four day working week that you might not expect - but is obvious when you think about it - is its impact, or lack thereof, on the environment.
Economist and sociology professor Juliet Schor found an undeniable link between working hours and climate footprint in high-income countries. With fewer commutes taking place and a reduction in energy costs incurred by the running of workplaces, the new four day work-week gets the green stamp of approval.
Of course, this all depends on what the employees do with that extra day off - but predictions don’t suggest they’ll be taking frequent flights or road trips. (At least not enough to have an environmental impact.)
Even though a shorter week might initially seem inefficient to those who are used to the traditional model, it looks like the opposite could in fact be true.
Four day work-week advocates posit that after an extra day to unwind, relax and refresh, employees will be much more likely to maintain focus and produce their best work.
It also helps that happy workers = greater staff retention. If your employees are comfortable and satisfied with their work-life balance, they’re a lot less likely to quit.
Ok, that all sounds good - but there are always two sides to every story. So what are the potential drawbacks of this new way of working?
What? That doesn’t sound right.
We know that we just espoused the benefits of a shorter week for mental health - but this blog is a ‘pros and cons’ list, after all.
The inverse of this is that squeezing five days’ worth of tasks into just four can increase stress as employees risk struggling with the larger workload.
An example of this struggle comes in the form of engineering and industrial supply company Allcap. The company took a tailored approach to the scheme, offering employees one day off every two weeks.
But to his surprise, managing director Mark found the scheme wasn’t entirely successful. Speaking to the BBC, he said: “As opposed to ten normal workdays, we found that employees would have nine extreme ones – once they got to their scheduled day off they were exhausted. Once we factored in holidays, sickness and caring responsibilities, we also struggled to find cover for an employee on their rest day.”
There’s a difference between reducing the week’s hours, and compressing them. A reduction in hours, as we’ve already established, fits into the 100:80:100 rule - the operative part in this case being the 80% of the time that employees work.
But some companies are choosing to compress the hours instead. In other words, employees work four days, but with longer hours.
This can lead to employees feeling overworked - which is not what advocates for the scheme are aiming for.
In certain customer-facing industries, shorter working weeks for employees can have a negative impact on their customers caused by suddenly having to close up shop one day a week.
The answer could be a schedule where people work alternating days, but this potentially means hiring more staff - incurring more costs for the business.
Which is better, a four or five day work week?
It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, but it’s hard to ignore the data.
UK employees taking part in the pilot reported a reduction in stress, an improvement to their sleep schedule, and greater ease when it came to balancing work and home responsibilities. The trial also saw a large reduction in sick days, about two-thirds.
Whether the four day work-week will work for you depends on a variety of factors. What are your opening hours? Are you a customer-facing business? Will it be compatible with your workload? These are all things to take into consideration when making the decision - and, like any business decision, it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
4 Day Workweek Global encourages employers to trial the scheme to see once and for all whether it’s successful for your business. Could a four day work-week soon become your new normal?
Here at Thrive we're all about making adjustments to be flexible for our team, as everyone has different needs. In April 2022, we launched ‘Thrive-Days’, an initiative to give employees shorter Fridays (10 AM - 3PM) so they could better enjoy their summer.
Fast-forward to 2023, and Thrive-Days are still going strong - throughout the entire year.
We like to think that this balance means that Thrive employees can invest a little extra time back into themselves - whether that be through rest, self-development, family time or hobbies.
We asked the Thrive team for their thoughts on what the Thrive-Days initiative means to them. A lot of people said that they used the time to be with their family and young children - or on the flip-side, enjoy a little extra time for self-care amid the 24/7 job of parenting.
“It means extra quality time with my daughter after nursery and a little hour of 'me time' in the morning - very thankful for these moments!”
"I am a parent as well, and it is so hard to find time for self care. The extra time to do things like exercise and meditate, or even just getting a haircut while not feeling I have to do it around my child really helps."
Others talked about using the time for their life admin, freeing up more leisure time at the weekend.
"I often use it to do life admin, so I am ready for a relaxed weekend."
