The standard 9-5, 5 day work week is outdated and frankly, no longer fit for purpose.
It’s not making us more productive, it’s making us stressed, over worked and burnt out.
It is time for change. It is time for a ‘4 day work week’:
A 4 day work week consists of a 32 hour work week instead of the usual 40 hour work week.
However, unlike working part time, there would be no loss of pay or reduction in holidays.
The 5 day work week was invented a century ago, which is why we are overdue an update.
Together, we can change the way we work: where we work to live, rather than live to work.
You may think that working 4 days a week only benefits employees right?
However, research shows that employers, economy, society, and environment also benefit.
Here are some of the benefits that these different groups can expect from a 4 day work week:
Workers
First of all, as employees, a 4 day work week gives us a much better work-life balance.
It gives us the time to live more happier and more fulfilled lives.
Not only that, but it gives time for those non-work related parts that are neglected such as:
- Rest – Sleep and other the forms of rest (physical, mental, social, emotional, and sensory rest).
- Leisure – From spending time with family and friends to pursing hobbies and passion projects.
- Life Admin – Tasks like shopping, cleaning, managing finances, and the many parenting duties.
What about productivity? Wouldn’t working 32hrs a week mean you’ll get less done? Nope.
Research shows that employees can get the same amount if not more done within less time.
This is due to Parkinson’s Law: Work expands/contracts according to the time you give to it.
This means whether you have 40 or 32 hours, you will still manage to get the same work done!
Employers
With a 4 day work week, employers can even expect higher performance and higher profits.
This is because a rested worker is a better worker, with trials and real world examples showing that a shorter working week actually increases an organisation’s productivity.
For example, a Henley Business School study in 2019 found that 250 firms participating in a 4 day work week saved an estimated $120 billion a year!
This is because their employees were happier, less stressed, and took fewer sick days.
Who would have thought that working less would save companies so much money per year!
As well as that, promoting a 4 day work will inevitably attract greater talent to the business.
In a competitive marketplace, employers have to stand out other than just increased pay.
Having a 4 day work week enables organisations to attract and retain high quality employees.
Economy
One way in which the economy benefits from a 4 day work week is lower unemployment.
Many nations suffer simultaneously from overwork, unemployment, and underemployment.
Therefore, a 4 day work week is an intuitively simple solution to rebalance the economy.
As well as that, a shorter work week will result in an increased national productivity.
Numerous studies show that working few hours would boost an entire country’s productivity.
At such a scale, countries can expect the same if not more output in a less amount of time.
Finally, with a 4 day work week, economies can expect a major boost in tourism.
With more free time and 3 day weekends, the tourism sector would see a major uplift.
More people would want to take short breaks in their own countries and as well as abroad.
With all these benefits to the economy alone, it makes sense to adopt a 4 day work week.
Society
One way in which society benefits from a 4 day week is better mental and physical health.
This would give us more time to focus on our fitness, health, and wellbeing.
In doing so, it would allow us to prevent and address any issues or illnesses.
A 4 day work week also benefits society in the form of gender equality.
Traditionally, women would be the ones to work part time in order to take over caring roles.
With shorter work weeks for men and women, this would allow roles to be assigned equally.
As well as that, a 4 day work week can strengthen communities within society.
Although Covid tore many communities apart, a 4 day work week would allow people to build relationships, care for children, the elderly as well as the disabled.
These are just some of the benefits that society can expect from a 4 day work week.
Environment
Believe it or not, a 4 day work week would promote a more sustainable lifestyle.
More free time allows us to make better choices, such as walking/cycling instead of driving.
It also allows us to focus on healthy eating/cooking rather than energy intensive ready meals.
As well as that, the environment would also benefit from a reduced carbon footprint.
Research shows that a 4 day week could reduce the UK’s carbon footprint for example by 127 million tonnes per year, which is the equivalent of taking 27 million cars off the road!
It’s great to see that the environment would benefit so drastically from a 4 day work week.
Final Thoughts
Covid has really changed the way we work in a short amount of time, creating the ‘new norm’.
From hybrid to full remote working, Covid has shown that we can change the way we work.
However, it is not enough. If anything, people starting working more hours when at home.
As well as that, not everyone can work from home but everyone can work less hours per week.
People have the option to work less hours already, but that’s considered working ‘part time’.
The problem with this is that it results in less pay and less holidays, which people don’t want.
We need to change the way we think about work this century. We need a 4 day work week.
To find out more about the 4 day work week campaign in the UK, check out 4dayweek.co.uk
Do you have any experience with working 4 days a week? Please share in the comments below!
If you enjoyed reading, check out my blog: Funding and Investment: What are Investors looking for?
