It’s been a while since the four-day workweek was introduced (over 50 years ago). But the remote work era, in addition to its younger counterpart - hybrid work, has incentivized its introduction.
To do that, we needed a concrete argument first. Actually, the real test says it works and that the four-day workweek is for everyone. The proof came through a gigantic test conducted in the UK in 2022. Sufficient to say that it brought ‘everyone loves it’ momentum.
People sleep better, have less burnout, and have more time to care for their loved ones when working under the four-day workweek principle. At the same time, company revenue increased by an average of 1.4%, while turnover rates fell by 57%. The four-day workweek became interesting even for people from higher places, such as Bernie Sanders, who took a proactive side, and others who disagreed and pushed people to work more.
In theory, it’s a well-known fact that the concept works, but now it has happened in reality too. However, we still don’t see hoards of companies rushing to embrace it.
This is quite strange. Especially as increasingly loud voices urge leadership to pay more attention to employees' mental health, it seems they have a solution on the table. But do they? One of many reasons lies in detail on how to calculate employee salary, because of the reduction of actual working days. Nowadays, the debate continues on whether salaries should reduce, stay the same, or even be increased. It seems that company leadership must find a compromise.
Further adoption of a 4-day workweek demands compromise
Firstly, if a company decides to embrace a four-day workweek principle, it has to be able to function with a 20% reduction in working hours. Usually, this suits smaller and more agile companies, but not the ones with complex production lines and actual products in the form of output.
Secondly, some companies are able to introduce a reduction in working days. Still, they experience a problem where some teams perform better than others because their internal processes are more suitable.
Thirdly, the four-day workweek principle extends, to some, as a nine-day fortnight. In its basics, it’s a form of compressed hours, which allows people to work their contracted hours over a shorter number of days. In short, you acquire sufficient hours across the 9 days to take the 10th day off (i.e., 35 hours, 5 days a week).
Let’s not forget that companies must consider their retention and recruitment efforts and strategies. While employees have clear demands for greater flexibility, adopting progressive (or mixed) working policies could be a solution.
Now it becomes more understandable that what initially sounded straightforward and a ‘no-brainer’ became a mind-breaking problem for company leadership. The problem becomes even more pronounced in the tech industry, where employees have a higher tendency to get the work done under the deadlines.
Let’s not forget that companies must consider their retention and recruitment efforts and strategies. While employees have clear demands for greater flexibility, adopting progressive (mixed) working policies could be a solution.
The easiest way to understand the youngest of all concepts (i.e., progressive working policies) is as a mixture of the four-day workweek, a nonlinear workday, and everything else in between.
Nonlinear workday
Let’s say the company is willing to allow its employees to work according to their energy levels, making it important to catch the deadline. No harm is done if they meet the deadline and vice versa.
The concept of the nonlinear workday is a bit different from the four-day workweek model as it allows companies not to change at the organizational level and without changing salary policies accordingly.
Essentially, a nonlinear workday allows employees to avoid working from 9 to 5, but regular periods where they work do not match the standard working hours.
Why does this work? Because people can plan their activities forward and align them with their energy level peaks. Asynchronously. This approach sounds familiar, and it resembles well with remote working principle.
For example, employees can start work later, and get things done late in the evening as they have nothing planned for the after-hours or evening. Day after routine can be switched for an early morning through midday, and then have free afternoon and evening. At the end of the week, if their tasks are done and the deadline matched, they are considered as productive.
Why does this work? Because people can plan their activities forward and align them with their energy level peaks. Asynchronously. This approach sounds familiar, and it resembles well with remote working principle.
Of course, not all employers can meet these levels of freedom. But in the New Work order, nonlinear workdays are still set to take a more prominent role in some jobs and sectors. Benefits are clear and visible, but only if certain measures are in place.
A 4-day workweek for everyone might be overly expensive
Despite the benefits of a four-day workweek, there is growing awareness that today’s companies have to be seen as isolated cases. The complexity of the processes conducted under one roof and the different ability to meet the productivity levels must be the guiding hand for companies to distinguish one of the models that suit them the best to reduce the workload levels. Interorganizational transformation might be more expensive for many companies than productivity gains. Fair to assume that a 4-day workweek isn’t possible for anyone, but it’s too many.
