Should Companies Move Towards a 4-Day Working Week?
With all of the latest news around a 4-day working week being a great option for increased productivity, we though we would look into the pros and cons of it.
How does it work?
The concept of the 4-day working week, is that you receive the same pay, complete the same amount of work and in return work 1 less day. The focus is on reducing times when employers aren’t being fully productive. Simply spend more time working productively and receive a day off in return. It is not necessarily having the Friday off, a lot of companies are having Wednesday as the day off as a midweek break.
Success rate?
Most companies that have already implemented the 4-day working week, say that the productivity, profits and staff well-being increases significantly. It should reduce staff stress which then also reduces the amount of sick days per year. Typically companies that have this in place are very in demand for jobs, so have little difficultly with recruitment.
It is an exciting thought for employees as they get to have time to volunteer, spend more time with their family, pursue passions, anything they want with the extra time! For some employees it can make their lives much easier and improve their work life balance significantly.
Cons
However, working a 4-day week might not be possible for all industries right now. For jobs such as social workers, doctors, nurses and similar roles to this where they are needed 24/7, it might not be an option yet. There might be other alternatives to allow staff in these industries to work fewer hours.
It might be a concern to some workers that the reduced time to work might actually make working more stressful as there would still be the same amount of work to be completed. Also, people with childcare and other various arrangements might find it difficult to rearrange them.
What are your thoughts on the 4-day working week? Would you prefer a Wednesday midweek break or a longer weekend?
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