Working 9 to 5 is so 2019
Q: What are your thoughts on the 4-day workweek?
A: Who doesn’t love a 3-day weekend? It puts me in my happy place. But what would it look like if this became the norm?
American workers are still quitting in record numbers. 95% want more flexible hours and according to Future Forum, if they don’t get what they want, they leave.
Congressman Mark Takano of California introduced legislation this summer to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1939. It would shorten the workweek to 32 hours. Microsoft adopted this plan in Japan in 2019 and found that productivity went up by 40%. In 2021, Iceland published the results from its trial run and found workers were happier, healthier, and more productive. This week the U.K. launched a pilot program coordinated by 4 Day Work Global in partnership with the U.K think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week Campaign, and researchers at Cambridge, Oxford, and Boston College. 30 companies plan to participate this summer and others can still apply.
Valerie Miele, VP Global HR at Lifesize, a cloud communications company, says it’s not a matter of if it will happen, but when.
“Employees are screaming for change and companies who ignore what’s happening will fail.”
Miele says technology companies are jumping on the 4-day work week bandwagon. “During the height of the pandemic companies were forced to go remote. Many thought it wouldn’t work, but it did. Corporate America was forced to make changes. And workers are now demanding a work-life balance.”
Evan Danner, CEO of TZA, a labor management software company says his company moved to a 4 and a half day workweek years ago after first testing the plan over the summer.
“Our intent was to provide a little more work-life balance for our employees, especially those that traveled to see clients each week. As an owner, the concern has always been the overall loss of productive time and its impact on top-line revenue and profit. Over the years we have seen no discernable impact on business performance. This is more true than ever in a world where unlimited PTO and working remotely have become somewhat common. In the end, some organizations will see little impact on their financial performance utilizing a shortened work week due to the nature of their business. However, others that require a significant amount of travel, for instance, will be reluctant to give up 20% of their billable time.”
Lifesize gives its staff a day of wellness every month and Miele says they love it.
“New generations have different attitudes and companies need to move away from thinking the more hours spent at work equals higher productivity. People want to get the work done. They may even spend more time working. Make your team happy and they will be loyal and help your business grow.”