"For me, it allows me more time to tackle the mess that's left behind by an overworked wife in the NHS, a 9 month-old puppy and two cats that enjoy vomiting as their primary hobby. The house is immaculate over the weekend.”
It was also great to see people explaining how the extra time allowed them to invest in their hobbies:
“I spend the early mornings starting my day off by reading or doing my daily duolingo so I don't forget! And the early finish allows some flexibility to do my Friday prayers which I appreciate.”
"I use the late start for a lie-in and a walk to my local coffee shop and then I use the early finish for a longer walk with the dog… Super grateful for it! :)"
It seems like whatever your thoughts are on the four day week, work-life balance is incredibly important when it comes to our wellbeing. Sounds good to you? See what job opportunities we have open.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
%20(1).webp)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock or avoiding the news, you’ve probably heard of the concept of a ‘four day work-week’, a scheme being trialled by multiple companies in multiple countries across the world.
But are there any drawbacks?
In this blog, we’ll look at which is better, the four day work-week or the five day work-week. As a Learning Solutions Platform for business, we’re interested in what makes a thriving company culture. Could a shorter week be the answer?
Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time the length of the week has been challenged. Along with the quadricycle and a variety of objectively more popular inventions, the concept of a weekend as we know it now comes to us courtesy of American car manufacturer Henry Ford. In 1914, he made the decision to shorten his factory’s rota from six to five days - and by 1933, this was standard across the country.
One year later and across the Atlantic, John Boot (nepo baby and chairman of Boots) adopted the same practice. Ninety years on, it’s still the status quo - but once again, a shift is taking place.
Enter the four day work-week: the five day work-week’s fun, younger cousin who has some new ideas about how to run things. As more and more companies across the world adopt this new practice, the standard Monday - Friday status quo is at risk of seeming as antique and outdated as Henry Ford’s quadricycle.
Business owners and four day work-week advocates Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart spearheaded the 4 Day Global Workweek campaign in June 2021, rolling out the initiative across a number of companies with the aim of giving one day of relaxation back to employees.
The project was based on the ‘100-80-100’ model: workers receive 100% of the pay for working 80% of the time, providing they can commit to 100% productivity.
So, let’s start with the pros. What are the benefits of a four day working week?
What are the benefits of a four day work-week, when compared to the traditional five day work-week?
The first and most obvious benefit is that the extra day can be beneficial for your physical and mental health.
Research shows that those who are ‘time-poor’ experience higher levels of stress, anxiety and unhappiness. Conversely, those who are ‘time-affluent’ are able to focus on their physical and mental health, making them happier overall.
That pesky little problem known as ‘the need for money’ is the main factor that contributes to time poverty - but the four day work-week aims to solve that by rewarding employees with full-time compensation for part-time hours.
Despite shifts in our overall attitudes towards gender roles, studies show that women still shoulder the burden of domestic labour - even if both partners are in full-time work.
This means that the five day work week - like so many other things - disproportionately impacts women.
There are also findings that show the gender pay gap widens even further after women have children - an effect known as ‘The Motherhood Penalty.’
A shorter week could potentially be a step in the right direction, ensuring that one extra day is freed up for both partners and redistributing the domestic labour a bit more evenly. This would, in turn, allow women to take on higher-paying jobs.
Another benefit of the four day working week that you might not expect - but is obvious when you think about it - is its impact, or lack thereof, on the environment.
Economist and sociology professor Juliet Schor found an undeniable link between working hours and climate footprint in high-income countries. With fewer commutes taking place and a reduction in energy costs incurred by the running of workplaces, the new four day work-week gets the green stamp of approval.
Of course, this all depends on what the employees do with that extra day off - but predictions don’t suggest they’ll be taking frequent flights or road trips. (At least not enough to have an environmental impact.)
Even though a shorter week might initially seem inefficient to those who are used to the traditional model, it looks like the opposite could in fact be true.
Four day work-week advocates posit that after an extra day to unwind, relax and refresh, employees will be much more likely to maintain focus and produce their best work.
