��������ʿ�����¼

If you’ve ever:

• Felt like the point of the workweek was to make it to Friday afternoon
• Wished on Sunday that you had just one more day left of the weekend
• Had to squeeze in doctor appointments at 7 a.m. so you could get to work on time …

Then you probably like the sound of a��four-day workweek.

(Spoiler alert: Most people do!)

“Remote work is one aspect of that, but the shorter workweek is another component.”

So, what’s stopping everyone from stepping back to four days of clocking in? Just as when the workweek changed from six days to five in the early 20th��century (thanks largely to the Ford Motor Company making the switch in 1926), there are pros and cons to both sides of the issue.

The statistics reported by the program are encouraging. Consider the following:

��

Demand for a four-day week, in other words, is significant among today’s workers.

“There are definitely pros and cons associated with the four-day week, and it depends on which side of the coin you’re looking at,” Woods says.

For employers, considerations like��customer service��(who will field all the calls and requests?),��productivity��and��efficiency��can top the list of concerns. While data suggests productivity is rarely impacted, there are real costs associated with paying workers for 40 hours when they’re only working 32.

As detailed in an��, several companies that have implemented the four-day week found that costs did increase but not by the same amount that hours decreased.

A company called Diamondback Covers, for example, reported a rise of only 3% in costs even though the drop in working hours was 12.5%. The reason?��Working smarter, not harder. When people are motivated, they can figure out ways to maximize their concentration and productivity.

For employees, the twin carrots of��flexibility��and��autonomy��that come with post-pandemic workplace changes are hard to resist. To some extent,��remote work��offers these. But having that third weekend day can spell the difference between being happy in one’s job and experiencing improved��work-life integration.

“Saturday might be the day that you run errands and do things you have to do. Then Sunday, you’re getting ready for the workweek. … [But a four-day workweek shifts] the narrative a little bit so that it’s like, ‘Wow, I get a good amount of time to focus on things besides catching up on chores on the weekend,’” Woods explains.

Then there’s the added benefit of��improved mental health. This one is hard to quantify but almost universally cited as a benefit of shorter workweeks. Whether that’s because people report feeling more energized and focused at work, or because they claim it��reduces burnout��and boosts overall satisfaction, is anyone’s guess. (And may hinge upon how the survey question is phrased.)

Of course, no one can agree on everything, and that goes for three-day weekends as well. Woods says that not everyone will welcome a four-day workweek, whether that’s because they like the stability and predictability of getting up and going to work, or because they might become anxious or stressed about getting everything done in fewer days.

Some industries are better suited to four-day weeks than others. White-collar industries, particularly in the digital space, have largely been the ones to forge ahead so far.

Non-client facing industries, Woods adds, might also be more conducive to a shorter workweek.

But implementing such a significant change to working hours requires more than just enthusiasm and employer-employee buy-in. Companies have to determine, for example, how they might do more with less hours.

Woods uses her work as a career advisor as an example of what this might look like. “It may come down to creative scheduling with the team,” she acknowledges. “But could it be done? Absolutely.”

Companies must also consider whether they’d move to��four 10-hour days��(and still get those 40-hour working weeks) or��32-hour workweeks. And, if they opt for the latter, do employee salaries stay the same or decline?

While a four-day workweek may still be a fantasy more than a reality for most employees, it’s entirely possible that a��career move down the line��will include that option.

Should you find yourself in such a position, Woods recommends asking the following:

1. What are the��expectations around productivity?
2. How is the��workload managed��during a four-day workweek?
3. Given the shorter working week, how do employees approach��deadlines and meetings?
4. How do you handle being��short-staffed?

“The idea of a four-day workweek sounds great, but if I’m going to be more stressed because of it, and I’m going to be more heavily micromanaged on the four days I’m in the office, then I might not want that,” Woods theorizes.

At the end of the day, a shortened working week may come into existence much the way the six-day week turned into a five-day week. That is to say, it may be the will of the people.

“For years, we were taught to believe that there’s only one way to work. But what we really learned from the pandemic is there are other ways to work,” Woods says.

Part of that is via remote work, yes. The other part is the��gig economy. When you can make money by delivering groceries, employers have to do more to tap into what employees want, or they won’t attract the workforce they need to succeed.

“Employees know they have options,” Woods says, “and that’s one thing employers have to contend with right now.”

Want more career insights?��Check out our blog!