It also helps that happy workers = greater staff retention. If your employees are comfortable and satisfied with their work-life balance, they’re a lot less likely to quit.
Ok, that all sounds good - but there are always two sides to every story. So what are the potential drawbacks of this new way of working?
What? That doesn’t sound right.
We know that we just espoused the benefits of a shorter week for mental health - but this blog is a ‘pros and cons’ list, after all.
The inverse of this is that squeezing five days’ worth of tasks into just four can increase stress as employees risk struggling with the larger workload.
An example of this struggle comes in the form of engineering and industrial supply company Allcap. The company took a tailored approach to the scheme, offering employees one day off every two weeks.
But to his surprise, managing director Mark found the scheme wasn’t entirely successful. Speaking to the BBC, he said: “As opposed to ten normal workdays, we found that employees would have nine extreme ones – once they got to their scheduled day off they were exhausted. Once we factored in holidays, sickness and caring responsibilities, we also struggled to find cover for an employee on their rest day.”
There’s a difference between reducing the week’s hours, and compressing them. A reduction in hours, as we’ve already established, fits into the 100:80:100 rule - the operative part in this case being the 80% of the time that employees work.
But some companies are choosing to compress the hours instead. In other words, employees work four days, but with longer hours.
This can lead to employees feeling overworked - which is not what advocates for the scheme are aiming for.
In certain customer-facing industries, shorter working weeks for employees can have a negative impact on their customers caused by suddenly having to close up shop one day a week.
The answer could be a schedule where people work alternating days, but this potentially means hiring more staff - incurring more costs for the business.
Which is better, a four or five day work week?
It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, but it’s hard to ignore the data.
UK employees taking part in the pilot reported a reduction in stress, an improvement to their sleep schedule, and greater ease when it came to balancing work and home responsibilities. The trial also saw a large reduction in sick days, about two-thirds.
Whether the four day work-week will work for you depends on a variety of factors. What are your opening hours? Are you a customer-facing business? Will it be compatible with your workload? These are all things to take into consideration when making the decision - and, like any business decision, it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
4 Day Workweek Global encourages employers to trial the scheme to see once and for all whether it’s successful for your business. Could a four day work-week soon become your new normal?
Here at Thrive we're all about making adjustments to be flexible for our team, as everyone has different needs. In April 2022, we launched ‘Thrive-Days’, an initiative to give employees shorter Fridays (10 AM - 3PM) so they could better enjoy their summer.
Fast-forward to 2023, and Thrive-Days are still going strong - throughout the entire year.
We like to think that this balance means that Thrive employees can invest a little extra time back into themselves - whether that be through rest, self-development, family time or hobbies.
We asked the Thrive team for their thoughts on what the Thrive-Days initiative means to them. A lot of people said that they used the time to be with their family and young children - or on the flip-side, enjoy a little extra time for self-care amid the 24/7 job of parenting.
“It means extra quality time with my daughter after nursery and a little hour of 'me time' in the morning - very thankful for these moments!”
"I am a parent as well, and it is so hard to find time for self care. The extra time to do things like exercise and meditate, or even just getting a haircut while not feeling I have to do it around my child really helps."
Others talked about using the time for their life admin, freeing up more leisure time at the weekend.
"I often use it to do life admin, so I am ready for a relaxed weekend."
"For me, it allows me more time to tackle the mess that's left behind by an overworked wife in the NHS, a 9 month-old puppy and two cats that enjoy vomiting as their primary hobby. The house is immaculate over the weekend.”
It was also great to see people explaining how the extra time allowed them to invest in their hobbies:
“I spend the early mornings starting my day off by reading or doing my daily duolingo so I don't forget! And the early finish allows some flexibility to do my Friday prayers which I appreciate.”
"I use the late start for a lie-in and a walk to my local coffee shop and then I use the early finish for a longer walk with the dog… Super grateful for it! :)"
It seems like whatever your thoughts are on the four day week, work-life balance is incredibly important when it comes to our wellbeing. Sounds good to you? See what job opportunities we have open.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
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